The WPB Backyard Bioblitz will be conducted virtually December 22, 2020 – February 22, 2021 with a live virtual Backyard Bioblitz program on February 23, 2021. To participate, all you need is a smartphone, tablet, or a camera and computer.
Although we can’t come together to explore, identify and collect data in person, the Office of Sustainability is here to help guide you on a community science adventure. Whether you choose to explore your own backyard, a school yard, or a local nature trail, you can learn about the amazing plants and animals that live there and help collect important data to track biodiversity in our region. No matter where you choose to explore, be sure to keep yourself, our community and our natural world healthy and follow the 7 Leave No Trace principles (https://lnt.org/why/7-principles/).
Submit your observations of any native, non-native, and wild organism (sorry, no friends or pets) living in the Palm Beach County area. The goal is to count as many species as possible (plants, animals, microbes, fungi, and other organisms)!
If you are using a smart phone or tablet download the free app on Google Play or in the Apple Store. New to iNaturalist? Watch this 1.5 minute video on how to make an observation on iNaturalist (https://vimeo.com/162581545).
***We are hosting a live virtual Backyard Bioblitz program on February 23, 2021 6:30pm-7:30pm to review your observations and announce the Bioblitz Champs! Zoom access information is below***
Use the hashtags #WPBBioblitz to share your finds on social media! Bioblitz Champs will win FREE eco-swag from the City of West Palm Beach Office of Sustainability.
What is a Bioblitz?
Community science (also called citizen science) mobilizes volunteers to work alongside scientists to help answer big questions about the world. One of the largest ongoing community science projects is to document the biodiversity of the Earth. iNaturalist is an online social network of people sharing biodiversity information to help each other learn about nature. It’s also a crowdsourced species identification system and an organism occurrence recording tool. When a group of people get together and coordinate to document biodiversity in a short amount of time these efforts are called “bioblitzes.”
Observations can be dated from December 22, 2020 to February 22, 2021. Bioblitz champs will be announced during the live virtual program on February 23rd!
Observations must be entered into iNaturalist, and registered as either “Research Grade” or “Needs ID”. “Casual” observations will not be included in totals. To this end, inclusion of supporting evidence (usually a photo or sound recording) will be very helpful.
Topic: WPB Backyard Bioblitz!
Time: Feb 23, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/99923289542?pwd=SkZ0YnlzcGdzWWNmN2xXZUgwVVhFdz09
Meeting ID: 999 2328 9542
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