NC Bioblitz 2023: Team Coastal NC's Journal

Great job everyone! The four observations days have passed, but you have until May 7th to upload pictures you took from Fri-Mon and haven't had time to upload yet. You also have until May 7th to ID as much as you can! You can focus on IDing in coastal plain, or even venture out further and ID species you're familiar with in other areas of their range.

Results are finalized May 8th!

Did you know that by participating in this year's NC BioBlitz, you can receive an embroidered patch in the mail?

Everything you need to know about how to earn a badge can be found on Science Across NC's event website here: https://scienceacrossnc.org/events/bioblitz/

In summary, there are two different ways to earn the badge.

• Make 20 observations between Apr 28-May 1
OR
• Make 10 observations between Apr 28-May 1 AND 15 identifications between Apr 28- May 7

Whichever of the two ways you end up choosing, be sure to report your participation afterwards to claim your badge. You can find the reporting form on Science Across NC's event website or here in this journal post: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-cNP3WikotHwexbjKS0TmIL9j9s-8W8IdJvBFr7AzK1JHig/viewform?usp=send_form

This form is how Science Across NC verifies your participation and gets your mailing address to know where to send your new embroidered patch. Consider filling out the survey at the end as well.

Thank you all for this year's amazing bioblitz!

We need you to help represent Team Coastal NC during this year’s NC BioBlitz for the international City Nature Challenge!

We are tagging you because you are an active top contributor when it comes to documenting the wildlife found on the NC Coastal Plain. To hopefully add some inspiration, I wanted to share what your current ranking is and how many regional observations you have so far. The NC BioBlitz is coming up April 28th- May 1st 2023 and this is opportunity to pull ahead in the rankings, or fall behind. To have made it to the board at all is an amazing feat. You see, the United States Coastal plain is considered one of the world’s 36 biological hotspots, which is defined as an area that has more than 1,500 endemic vascular plants and greater than 70 percent habitat loss. “The human population is exploding across [the coastal plain], which combined with rapid sea-level rise and loss of historic dispersal corridors, places biodiversity in this region at high risk.” A top conservation priority is identifying hotspots at a finer scale across the region, which is why users like you are so vital towards gathering knowledge of species ranges across the state.

I’ll be tagging users who are active in this region during the NC BioBlitz season and noting how many observations they currently have for the region.
(Numbers as of 03/19/23- they change every day, sometimes the observation count even goes down, so ranking is approximate)

• 1. @steven307 - 4302
• 2. @cypselurus – 3640
• 4. @joshl - 2841
• 5. @harrier - 2689
• 6. @ungberg - 2605
• 8. @ephofmann – 2387
• 11. @nature_hunter – 2236
• 16. @floundark - 1561
• 17. @bellumknight – 1513
• 19. @smbirdsnstuff – 1411
• 21. @amybirder – 1332
• 24. @elizabethncnerr – 1175
• 29. @earthstephen – 1095
• 26. @ctiemann16 – 1169
• 28. @jspruill – 1132
• 30. @pileatedtree – 1070
• 34. @iheartmollusks – 965
• 36. @ceuthophilus – 906
• 38. @susanmcrae – 879
• 41. @amandac – 853
• 43. @lance72 – 830
• 45. @ericaflory – 738
• 47. @adeleaquino – 714
• 48. @jdlynch2 – 702
• 55. @sarah751 – 671
• 57. @thedentist25 – 661
• 59. @ggnature4 – 647
• 60. @wdmunroe - 644
• 62. @jessturtle – 640
• 65. @jennifer_wiggen – 625
• 66. @ameisse – 617
• 70. @craigd - 606
• 71. @edcoreyncdpr – 605
• 76. @lauralovesbirds – 564
• 74. @leeannmcc – 594
• 75. @stevestevens - 585
• 80. @riverparknorthnc - 541
• 82. @mulcahyk – 528
• 85. @cape_fear - 511
• 87. @jseo - 504
• 91. @mkosiewski - 457
• 93. @bo79 - 448
• 94. @native_plant_nerd – 446
• 95. @rhexia – 441
• 97. @sarracenia – 435
• 98. @jacob_obx - 401
• 99. @rhwiley - 400
• 100. @bigdadbutz – 377

Put April 28th - May 1st on your calendars and be sure to make as many observations as you can that weekend to cement your place in the rankings for our region!

If you were tagged, be sure to click "Join" on this project to stay updated! Encourage friends and family to join as well. This is the perfect time to share your hobby with others in the community :)

Welcome to Team Coastal NC's 2023 BioBlitz Project page.

Every year during the worldwide City Nature Challenge, an organization called Science Across NC organizes a state-wide effort to get North Carolinians outside, learning about their local environment, and participating in citizen science. This effort is called the NC BioBlitz. Science Across NC is a collaboration of over 30 different organizations across the state, including the North Carolina Aquariums. This year all four NC Aquariums locations are working together as leaders of Team Coastal NC.

Team Coastal NC is one of the five teams representing different NC regions during the NC BioBlitz.

The other teams are
Team Western NC (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2023-western-nc) coordinator: @jmarchal
Team Triangle (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2023-triangle-area) coordinator: @chrisgoforth
Team Piedmont (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2023-piedmont-nc) coordinator: @wfreund
Team Charlotte-Metro (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2023-charlotte-metro-region) coordinator: @stemologist

This means that anyone making observations anywhere in North Carolina during this four-day period (April 28th - May 1st, 2023) will be contributing to one of these team projects. Be sure to visit the coast and the amazing North Carolina aquariums to see what new biodiversity you can explore!