Get to Know BioBlitz: Hosting and Leading a BioBlitz. What is a Get to Know BioBlitz? Citizen Science

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1 Get to Know BioBlitz: Hosting and Leading a BioBlitz What is a Get to Know BioBlitz? A BioBlitz is a citizen environmental education project, bringing together scientists, education experts, naturalists and the public to encourage outdoor exploration and enhance our understanding of biodiversity through hands- on learning. Typically, a BioBlitz involves many participants over a specific length of time in a coordinated effort to locate, identify, and count as many species as possible. This then provides an effective baseline measurement of the biodiversity of a given area, which can be a very useful tool to understand things like the decline of certain species or the effectiveness of given policies. The Get to Know BioBlitz is a special type of BioBlitz that focuses on young people and uses the arts and sciences as a way of engaging youth more broadly in: - Learning about biodiversity - Caring about biodiversity - Discovering introductory forms of citizen science While Get to Know BioBlitz host sites are more than welcome to organize a more traditional and rigorous BioBlitz, most sites will find it more feasible to organize smaller, activity- driven BioBlitzes. We have provided this leader guide to help you do so. With our selection of both the more artistic and the more citizen science focused BioBlitz activities, you are able to create an event that is unique and well- suited to the particular strengths of your site. Citizen Science A BioBlitz can be seen as a great example of a Citizen Science project. Citizen Science is becoming an increasingly relevant and important tool for scientists everywhere. These projects work on the premise that thousands of open eyes are better than two. These projects usually begin when a traditional scientist or scientific organization is in need of a large quantity of quality data. The citizen scientist, knowing that their observations can make a real difference, agrees to help. It is then the responsibility of the traditional scientist to teach proper, intuitive, and verifiable methods to gather and input collected data. It is the responsibility of the citizen scientist, in turn, to uphold these methods and collect/input data as accurately as possible. Depending on the number of citizen scientists, an enormous quantity of high- quality data can be gathered. This type of data has already been used in published, peer- reviewed studies that in turn have an impact on policy and future research. 1

2 It is the aim of the Get to Know BioBlitz program to provide a real- world introduction to some of the common methods and activities involved both in Citizen Science and connecting with nature through the arts. By designing activities that are fun, engaging, and educational, your site can help make these experiences a gateway that ultimately leads participants to local organizations engaged in Citizen Science projects. To ease that transition, please consult the Appendix, where Parks Canada has provided comprehensive lists of local Citizen Science organizations and projects near your site. Average Length of a BioBlitz Although traditional BioBlitzes usually last hours, an average Get to Know BioBlitz is designed to last two to three hours, which is the recommended length of time to maintain the interest of younger participants. This is only an average, and it is up to the organizers to determine the appropriate length. Some may, for example, wish to combine a series of events into a single BioBlitz day. Recommendations for Leaders A BioBlitz can take place at any natural location, and can be adapted to both urban and rural settings. It is important to carefully consider the unique features of a given location as you plan for the BioBlitz event. In order to fully realize the potential of a Get to Know BioBlitz day, proper preparation is necessary by both organizers and participants. Study the area where the BioBlitz will take place, carefully noting points of interest, reference points and locations where species can potentially be located. Co- ordinate the schedule and, if applicable, transportation requirements for the day. Identify key species and plants that are native to the park or greenspace. It may be useful to divide these species into the key taxonomic classifications, including: - Invertebrates: including Arthropods (Insects) and Arachnids (Spiders) - Vertebrates: divided into Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds and Mammals - Plants: these can also be divided into Deciduous and Coniferous plants for older participants Turn the BioBlitz into a truly community- centered event by involving volunteers. Naturalists, community volunteer groups, and participant groups can add a significant community focus to your event. What s Needed It is important to ensure that all participants have the proper clothes and footwear for the weather and terrain conditions. It is also a good idea, if possible, to provide t- shirts, hats, or other incentives from sponsors, which contain an identifying feature that will make the participants feel that they are part of a unique experience. To help, Get to Know has designed promotional materials that are designed to be customized by your site (with room for logo placement, specific details about the day s itinerary, and a downloadable graphics package for use in newsletters). 2

3 Get to Know Field Journals, Participant s Guides, Activity Sheets, and Promotional Materials Species Lists: identifying key animals and plant life in the relevant area Field Guides: to provide more insight into the species list Map of Area: if possible, GPS units can enhance the experience. Binoculars Magnifying Glass Digital Camera Video equipment On the Day of the BioBlitz: Procedure/Organization Designate a clear location where all participants are to gather. If the attendance is high, it might be a good idea to break participants into smaller groups. There are a number of different ways to do this. Here are some suggestions: - Divide into groups (each, preferably, with its own leader) and provide each with a field guide containing different species from each classification; participants will be challenged to focus on these species. - Appoint each group as an expert in each particular classification; participants in each group will be challenged to identify as many species from their particular group as possible. - Have different groups focus on different activities. You can, for example, have some participants focus on the creative, and others focus on the citizen science aspects of the BioBlitz. - In order to avoid congestion and confusion along the way it is recommended that you stagger the start of these smaller groups. Be sure to provide each group with clear descriptions of the purpose of Citizen Science and BioBlitzes. To help you describe Citizen Science, we have produced an Introduction to Citizen Science guide that can be printed out from the After the BioBlitz: Evaluation Once you ve finished a BioBlitz, we d love to hear from you. Please head to and fill out a brief survey to make the events even better next year. Once you ve filled out the survey, you will be automatically entered in a draw to win a Robert Bateman print. 3

4 It is also extremely helpful to debrief by obtaining formal (survey) or informal (observation) feedback from participants on a number of key questions, such as: - What did the participants learn about the park or greenspace? - How did this translate into a deeper understanding of biodiversity? - How have the participants understood the connection between biodiversity and conservation? - Do participants have a sense of what citizen science entails? It would also be helpful if organizers collect information such as the number of people in attendance, the participants satisfaction with the activities and suggestions for improvement of future BioBlitz activities. It would be greatly appreciated if the organizers took photos (and even films) of the activities. Organizers should also encourage BioBlitz participants to submit any creative work from the BioBlitz (photography, sketching, writing or other art forms) into the annual Get to Know Contest! There are numerous opportunities to expand the participants understanding of biodiversity. Lesson Plans focused on teaching youth about plants and animals in their local environment are available from the Best Practices section of the Get to Know website at as are various educational resources that can contribute to the learning experience. Variations on the BioBlitz Scenario: This guide is only intended to provide useful ideas and suggest a sample general framework for organizing a BioBlitz. Above all, we want each BioBlitz event to be fun and flexible, for both participants and organizers. As a result, the key is to devise your BioBlitz in accordance with your own ideas and priorities, while also considering key features of the chosen location, the target age, and the expected turnout. 4

5 BioBlitz Activity Guide A Get to Know BioBlitz is a celebration of the biodiversity in a specific location. As the organizer of a local BioBlitz, you have the opportunity to choose activities that will best suit the unique ecological make- up of your area. The following Activity Guide is meant to highlight a number of ideas for planning and administering a Get to Know BioBlitz. The Activity Guide is divided into two categories; arts- based and citizen- science based activities. The Get to Know BioBlitz includes exciting educational activities that combine creative and technical approaches. First is the creative aspect, encouraging participants to experience nature through artistic discovery. This can take the form of photography, map sketching, or video productions based on pre- determined themes. The second approach is a more technical one, utilizing more traditional aspects of a Citizen Science Project or a BioBlitz, such as counting and reporting species in the area or focusing on a specific conservation project. The Get to Know BioBlitz should provide opportunities for one or more of these activities to take place. Ideally, it should maintain a balance between these two approaches inviting participants to connect with nature aesthetically, but also through fun, focused learning about conservation and biodiversity. Please note: all relevant materials (for example Field Journal, Promo Materials etc.) can be found on the Get to Know BioBlitz website Arts- Based Activities Photography or Art Project Each participant will use their creative talent to provide a visual representation of each of the species they identify. This can include photography, sketching or other art forms and participants can use them as entries into the annual Get to Know Contest. Some suggestions for projects: 1) Have participants take a variety of pictures and then combine these images (either by way of cut and paste or through programs such as Photoshop) into a collage. School classes or youth groups could consider combining their images into a Biodiversity mural for their classroom, clubhouse, etc. This is a great way to extend the BioBlitz experience through creative thinking. 2) Invite participants to become a species expert by focusing on a particular plant or animal for their photography project; by encouraging youth to photograph a specimen from different points of view (i.e. close- up, wide- shot, black and white, from overhead or from 5

6 below) it will encourage them to think more carefully about this species, and foster a more memorable personal connection. 3) Encourage participants to write captions for their BioBlitz photos and to them to Get to Know to be published on the Get to Know Facebook page; this will allow them to refer back to their BioBlitz experience, as well as to share their findings with friends, classmates, and other youth through the Get to Know network. 4) Participants are tasked with creating animals out of pinecones, leaves, sticks, rocks, etc. Participants then do a show and tell or display them all in a type of nature art gallery. Idea suggestion by Get to Know Youth Leader, Jennifer. 5) Participants get their hands dirty! Youth use their hands to sculpt and create mud art. Idea suggestion by Get to Know Youth Leader, Mary. Videography Project Participants can apply their technological abilities to film and edit 30 second videos about biodiversity, based on their experiences and findings during the BioBlitz. These videos can also be posted to the Get to Know Facebook Page. In order to keep video projects well focused, and to ensure that youth remain on task, it is helpful to provide them with topics, such as a particular species or park area on which to base their project. Given that youth can share their work with other BioBlitz participants across North America, these videos represent a great opportunity to showcase unique aspects of a local environment. Note: because access to video cameras may be limited, organizers should invite youth interested in filmmaking to form groups, collaborate on projects by sharing cameras, and to take turns using cameras 1) Depending on the wildlife characteristics of the region and/or important local conservation topics, give youth an appropriately themed question to answer, such as: - What does Biodiversity mean in your community? - How does your community care for Biodiversity - What are some of the greatest threats to Biodiversity in your area? - How are your wild neighbours part of your community? 2) Have youth come up with their own question, or eco- challenge to other young people; this can serve as the basis for their film, which can then be posted on the Get to Know Facebook page. Question Example: A young person in Quebec could film a species they are curious about, maple trees for example, and explain why this species is important to them and to their local environment. At the end of the video, they could ask a question addressed to young people across Canada, such as: Why do 6

7 maple leaves turn orange in the fall? or Why do we need to protect maple trees? or How do maple trees benefit us? Challenge Example: A young person in British Columbia could challenge youth in Ontario to come up with ten ways that they can conserve their local environment. Mapping Project The purpose of this activity is to have the participants draw a creative map of the area, highlighting what they see landscape, points of interest, wildlife or plant life. They can then sketch these onto the map, or locate them using their creative capacities. The emphasis here is on encouraging the participants to see nature as a canvas that encourages creativity. Accuracy is not necessarily important, though it should be a fair representation of the area. - Or create a large map of area on the ground, including all major highways, mountains, lakes, towns, rivers laid out with stakes with pictures. This is an effective and educational exercise for kids to conceptualize where it is our water comes from. Idea suggestion by Get to Know Youth Leader, Kayla. Creative Writing Project Encourage youth to write a short descriptive piece or a story about their experience in nature. Youth can either be given the freedom to write in any style and on any topic, or be given some age- appropriate suggestions (e.g. a specific animal, a description of the natural area, an account of what happened during the BioBlitz, a description of a conservation issue, etc.). Youth can also be encouraged to use their creative and cooperative capacities to write and illustrate a newspaper documenting what they learned during the BioBlitz. BioBlitz Bingo At a designated time, gather participants at a pond/marsh/or waterfront ecosystem. Ensure that participants can name the species that they cross off their Bingo Card and that they only use the species once! Bandana Activities Order or create your own Fundana, which provides participants with activities, games, and a scavenger hunt for them to do on site or take home with them. Idea suggestion by Get to Know Youth Leader, Justin. Bark/Leaf/Fish Impressions A great, simple way to use the arts to enable youth to see natural objects in a different way is to make impressions of different objects such as tree bark, leaves, or even fish! You simply set up a table with some coloured pencils, paints, and appropriate paper and have participants etch the impression. Be sure to ask them questions like what do you think the lines running through the leaves are for? and why is the fish scaly? Wildlife Sketching Participants need not have loads of natural artistic talent to be good wildlife sketchers. If you consult the Get to Know Teacher s page and click on the art heading, you will see 7

8 step- by- step instructions on the techniques that make wildlife sketching fun and easy. At that site you will find art tips for Great White Egrets, Squirrels, Cougars, Poison Oak, Opossum, and many more! Bat and Bird House Building Teaching participants how to build bird or bat houses can be an amazing way to get youth involved in their own mini backyard Citizen Science projects. Be sure to stress the importance of building the houses in appropriate areas (in terms of elevation, nearby plant life, etc.) and using appropriate designs. The Art of Seeing This is a neat activity in framing natural beauty. Have participants make a cardboard frame and then ask them to look through the frame at wildlife or a landscape. Ask them why they decided to frame the scene horizontally or vertically, or why they chose to include specific elements and omit others. Try to discern what it is about that scene that they find beautiful. You can even go a step further and build a more permanent frame with twine and driftwood! Noah s Ark In this activity, participants imitate animal sounds and movements. Blindfolded, or having closed their eyes, everyone wanders, making only the sounds of an animal trying to find their other half. Before this activity, brainstorm a list of local animals and their behaviours. Practice each animal s sounds and movements. Help everyone put on blindfolds, or tell them to close their eyes. Whisper the name of the same animal to two players, until each player has an animal (ie. two players are wolf, and two are Canada goose, etc.) At the given signal, everyone begins walking around making his or her animal call. When the same animals find each other, they should stand next to each other and remove their blindfolds. Citizen- Science Activities Mapping Project Have the participants plot their findings on the map of the area (if possible, have them provide GPS coordinates for their sighting). When they have done this, have them combine all of their findings into one larger map. Here are some suggestions: Have participants do the same area and then let them 8

9 compare their interpretation of the area. Or, have the participants work together in pairs, with one acting as a spotter. Have each group log the wildlife and plant life they identify while creating their map. Reporting Activity The foundation of a traditional BioBlitz is to identify and record the species of a designated area. This activity encourages leaders and participants to identify as many species as possible, and record their findings in a report. These reports can then be used by scientists, naturalists and local organizers to determine if biodiversity is present or diminishing in a certain area. While looking for various species, participants will be able to interact with experts and learn more about their surroundings and the species that can be found there. This activity can be undertaken in different ways. Suggestions include: - Develop a project around the identification and reporting of a certain species. Have the participants count how many they see or hear, and have all of them come together to provide a report on that particular species. An ideal example of how these counts can be translated into a conservation report, see the Christmas Bird Count from the Audubon Society Diversify by allowing participants to roam the area and with the help of naturalists and local experts identify as many different species as they can on their own. They can then record this in the journal/activity guide you provide them with. It is also possible to integrate the mapping activity into these reports, and make that part of the final report component. If the participants are unable to find a scientific name for a species they found, you can encourage them to name the species themselves. Conservation Project Linking the BioBlitz explicitly to conservation is an ideal way to make it clear to participants how their findings can contribute to local and national conservation efforts. Once participants have compiled and consolidated their findings, they can determine a way to apply these findings to a local conservation project or clean- up initiative. These projects can be an effective way to raise awareness of biodiversity in the community by linking outdoor experiences with the conservation efforts. BioBlitzes in the past have been linked to conservation projects through such activities as shore or land clean- ups. A Day in the Life of a Researcher These activities will focus on teaching the principles of citizen science that you as a park leader or interpreter may already be involved with. Choose a pertinent issue related to your site and develop an activity based on how you might go about collecting data. It should be made very clear to participants what the objective of the citizen science project is, and why it s so crucial to 9

10 take accurate measurements. Try to ensure that your activity is both similar or identical to actual research methods and a fun and engaging process! Mini Species Inventory The objective of this activity is to show participants the amazing biodiversity that exist in very small scale ecosystems. As an example, choose two different types of trees (ideally a coniferous and a deciduous) and give participants 5 minutes at each to spot and take note of any living organism they happen to see. Ask them to speculate as to why they might be different. Alternatively, gather participants around a pond/marsh ecosystem and have them skim as many invertebrates as they can off the surface in five minutes. Take note and photograph every species they find and remember, they are encouraged to upload their favourite photos to the Get to Know Facebook page! Nature Trust Walk Divide participants into pairs, have one of the pair blindfold their partner, and have the sighted partner slowly lead their blind partner to a unique feature in the area: an old stump, perhaps, or an interesting patch of moss, explaining to them what it is they are touching and smelling. The blindfolded partner, after being brought back to the starting area by a roundabout route, is then challenged to find the feature that they just explored through their senses. Next, have the two participants switch roles. 10