Join the Native Land Conservancy’s fourth annual gathering of professional and citizen scientists on Wednesday, August 13 from 10 – 2 on Wampanoag Common Lands, 266 Bishops Highway in Kingston, Massachusetts. This annual survey helps NLC document and track ecological changes through time and assess the ongoing restoration efforts. Bring lunch, bug repellent, sun block, and your fully-charged smart phone to identify species using the free app, iNaturalist. Register online at bit.ly/NLCBioBlitz25
A Vernal Pool BioBlitz at Webster Conservation Area will take place Sunday, April 6 from 10 – noon. The area to be covered is the trail head to Webster Conservation Area on West Side of Hammond Pond Parkway, 450 Hammond Pond Parkway, in Newton .
These BioBlitz events are part of a larger effort by Newton Conservators to document and raise awareness about the great diversity of plants and animals that inhabit Newton’s open spaces. At the beginning of the event, we will give a brief tutorial on the iNaturalist app, which we use to document species and as an identification aid. Download this free app ahead of time if you want to use it yourself.
Vernal pools are small wetlands that are important habitats for a great diversity of amphibians, aquatic insects, and other invertebrates. Join us as we explore vernal pools in Webster Woods/Hammond Pond Reservation and document what we see in iNaturalist. Bring calf boots if you have them, but waterproof boots will not be needed. We may encounter frog or salamander eggs and might hear calling spring peepers or American toads. We will also look at a variety of vernal pool invertebrates under magnification.
Meet at Hammond Pond Parkway trailhead just south of the MBTA tracks on the west side (parking available along the west side of the road).
Trip leader: Jonathan Regosin, a Director at Newton Conservators and Technical Advisor and Consulting Biologist for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife.
For questions, email jonathan.regosin@gmail.com
Registration is optional but recommended, so we can send you scheduling changes, directions or advice (such as about trail hazards) before the event and educational resources after it. Please register at:
https://newtonconservators.org/…/vernal-pool-bioblitz-2
Learn about BioBlitz, and get ready to participate in citizen science through an instructional session online on August 4 at 4:30 with Dr. Colleen Hitchcock.
The Young Friends of the Public Garden are excited to announce a BioBlitz in our three parks. We will have a Zoom introduction with Dr. Colleen Hitchcock, a professor in the biology department and environmental studies program at Brandeis University. She will introduce everyone to what a BioBlitz is, the contribution to science, how do you participate, and how to use the free iNaturalist app to record information. Fun for all ages! Register at https://friendsofthepublicgarden.org/2020/07/21/august-4-2020-bioblitz/ Zoom links will be sent to registrants.
Discover and identify the pollinators of the Charles River Esplanade by taking part in the Esplanade Pollinator BioBlitz from July 19 to July 26. The Esplanade Pollinator BioBlitz encourages individuals to explore the Esplanade and document different species of pollinators they find through the iNaturalist app or in a journal. Participants who register via eventbrite will also receive a Virtual BioBlitz Activity Packet with worksheets, coloring sheets, and a map of the Esplanade.
On July 11th, The Cambridge Entomological Society has again been invited on a joint day excursion with Maine Entomological Society and Vermont Entomological Society to Appledore Island off the coast of Maine (Isle of Shoals). The boat will be leaving the UNH pier in Newcastle, NH sometime before 10AM and returning late in the afternoon. There is a chance some participants may be allowed to stay over (with a fee of around $100), but it depends on how many sign up from the difference organizations and the availability of bunks at the time.
The island is an excellent example of coastal habitat of northern New England with rocky shoreline, brackish wetlands, meadows, wind-blown and stunted maritime forests and two freshwater wetlands with ponds. Foot paths crisscross the island through all the various habitat types. Many species of gulls nest on the island and can be defensive and slightly aggressive. An insect net is helpful for shielding yourself from low flying gulls.
The roundtrip boat trip cost is $25/person (cash)
This is a unique opportunity for people, especially students, as the island is an active research station. https://www.shoalsmarinelaboratory.org/
We likely have spots for 5 people so please contact Scott Smyers at sdsmyers@gmail.com for more details, ask questions or confirm you will be attending.
Please respond at latest by May 30th if you are interested!
East Quabbin Land Trust (www.eqlt.org) will be hosting an ecological inventory day on its Prince River Preserve property in Barre, Massachusetts on Sunday, May 4, 2014. Stewardship Coordinator Caren Caljouw welcomes participation by any who might be interested. Expertise in other areas such as herpetology, mammalogy, ornithology, botany, etc. would be very helpful, too. Located to the east of Old Reservoir, off Flaherty Road, the property is 690 acres of hilly terrain dominated by mixed hardwood and conifer forest interspersed with wooded swamps. The date suggests that you’ll be encountering early invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles, spring ephemeral plants, and migrating birds. Habitats include moist woods and lake shoreline. Visit the website for additional details.
Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust is joining with the Town of Northfield to host a BioBlitz on Saturday, June 9th, at the Northfield Town Forest. Volunteers are invited to come down and join the BioBlitz—an event in which people gather to survey a property and compile an extensive list of species, both plants and animals, present in the area.
Volunteers of every level of outdoor experience are encouraged to attend. Trained experts in a variety of fields will be on hand to make final identifications of species found. The BioBlitz will have two shifts. A morning walk for bird species will be led by birders Bill and Jay Rasku and by Mount Grace Stewardship Biologist Tom Wansleben from 7:30-9:30 am.
In the afternoon, from 1-5pm, volunteers will gather to catalog plants, fungi, and signs of animals. Participating team leaders include biologists Kasey Rolih and Brad Compton from UMass, Foresters Helen Johnson and Mike Barry, outdoor educators Clare Green and Ted Watt, tracker David Brown, and Mount Grace’s MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Land Steward Meghan Cornwall.
There will be an arts and crafts table for children which will be led by Mount Grace’s MassLIFT-AmeriCorps Outreach Coordinator Aja Lippincott. Kids will be able to draw what they have found, help create a logo for the Town Forest and more. Kids of all ages are welcome to assist on the walk and create nature art.
The information gathered at this event will be used to help plan future stewardship at the Northfield Town Forest, a 151-acre property protected in 2011 with assistance from Mount Grace. Come help discover the town forest on Saturday June 9th at the Northfield Town Forest trail head on Gulf Road.
Directions to the Northfield Town Forest are as follows: From the Northfield Town Hall, head south on 63, turn east (left) onto Maple St. Continue onto Gulf Rd for about 2.2 miles. The event headquarters will be at the parking area for the Brush Mountain Conservation Area. Volunteers will be helping to direct parking. Please carpool, if possible.
For more information or to RSVP to this event please contact Meghan Cornwall, at (978) 248-2055 x 14 or steward_americorps@mountgrace.org.
The Dedham BioBlitz is an interactive event where parents, children and family members can explore the outdoors and seek out species for identification. The goal is to tag and identify 375 species, such as plants, lichens, fungi, mammals, insects, birds, spiders, reptiles, and amphibians. Although there may be thousands of species in Dedham, the idea is to celebrate and honor Dedham’s milestone anniversary of 375 years as a town and community. Events scheduled for the day include nature walks led by world-renowned naturalist Peter Alden, a kid-friendly nature scavenger hunt along the banks of the Charles River, information sharing by field specialists who will educate participants about wetlands, vernal pools, meadows, New England wildflowers, and native and invasive species. A display of live animals, and natural curiosities will also be a part of the festivities. The BioBlitz is FREE and open to all curious minds. Meet at the Dolan Recreation Center, 269 Common Street in Dedham, at 9 am on Saturday, July 23. For more information, email steph@dinosaur13.com.
Garden Club of the Back Bay speaker Richard Enser intrigued his audience this past May with a description of a “bioblitz,” and here is an opportunity to participate in one. On Saturday, October 9, we will join with scientists from all disciplines (plants, insects, fish, mammals, etc.) and survey the habitats assigned to us in order to find as many plant species as possible in one day. Habitats include the 250-acre Roosevelt Park, Great Marsh Meadows, Short Beach, a 25-acre woodland, a pond and cranberry bog. Lunch will be provided.
Directions: Meet at Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, Connecticut at the Hanson Exploration Station which will be our home base. From New Haven: Take Exit 52 off the Merritt Parkway (South to Bridgeport) to Rt 8 & 25. Proceed to Exit 5 (Boston Ave). At the end of the ramp, bear right and go to the 5th traffic light. Turn left onto Noble Avenue and proceed to the Beardsley Park entrance on the left. Follow the signs to the Zoo entrance on right. From New York, take Exit 49S (Bridgeport) to Rt 25. Proceed to Exit 5 and follow as above. From I-95 (CT Turnpike) Take Exit 27A to Rt 8 & 25. Proceed to Exit 5 (Boston Ave). At the traffic light at the end of the ramp, go left to the 4th traffic light. Turn left onto Noble Avenue and proceed to the Beardsley Park entrance on the left. Follow signs to the Zoo entrance on right.
Leaders: John Triana and Carol Lemmon, (203)-488-781. For additional information, log on to www.ct-botanical-society.org.
