Bioblitz 2011

News Brief

On a warm, overcast day in a period of drought preceded by two hard freezes, how many species would our six survey teams discover? The grand tally included at least 349 species (42% plants, 29% invertebrate families, 17% birds, 5% herps, 3% fish, and 4% mammals). The count of birds and inverts were relatively high this year, possibly due to additional expertise rather than an actual increase in the number of species. The herp team reported more snakes than frogs or salamanders (which was expected due to a rainfall deficit of 14 inches below normal). Also affected by the drought, the plant team reported fewer wildflowers, although additional plant species were added to the total list during the grand tally. The absence of flowers created difficulties in finding butterflies. However, the invertebrate team has now added a butterfly species checklist to their inventory.

This year, booths were spread out along the trail between the two parking lots. Guests were able to fully enjoy the trails as they moved from booth to booth. Attendance was estimated at over 267 guests and about 99 volunteers. Volunteer hours totaled at least 535. Some ideas on factors influencing attendance included (1) competing events (baseball, campout, herp field trip) and (2) lack of radio and TV publicity.

New themes for booths and talks included various aspects of the human footprint in the region. Anthropologists and a primitive-skills instructor provided a glimpse into how people may have used this area in the past. Current considerations about how our nature park helps improve the quality of life for our community were provided by a speaker from Keep Brazos Beautiful. Visitors were encouraged to think of the effects of their actions on future generations in a discussion led by the TAMU Office of Sustainability.

In conclusion, the 14th Annual BioBlitz was a great success, with new species added to survey checklists and expanded ideas on the interdisciplinary field of conservation.

BioBlitz is a 24-hr event during which biologists count as many species as they can in our local nature park.  Families with nature lovers, budding scientists, and  experienced naturalists of all ages are invited. For more details, read the TAMU blog post.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Stop in at the
Visitor’s Center
213 B South Main St.
Downtown Bryan walking maps and info on
Bryan-College Station Attractions