If you’re interested in citizen science, learning about the biodiversity at your local urban wetland, join us at the IAWP for our second annual BioBlitz! A BioBlitz is a citizen science project where community members try to find and identify as many species as possible in a certain area in a short period of time.
In 2023, we are having our second annual wetland BioBlitz at the IAWP. This kind of community survey provides a yearly snapshot of the species present at our wetland, allowing us to see the effects of the wetland restoration process as well as environmental changes in Bozeman and the surrounding area over time. There will be a Kickoff Event at Hope Lutheran Church at 6:30 pm on Thursday, July 20 featuring a talk on Biological Control of Weeds by Todd Breitenfeldt of the Whitehall Biological Weed Control Project. Come learn how biocontrol insects control invasive non-native weed species, how to identify insects, and how to use iNaturalist. After that, join us at the IAWP Friday night and during the weekend to collect observations for the second annual IAWP BioBlitz! Volunteer surveys will go out on July 21, 22, and 23.
As a volunteer, you can join as many teams as you like to search for insects, plants, birds, mammals, and aquatic invertebrates. No experience is required, as each team is led by an expert who will guide you in finding and identifying the species. All the observations will be collected in iNaturalist and we will present preliminary data at a wrapup event on Sunday night, July 23.
For more information email wetlands@sacajaweaaudubon.org, and sign up for the BioBlitz here!