‘Citizen Science’ and ‘BioBlitz’ Team Up to Foster Hands-on Environmental Education
The growing concern about the world’s natural surroundings and the need to gather and share environmental information have fostered the growth of two innovations: so-called “citizen scientists” and “BioBlitzes.”
Citizen scientists aid their professional counterparts by contributing valuable information to support the scientific research of phenomena in the natural world. In a “BioBlitz,” professional and amateur scientists collaborate on data-collection in a fun and engaging way to understand and preserve the natural environment as it faces increasing threats from human activity.
The Rise of BioBlitzes
In 1970, during the first Earth Day, 20 million people across the US participated in rallies, marches, and educational events, raising awareness about the environment and the importance of its conservation and protection. The event marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement.
Twenty-six years later, in 1996, the first BioBlitz was sponsored by the National Park Service and the National Biological Service. It was organized by Sam Droege and Dan Roddy from the US Geological Survey at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC. Susan Rudy, also of the National Park Service, coined the term bioblitz (also written BioBlitz) to describe the 24-hour event, according to a 2023 article in BioScience.
About 90 scientists, joined by the public and media, documented over 900 species in the gardens during that event. It demonstrated that urban, densely populated areas contained biologically rich ecosystems and merited study and protection just as much as state and national forests, parks, and preserves.
[A]mateur enthusiasts now flock to many scientific fields, bringing a unique level of energy and engagement.
Since then, BioBlitzes have gained in popularity, not just in the US but around the globe, and amateur enthusiasts now flock to many scientific fields, bringing a unique level of energy and engagement.
Engaging and Educating
BioBlitzes have contributed to and benefitted the growth of citizen science, which the National Geographic Society defines as “the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge.”
As citizen scientists, untrained individuals observe and record the behavior and survival of species in their natural environment. Although they are not professionals, their information is no less helpful because it adds valuable data for aggregate analysis.
Citizen science has a side benefit: Contributing to the collection of scientific information, and sharing those findings with fellow participants, expands the number of people who are engaged with and enthusiastic about scientific discovery. Moreover, citizen science encourages active participation. This is especially true for children—working with dirt, rocks, plants, and other natural elements generates enthusiasm, encourages support for science and conservation, and motivates more young people to take up science careers.
Citizen science aligns well with the goals of science education, and more specifically with ESD—Education for Sustainable Development.
Citizen science aligns well with the goals of science education, and more specifically with ESD—Education for Sustainable Development—because it engages people in the act of scientific discovery. This not only increases their knowledge but also changes their values, attitudes, and most importantly, their behavior.
The United Nation's Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) promotes ESD to “empower people with the knowledge, skills, values, attitudes, and behaviors to live in a way that is good for the environment, economy, and society.”
Citizen Science in the Digital Age
Citizen science is aided by the growing use of digital applications (and smartphones) that have found their way into almost every aspect of modern life. Scientific observation is no exception.
One tool stands out—iNaturalist, an app and social media platform, which is distinct from Facebook or Instagram because it focuses on natural observations.
What started out as a master's degree project for some students in the UC Berkeley School of Information has evolved into a globally used social media platform.
iNaturalist identifies, records, and organizes nature findings. It also gives users a place to meet (online) and share information with other nature enthusiasts like hikers, hunters, birders, mushroom foragers, park rangers, ecologists, people who fish, and others.
Cari Seltzer, PhD, is the head of engagement for iNaturalist. She explains that the platform separates itself from other popular social media platforms because users engage with it through a “unit of sharing that is based on observation.” This gives them a jumping-off point for discussion.
iNaturalist is valuable for more than just its unique fusion of social media and citizen scientists. It also is contributing valuable data to the scientific study of the natural world.
The [digital] platform [iNaturalist] has amassed “the world's most diverse biodiversity set.”
According to Seltzer, the platform has amassed “the world's most diverse biodiversity set." It shares its data with more than 5,000 publications. By incorporating geolocation technology, the information is used to chart animal behavior and to model ranges for a number of species. It has helped rediscover lost species and even helped identify new species.
BioBlitzes in Action
A social media tool in the digital age is almost a given, if not a necessity. However, at some point, citizen scientists need to be out in the field. There is no better way to engage citizen scientists and to advance the goals of ESD than with a BioBlitz.
For instance, in 2013, several local mushroom enthusiasts and other members of the local scientific community organized the first ever BioBlitz on the Upper Delaware River where it travels along the border between the states of Pennsylvania and New York.
The Upper Delaware BioBlitz took place over the course of two days in June 2013. Professional scientists and volunteers listened to talks conducted by local experts and collected specimens together over a 24-hour period, from noon Friday until noon Saturday. They camped overnight on the location. Over 200 people participated, and more than 1,000 species were collected and identified.
Steve Schwartz is an environmental consultant who helped organize the event. He and his team have helped organize five more events since the first blitz.
Organizers hold an event at about the same time on a different site in the area every other year. The events are a “little bit of a frenzy," says Schwartz, but they are successful.
Schwartz adds that one of their primary goals is to “excite kids about science” and “it happens.”
The Upper Delaware blitzes’ ... observations included over 40 first-occurrence mosses, several algae diatoms, and even eDNA, or genetic traces, of the very rare and endangered American eel.
The Upper Delaware blitzes have also been successful at contributing to the scientific goal of collecting valuable data about biological life, including many so-called “first occurrences.” These are the first recorded observation of a species in a particular habitat. Their observations included over 40 first-occurrence mosses, several algae diatoms, and even eDNA, or genetic traces, of the very rare and endangered American eel.
The next Upper Delaware BioBlitz is planned for 2026.
Rocky Mountain BioBlitz
About 2,000 miles and several mountain ranges to the west, another BioBlitz engages citizen scientists in the Rocky Mountains. The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center (CCRLC) is a National Park Service-affiliated operation dedicated to research in several parks along the continental divide. It supports research activities in Glacier National Park, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, and Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada.
The center, based in West Glacier, Montana, has an extensive citizen science program that includes monitoring endemic species like the common loon, mountain goats, and small, furry mammals known as pikas.
Tara Carolin, director of the CCRLC, is responsible for organizing and promoting the center's activities. She explains that before it launched the BioBlitzes, the center was “lacking a robust inventory” of data. At the time, they asked “How can the public be helpful?” in filling this gap.
In 2011 and 2012, the CCRLC began hosting events to monitor alpine aquatic insects. In 2014, it conducted a count of dragon fly nymphs as part of the National Park Service's Dragonfly Mercury Project, a nationwide study that works with citizen scientists to collect dragonfly larvae for the analysis of mercury contamination in water.
In 2017, the center hosted a more formal BioBlitz that included a butterfly count. Since then, the center has hosted BioBlitzes with different emphases, including a mushroom BioBlitz and BioBlitzes to count alpine birds and nocturnal pollinators (moths). In 2024, the center hosted a noxious weeds BioBlitz.
The center's BioBlitzes draw anywhere from 12 to over 100 participants, including “kids of all ages," according to Carolin. One of her favorite memories was watching a 5-year-old girl hold a butterfly during the butterfly count.
“Mushrooms are crazy … there is something different every year.”
The event that draws the biggest praise from the center's director is perhaps the mushroom BioBlitz. “Mushrooms are crazy … there is something different every year,” she says, adding, “there is a phenomenal amount of material even in a dry year."
Finding Nearby BioBlitzes
Whether it is to gather and identify “crazy” mushrooms, slithery American eels, or noxious weeds, BioBlitzes are helping to encourage volunteers, young and old, to engage with science and their natural surroundings across the continent and the globe. Beyond their own involvement and enthusiasm, these Citizen Scientists are also contributing to the collective gathering of valuable information, heightened awareness, and increased understanding of natural ecosystems and modern society's impact on their survival. They are also using modern digital tools to gather and share the information that they collect.
During this critical time when environmental systems are universally vulnerable, this convergence of engagement, enthusiasm, and active participation is more important than ever. So, if there is BioBlitz near you, what are you waiting for? Go out and collect something.
To find and conduct a BioBlitz, check these online resources: BioBlitzes: Bridging the Gaps and Inspiring Future Stewards (U.S. National Park Service), iNaturalist, SciStarter, and others. Furthermore, local nature centers, environmental groups, parks and recreation departments, and educational institutions with biology or environmental science programs sometimes host BioBlitzes or are aware of upcoming events.
*Rick Laezman is a freelance writer in Los Angeles, California, US. He has a passion for energy efficiency and innovation. He has covered renewable power and other related subjects for over 10 years.
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