Save the Date - Jamaica Bay BioBlitz on September 7th & 8th...

Jamaica Bay BioBlitz, September 7^th-8^th, 2007

On behalf of the National Park Service, the Jamaica Bay Institute, and Queens College, CUNY, John Waldman and Gillian Stewart are organizing a Bioblitz of Jamaica Bay from 3pm Friday, September 7^th through 3pm Saturday, September 8^th 2007. Briefly, a Bioblitz is a 24 hour event aimed at cataloging the diversity of organisms in a particular area. This Bioblitz will be part contest (racing against the 24 hour clock), part educational event, and part scientific endeavor. We hope to increase the public awareness of the diversity of their own “backyard,” while highlighting the need to protect sensitive ecosystems like Jamaica Bay.

Details

Place:

Our registration and all public activities will take place at the Visitor Center in the JB Wildlife Refuge (http://www.nps.gov/archive/gate /jbu/jbu_directions_jamaica_bay_wildlife_refuge.htm). Here we will have the scientist tent, keep the tally board, and serve water and refreshments throughout the 24 hours. From here, groups will go out to survey various locations within Jamaica Bay (including wetlands, the Refuge, Floyd Bennett Field, and Fort Tilden)

Time:

To join taxon groups on their surveys, you will need to register and meet your group leader at scheduled times.

To participate in the Family and Public Events, you can come anytime on Saturday the 8^th between 10am and 3pm. There will be events, guided tours, activities, touch tanks, and environmental groups doing outreach.

At 3pm on Saturday we will have closing ceremonies where we will announce the final species count, hear descriptions of interesting findings, and have local celebrities and politicians give short talks about the biodiversity in Jamaica Bay.

Who:

We will have a group of experts in their fields to lead taxon groups, but we are looking for volunteers to help with the surveys and registration, and the public to come and learn, wonder, and enjoy! Saturday will be the day to bring the whole family!

Soon more info will be posted at:

http://nbii-nin.ciesin.columbia.edu/jamaicabay/index.html

Interested? Please contact us at:

JBbioblitz@yahoo.com

Gstewart@qc.cuny.edu

(718) 997-3104