BioBlitz - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

A BioBlitz, also written without capitals bioblitz, is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists and volunteers conduct an intensive field study over a short, usually 24 hour, time. There is a public component to many BioBlitzes, with the goal of getting the public interested in biodiversity. To encourage more public participation, these BioBlitzes are often held in urban park

Urban park

An urban park, is also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens , is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality...

s or nature reserve

Nature reserve

A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...

s close to cities.http://www.amentsoc.org/insects/glossary/terms/bioblitz http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/projects/bioblitz.html http://www.whistlerbioblitz.ca/?page_id=2 http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/blitz.html

Special features

A BioBlitz has different opportunities and benefits than a traditional, scientific field study. Some of these potential benefits include (adapted from http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/blitz.html):

Enjoyment. Instead of a highly structured and measured field survey, this sort of event has the atmosphere of a festival. The short time frame makes the searching more exciting.
Local. The concept of biodiversity tends to be associated with coral reefs or tropical rain forests. A BioBlitz offers the chance for people to visit a nearby setting and see that local parks have biodiversity and are important to conserve.
Science. These one-day events gather basic taxonomic information on some groups of species.
Meet the Scientists. A BioBlitz encourages people to meet working scientists and ask them questions.
Identifying rare and unique species/groups. When volunteers and scientists work together, they are able to identify uncommon or special habitats for protection and management and, in some cases, rare species may be uncovered.
Documenting species occurrence. BioBlitzes do not provide a complete species inventory for a site, but they provide a species list which makes a basis for a more complete inventory and will often show what area or what taxon would benefit from a further study.

History

The term "BioBlitz" was first coined by U.S. National Park Service naturalist Susan Rudy while assisting with the first BioBlitz. The first BioBlitz was held at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, Washington D.C. in 1996. Approximately 1000 species were identified at this first event. This first accounting of biodiversity was organized by Sam Droege (USGS) and Dan Roddy (NPS) with the assistance of other government scientists.http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/blitz/kenilw.html The public and especially the news media were invited. Since the success of the first bioblitz, many organisations around the world have repeated this concept.

Since then, most BioBlitz contain a public component so that adults, kids, teens and anyone interested can join experts and scientists in the field. Participating in these hands-on field studies is a fun and exciting way for people to learn about biodiversity

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...

and better understand how to protect it.

In 1998, Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson and Massachusetts wildlife exper Peter Alden developed a program to catalog the organisms around Walden Pond

Walden Pond

Walden Pond is a 31-metre-deep lake in Massachusetts . It is in area and around, located in Concord, Massachusetts, in the United States...

. This led to a state-wide program known as Biodiversity Days. This concept is very similar to a BioBlitz and occasionally the two terms are used interchangeably.http://www.waldenbiodiversity.com/about/

A variation on the BioBlitz, the Blogger Blitz began in 2007. Rather than gather volunteers and scientists at one location, participant blogs pledged to conduct individual surveys of biodiveristy. These results were the compiled and mapped. The purpose of this blitz is not to survey down to species level across all taxonomic groups, but rather to raise awareness about biodiversity and provide a general snapshot of diversity.http://scienceblogs.com/voltagegate/2007/03/announcing_the_first_annual_bl.php http://invasivespecies.blogspot.com/2007/03/join-blogger-bioblitz.html

Australia

The Woodland Watch Project (part of the World Wildlife Fund has an annual BioBlitz in wheatbelt areas of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

.

Canada

The Canadian Biodiversity Institute held numerous BioBlitzes between 1997 and 2001.http://www.biodiversityonline.ca/BioBlitz/index.htm
Victoria's Beacon Hill has had two BioBlitzes, in April 2007 and October 2007. They successfully gave thanks for the biodiversity of the region. Beacon Hill has since been a site for Arborblitzs, which focus on identifying all the trees within the park.
Saint Mary's University (Halifax)
Saint Mary's University (Halifax)
Saint Mary's University is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada. The school is best known for having nationally lead programs in Business, Astronomy and International Development Studies as well, one of the best football and Men's hockey programs in Canada .The campus is situated in Halifax's...

has held an annual BioBlitz in Nova Scotia, Canada since 2008. In an effort to monitor changes in biodiversity over time organizers plan to hold the BioBlitz in a different type of ecosystem each year until baseline data is established for 6-8 differing research zones. The BioBlitz will then systematically revisit these sites, allowing new data collection from each zone every 6–8 years.http://www.smu.ca/bioblitz/past.html
There has been an annual BioBlitz in Whistler
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...

,http://www.whistlerbioblitz.ca/ BC since 2007 (2011 will be their fifth year). Over the past year they have found 2318 species in the Whistler area.
The Robert Bateman
Robert Bateman
Robert Bateman may refer to:people* Robert Bateman , painter, sculptor, naturalist, and scholar* Robert Bateman * Robert Bateman , Canadian wildlife artist and naturalist...

Get to Know BioBlitzhttp://www.gettoknow.ca/events/bioblitz/ started in 2010 to celebrate the international year of biodiversity. In a partnership with Parks Canada
Parks Canada
Parks Canada , also known as the Parks Canada Agency , is an agency of the Government of Canada mandated to protect and present nationally significant natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative...

there were many sites all across Canada which celebrated bioblitzes on the international day of biodiversity (May 22).
Metro Vancouver has hosted their annual BioBlitz at Burnaby Lake Regional Park since 2010. This bioblitz has a large public participation component with lots of activities including pond dipping, nature walks and meeting live animals up close. The species count currently stands at 488, including a Western Screech Owl, Red-legged Frog, Brassy Minnows and Common Fern which, despite its name, had never been found in the area before.http://bioblitz.burnabylakepark.ca/index.html
The Warren Lake BioBlitz was scheduled for 11-13 August 2011. Warren Lake is on the east side of Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Cape Breton Highlands National Park
Cape Breton Highlands National Park is located on northern Cape Breton Island in the province of Nova Scotia. One-third of the Cabot Trail passes through the park featuring spectacular ocean and mountain views. The park was the first National Park in the Atlantic provinces of Canada and covers an...

. There is a hiking trail which circumnavigates the lake and it will be considered the border of the BioBlitz, i.e., there will be quite an extensive aquatic focus.
Stanley Park
Stanley Park
Stanley Park is a 404.9 hectare urban park bordering downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was opened in 1888 by David Oppenheimer in the name of Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor-General of Canada....

in Vancouver held its first BioBlitz August 20-21, 2011.http://www.stanleyparkecology.ca/bioblitz.php
Harrison Hot Springs had a BioBlitz in July 2011 to highlight the biodiversity of species in the Fraser Valley
Fraser Valley
The Fraser Valley is the section of the Fraser River basin in southwestern British Columbia downstream of the Fraser Canyon. The term is sometimes used to refer to the Fraser Canyon and stretches upstream from there, but in general British Columbian usage of the term refers to the stretch of the...

.http://fraservalleyconservancy.ca/calendar/bioblitz/

New Zealand

Landcare Research, in conjunction with colleagues in other institutes and agencies, held BioBlitzes in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008; and in Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

in 2005. A BioBlitz was planned for early April 2009 in Christchurch. Other New Zealand BioBlitzes have been held in Hamilton and in Wellington.
The first marine BioBlitz occurred on the Wellington South Coast over a month, since a marine BioBlitz is trickier weatherwise than a terrestrial one. After enjoying looking for ferns at Otari Wilton's Bush, see http://otari100.org.nz/index.php/bioblitz, Celia Wade-Brown
Celia Wade-Brown
Celia Wade-Brown is the 34th and current Mayor of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. She is the third woman to fill that role, replacing centre-right Kerry Prendergast. She is the second Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand mayor of a major New Zealand city, after Dunedin's Sukhi Turner...

suggested a Marine BioBlitz which was taken on enthusiastically by a range of organisations, and led by Forest and Bird.

Spain

In Formentera
Formentera
Formentera is the smaller and more southerly island of the Pine Islands group , which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community .-Geography:...

(Balearic Islands), during the Posidonia Festival 2008, there was a Bioblitz.

Taiwan

Taipei 228 Peace Park 2008 BioBlitz on December 20, sponsored by Taiwan Forestry Bureau and National Taiwan Museum, found more than 180 plants, 11 birds and 1 mammal.

United Kingdom

First UK Marine Bioblitz undertaken by the Marine Biological Association and the Natural History Museum together with other partners. Wembury, South Devon 2009 (http://www.marlin.ac.uk/bioblitz/)
Bristol May 21/22 - Organised by Bristol Natural History Consortium
Northumberland May 21/22 - Organised by Northumberland Biodiversity Network
New Forest National Park May 21/22 - Organised by New Forest National Park Authority
Swansea May 21/22 - Organised by Swansea City Council
Cairngorms May 22 - Organised by Cairngorms Biodiversity
Dundee May 29/30 - Organised by Dundee City Council
Leicester May 30/31 - Organised by Leicester City and County Council
Isle of Wight June 2 - Organised by Isle of Wight Council
London June 5 - Organised by OPAL
Derby June 5/6 - Organised by Derby City Council
Brighton June 6 - Organised by Sussex Wildlife Trust
Marine and coastal Bioblitz, Devon, Mothecombe June 11/12 - Organised by OPAL and the Marine Biological Association
Jersey June 11/12 - Organised by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
Fife June 25/26 - Organised by Fife Coast and Countryside Trust and "Celebrating Fife 2010"
Cambridge July 2/3 - Organised by Cambridge University
Lincolnshire July 9/10 - Organised by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
Nottingham July 18 - Organised by Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group
Bristol July 24 - Organised by the BNHC
Flintshire July 31 - Organised by Flintshire County Council
North Ayrshire August 1–6 - Organised by North Ayrshire Council
Lancashire August 7/8 - Organised by Lancashire Wildlife Trust
Kent August 12 - Organised by Kent Wildlife Trust
Corfe Mullen August 28 - Organised by Corfe Mullen Nature Watch
Cornwall September 4 - Organised by ERCCIS
Sandford School - June 10 2011 - organised by Ambios
Mount Edgcumb, Cornwall, September 2011. Marine and coastal bioblitz organised by the Marine Biological Association (http://www.marlin.ac.uk/bioblitz/)

United States of America

Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

: The Chugach National Forest
Chugach National Forest
-External links:*****...

and Alaska Department of Fish & Game-Diversity Program organized the first BioBlitz in Southcentral Alaska on July 23 and 24, 2011, to coincide with the International Year of Forests
International Year of Forests
The year 2011 was declared the International Year of Forests by the United Nations to raise awareness and strengthen the sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations....

.
California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

: The San Diego Natural History Museum
San Diego Natural History Museum
The San Diego Natural History Museum was founded in 1874 as the San Diego Society of Natural History. The present location of the museum in San Diego's Balboa Park was dedicated on January 14, 1933....

began hosting a yearly BioBlitz starting in 2008. The 2008 BioBlitz was held in Balboa Park and in 2009 the event was held at Mission Trails Regional Park
Mission Trails Regional Park
Mission Trails Regional Park is a 5,800 acre open space preserve within the city of San Diego, California, established in 1974. It is the sixth largest municipally-owned park in the United States, and the largest in California.-Description:...

on May 1–2.
California: The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden organized a BioBlitz of its natural spaces in May 2007.
Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

: The National Wildlife Federation
National Wildlife Federation
The National Wildlife Federation is the United States' largest private, nonprofit conservation education and advocacy organization, with over four million members and supporters, and 48 state and territorial affiliated organizations...

has been providing a toolset based on the eNature.com species data in the Denver/Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...

metropolitan area since 2004. Results are online.
Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

: The Center for Conservation and Biodiversity and Connecticut State Museum of Natural History have held seven BioBlitz events since 1999. See http://web.uconn.edu/mnh/bioblitz/. Results from the 2007 BioBlitz are online http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/bioblitz2007/results.php. The current record for a single Connecticut BioBlitz was set in 2001 at Tarrywile Park in Danbury
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....

, where 2519 species were recorded in the 24 hour period http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/bioblitz2001/results.php http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/06/0614_bioblitz.html.
District of Columbia: A BioBlitz at the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens
Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens
Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens is a National Park Service site located in the north eastern corner of Washington, D.C., and the Maryland state border. Nestled near the banks of the Anacostia River and directly south of the Baltimore Washington Parkway, Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens preserves...

in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

in 1996 found approximately 1000 species.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

2007: The National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...

held a BioBlitz in Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:The main section of the park contains , or , along the Rock Creek Valley...

on May 18–19. The event was later on a segment of the TV series Wild Chronicles which airs on PBS. Participants included J. Michael Fay
J. Michael Fay
J. Michael Fay is an American ecologist and conservationist notable for, among other things, the MegaTransect, in which he spent 455 days walking 3200 miles across Africa and the MegaFlyover in which he and pilot Peter Ragg spent months flying 70,000 miles in a small plane at low altitude, taking...

, Sylvia Earle
Sylvia Earle
Sylvia Alice Earle is an American oceanographer. She was chief scientist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from 1990–1992. She is a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, sometimes called "Her Deepness" or "The Sturgeon General".-Education and career:Earle received a...

, and Boyd Matson
Boyd Matson
Boyd Matson is the former anchor of National Geographic Explorer and a former co-anchor of NBC's Weekend Today program. He was also an NBC News correspondent in the 1980s, working mostly on news features and earlier as a sports reporter on KNBC in Los Angeles. He now hosts the show Wild Chronicles...

.
Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

: In Manatee County
Manatee County, Florida
Manatee County is a county in the state of Florida. According to the 2010 census by the U.S. Census Bureau there are 322,833 people living in Manatee Country.Manatee County is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, the local government's Department of Natural Resources (formerly Conservation Lands Management) has sponsored annual BioBlitz events, every spring since 2007. The surveys rotate between the county's different parks and preserves. This event, however, involves only a 12-hour survey instead of the standard 24-hour.
Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...

: At Punahou School
Punahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...

, a biannual BioBlitz is organized by the students. The event examines certain parts of the campus, and has been held there since the summer of 2008. The BioBlitz there happens once in winter, and once in summer.
Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

: The Field Museum of Natural History
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It sits on Lake Shore Drive next to Lake Michigan, part of a scenic complex known as the Museum Campus Chicago...

and other organizations held a BioBlitz in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

in 2002. There are several bioblitzes in parts of the forest preserves of Cook
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...

and Lake County
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...

.
Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

/DC/Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

, 2006: The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....

sponsored a Potomac Gorge
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...

BioBlitz where more than 130 field biologists and experienced naturalists volunteered their expertise in an effort to see how many species they could find. During a 30-hour survey period from Saturday, June 24, through Sunday, June 25 their surveys revealed more than 1,000 species.
Maryland: Jug Bay Bioblitz was sponsored by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s (M-NCPPC) Patuxent River
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...

Park staff and rangers, May 30–31, 2009.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

: 2006 collaboration between the Boston Museum of Science and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. The first bioblitz in a series sponsored by the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation. The first bioblitz to utilize CyberTracker
CyberTracker
CyberTracker Conservation is a South African non-profit company that develops handheld data capture solutions. Their flagship product is called CyberTracker 3 and can be downloaded free from the CyberTracker website....

and NatureMapping technologies for data collection.
On June 25–26, 2010, a Bioblitz was held in Falmouth, Massachusetts
Falmouth, Massachusetts
Falmouth is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States; Barnstable County is coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 31,531 at the 2010 census....

, using town conservation land and adjacent land owned by the 300 Committee (T3C), Falmouth's land trust. Surveys for 15 taxa were planned. About 120 volunteers participated. Preliminary estimate of 930 species found but this number is likely to increase as data are finalized. Full results to be published later in 2010 on the T3C website.
On September 29th 2010, the TDWG Techno/BioBlitz was held alongside the Annual Biodiversity Information Standards Conference in Woods Hole.
Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

: Sponsored by the Academy of Science, St. Louis, partners from the public, academic and corporate sectors collaborated on BioBlitz at Forest Park in St Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

in 2004, 2006 and 2008. The 2010 St. Louis BioBlitz is scheduled September 10.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

: Squam Lake
Squam Lake
Squam Lake is a lake located in central New Hampshire, USA, south of the White Mountains, straddling the borders of Grafton, Carroll, and Belknap counties. The largest town center on the lake is Holderness...

s. 2008. The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center
Squam Lakes Natural Science Center
The Squam Lakes Natural Science Center is a non-profit environmental education organization founded in 1966. SLNSC is located in Holderness, New Hampshire...

in collaboration with Squam Lakes Association and Squam Lakes Conservation Society in cooperation with the Holderness
Holderness, New Hampshire
Holderness is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,108 at the 2010 census. An agricultural and resort area, Holderness is home to the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and is located on Squam Lake...

Conservation Commission, the US Forest Service Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest
Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest
Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest is an area of land in the White Mountains of New Hampshire that functions as an outdoor laboratory for ecological studies...

, UNH Cooperative Extension, Plymouth State University
Plymouth State University
Plymouth State University, formerly Plymouth State College, is a regional comprehensive university located in Plymouth, New Hampshire and part of the University System of New Hampshire....

, NH Fish and Game Department, and Ecosystem Management Consultants.
New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

: Saw Mill River
Saw Mill River
The Saw Mill River is a 20 mile long tributary of the Hudson River in the United States, flowing from a marsh in Chappaqua to Yonkers, New York, where it empties into the Hudson. Its starting point in Chappaqua is presumed to be a spring. In the 17th century, the Saw Mill River was known as...

watershed, Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...

, September 2009. Groundwork Hudson Valley, leading the Saw Mill River Coalition, conducted a Saw Mill River BioBlitz on September 25–26 with more than 50 scientists from a wide variety of fields. A concurrent conference on the health of the river was held at Pace University
Pace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...

in Pleasantville
Pleasantville, New York
Pleasantville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 7,019 at the 2010 census. It is located in the town of Mount Pleasant. Pleasantville is home to a campus of Pace University and to the Jacob Burns Film Center...

that was open to the public and had activities geared for children. Funded by a grant from Westchester Community Foundation with additional support from US EPA and NYS/DEC Hudson River Estuary Program. Major co-sponsors joining the effort were Westchester County Parks, Recreation and Conservation; Teatown Lake Reservation; Pace University's Department of Biology and Health Sciences; Pace University's Academy for Applied Environmental Studies; Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society; Greenburgh Nature Center; and the Saw Mill River Audubon.
New York: Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...

. 2006. In collaboration with the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, the Explorers Club, the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...

and the Boston Museum of Science. This is the first bioblitz in history to incorporate the collection and analysis of microorganism
Microorganism
A microorganism or microbe is a microscopic organism that comprises either a single cell , cell clusters, or no cell at all...

s.
New York: A BioBlitz at Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...

found more than 800 species in 2003, including 393 species of plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...

s, 78 of moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

s, 14 fungi, 10 spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...

s, 9 dragonflies
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...

, 2 tardigrade
Tardigrade
Tardigrades form the phylum Tardigrada, part of the superphylum Ecdysozoa. They are microscopic, water-dwelling, segmented animals with eight legs. Tardigrades were first described by Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773...

s, 102 other invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...

s, 7 mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

s, 3 turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...

s, 46 bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...

s and 2 frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...

s. See http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/07/0708_030708_bioblitzresults.html.
North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

: The North Carolina Botanical Garden
North Carolina Botanical Garden
The North Carolina Botanical Garden is a botanical garden operated by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The primary goal of the Garden is to research, catalog, and promote the native plant species of North Carolina...

in collaboration with the Morehead Planetarium
Morehead Planetarium
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is one of the oldest and largest planetariums in the United States having welcomed over 7 million visitors by its 60th anniversary in 2009...

sponsor an annual bioblitz in September on garden-owned property.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...

: The Oklahoma Biological Survey hosted an annual BioBlitz at different locations around Oklahoma starting in 2001. Their 2010 Bioblitz will be held on October 8–9 at Kaw Lake
Kaw Lake
Kaw Lake is a reservoir completed in 1976 in the northern reaches of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, near Kaw City.Kaw Dam is long and above the stream bed. the dam lies above the mouth of the Arkansas River. The top of the flood control pool is , while the normal operating level is 1,010 feet.The...

in north-central Oklahoma with a base camp at Camp McFadden.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

: Rhode Island Natural History Survey has conducted annual Bioblitzes in the state since 2000.
Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

: The Vermont Institute of Natural Science
Vermont Institute of Natural Science
The Vermont Institute of Natural Science is a non-profit environmental education organization based in Quechee, Vermont. Its mission is to motivate individuals and communities to care for the environment through education, research, and avian wildlife rehabilitation.- Avian rehabilitation :One...

held a BioBlitz in 2004 at Hartford
Hartford, Vermont
Hartford is a town in Windsor County in the U.S. state of Vermont. It is located on the New Hampshire border, at the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. It is the site of the confluence of the White River and the Connecticut River; the Ottauquechee River also flows through the town...

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Washington: BioBlitzes conducted using NatureTracker software on PDAs for conservation planning. See http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/bioblitz/
Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

: The non-profit Biodiversity Project held three Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...

BioBlitzes with support from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and NOAA in 2004. The sites were Riverside Park in Milwaukee; Baird Creek Parkway in Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...

; and Wisconsin Point in Superior
Superior, Wisconsin
Superior is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 26,960 at the 2010 census. Located at the junction of U.S. Highways 2 and 53, it is north of and adjacent to both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior.Superior is at the western...

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