Hi everyone,
What an amazing month this has been! Here are our final counts for the month:

Observations - 5206
Species ------- 1253

Participants --- 81

Counties ------- 62

By every major account we have broken Spring BioBlitz! records! I want to thank every one of our many participants this year for making this year a smashing success. In particular we have the winners of our top participant categories:
Most research grade observations: @lmm3629
Most species observed: @ehjalmarson
Most identifications: @zdufran
Those three are eligible to choose from:
--Free BioBlitz! Oklahoma event registration (includes t-shirt)
--BioBlitz! kit (includes student quality insect net and aquatic net, dip net, live mammal trap, water bottle, sample vials, and some other misc fun stuff all in a bucket) (quantity limited)
--Copy of an Oklahoma field guide or book (availability limited!)

I would also like to take this opportunity to reexamine recipients for the above-10 osbervations sticker as well as recognize those that came very, very close to being the top participants in a category.
Those with (basically) 600 observations!
@bothrops07
Those with over 500 observations!
@lmm3629 ,
Those with over 400 observations!
@ehjalmarson,
Those with over 300 observations!
@zdufran , @jlmichael , @gregsilva , @goody ,
Those with over 200 observations!
@teriyaki12, @cordulegaster58obliqua , @calinsdad , @jjake
Those with over 100 observations!
@leahn19 , @ashleighbarnett
Those with over 50 observations!
@johnsonsl, @esthermkey , @ftdoom , @amybuthod , @ellaleigh33 , @johnrushton5 ,
@jlzachary1
Those with over 10 observations!
@okwildlifediversity , @junebug14 , @oddfitz , @jdcaldwell , @amw2306 , @markparker1983, @lisarudyhoke , @lauraklynn , @invertlady , @muddyfish , @viper85 , @aiden_2004 , @bendrifty , @sgraue , @cole2006 , @jdowling12 , @mariah18 , @thewanderingwizard

If you haven't yet, or you're a new addition to this list, please message me your address so we can send you the second sticker in our series!
Additionaly, if you have opted for free BioBlitz! registration please message me your preference for shirt size and a good contact email/name! I will be messaging you individually as well to find out!

Thank you all for a great Spring BioBlitz! I hope to see you back on here again next year!

Best,
Ethan Kelley

Hi all,

We're in the final stretch now! I want to remind you all that our pollinator challenge is still going until the 30th of April. So far we haven't had any submissions for that, so the jars of Oklahoma honey are still up for grabs!

Tomorrow (around midnight) we'll do a final evaluation for the top participant in each of these three categories:
Highest number of research grade observations
Most species
Most identifications
Winners in each category will be able to choose from:
--Free BioBlitz! Oklahoma event registration (includes t-shirt)
--BioBlitz! kit (includes student quality insect net and aquatic net, dip net, live mammal trap, water bottle, sample vials, and some other misc fun stuff all in a bucket) (quantity limited)
--Copy of an Oklahoma field guide or book (availability limited!)

I'm pleased to announce that we have a second series of stickers which will go to participants who have made over ten observations. Those participants as of now include:
Those with over 400 observations!
@bothrops07 ,
Those with over 300 observations!
@lmm3629 , @zdufran , @goody ,
Those with over 200 observations!
@gregsilva , @jlmichael , @teriyaki12, @ehjalmarson , @cordulegaster58obliqua , @calinsdad
Those with over 100 observations!
@jjake , @leahn19 , @ashleighbarnett ,
Those with over 10 observations!
@johnsonsl, @esthermkey , @ellaleigh33 , @ftdoom ,@johnrushton5 , @okwildlifediversity , @junebug14 , @oddfitz , @jdcaldwell , @jlzachary1 , @amw2306 , @markparker1983 , @lauraklynn , @muddyfish , @invertlady , @aiden_2004 , @lisarudyhoke , @cole2006 , @jdowling12 , @mariah18 , @thewanderingwizard

Those tagged in this journal, if you haven't already for some other reason, please send me a message with a good address to send your sticker to! There's still an entire day left, and a number of folks are very close to 10 observations, so I'll check again tomorrow night!

Until tomorrow!
Ethan Kelley

Good afternoon,

This is an update for everyone who made an observation within the first week of the BioBlitz! I am in the process of collecting addresses to which I can send the stickers. Some of you may have already received a message from me, and even replied, regarding this. However, with 45+ people to message it seems I have tripped the iNaturalist anti-bot spam detectors! That said, I would appreciate very much if the following people would please send me a private message containing an a good address where I can send their sticker. To message me click on my name and there should be a button on the top left of my profile.

@thewanderingwizard
@viper85
@clar4574
@okienaturalist
@okherp
@bendrifty
@cole2006
@shannonflower
@tracypickering
@cmarshall
@hlclark
@jmuller51
@mjustice
@nikkib0615
@theultimateswordsman

If you don't see your name here, that probably means I already messaged you (or have your address from a previous challenge) or I recognize your username because we work in the same building (so I know where to find you!)

Best,
Ethan Kelley

Good evening all,
This week marks the last stretch of our spring 2018 virtual BioBlitz! So far, we’ve made over 3000 observations of 907 different species!
We have one challenge to finish things off:
April 23 – 30th Pollinator Challenge: Make an observation each of the following pollinators!
1 Pollinating bee/wasp
1 Pollinating butterfly/moth
1 Pollinating beetle
1 Pollinating fly
1 Flower plant
The first three submissions will win a jar of Cheatwood honey (local to Oklahoma!) in addition to being able to pick from the remaining prize pool. I’m flexible on what qualifies as a pollinator, for example if a family of beetles or flies are known to be pollinators I will probably count them! Please send me a message with the URLs of the observations you have made before the deadline of April 30th to be considered.
On the topic of prizes, we have had a large number of submissions for challenges, which is always great! This does mean, however that the prize pool is going fast! If you have made a submission for a challenge, please hang tight while we work our way down the list in order of submission.
There will be a grand prize (TBD) for our top observer and identifier as well! Stay tuned for more information on that shortly.

Have a good week,
Ethan Kelley

Hi all,

Here's a reminder that our Week 2 invasive species and state park challenges end tonight! If you intend on submitting observations for either please message me a link to them by midnight!

We have a new challenge starting this week, which will last until next Sunday April the 22nd. Please message me your observations via the link on my iNaturalist profile to be considered! The message can contain either a basic list of the observations you like me to consider, or links to the pages for the observations themselves.

Empty County Challenge - Some counties have many observations, yet almost half have none! We challenge you to go to any of the following counties, make five observations within one, and then send me a link to each observation:
Adair
Alfalfa
Atoka
Beaver
Beckham
Blaine
Caddo
Canadian
Choctaw
Cimarron
Cotton
Craig
Custer
Dewey
Ellis
Garfield
Garvin
Grady
Greer
Harmon
Harper
Haskell
Jefferson
Johnston
Kiowa
Latimer
Major
McClain
Murray
Muskogee
Nowata
Pittsburg
Roger Mills
Texas
Tillman
Wagoner
Washita
Woods

Prizes include: The same list as before! We have a bat guidebook, Butterflies in the Garden book, Forest Trees of Oklahoma book, A Field Guide to Oklahoma's Amphibians and Reptiles, Landscaping for Wildlife book, or Fall BioBlitz! 2018 registration. Quantities are limited!

Best,
Ethan Kelley

Hi all,

What an amazing first week we've had despite the lousy weather!
Today is the last day of the migratory bird challenge (non-year-round birds), so here's a reminder to message me with your 5 observations if you haven't yet.

The beginning of week 2 also marks the beginning of 2 new challenges!

April 8-15 - Make five observations within the bounds of an Oklahoma State Park. Participants will be able to pick from an array of prizes including a bat guidebook, Butterflies in the Garden book, Forest Trees of Oklahoma book, A Field Guide to Oklahoma's Amphibians and Reptiles, Landscaping for Wildlife book, or Fall BioBlitz! 2018 registration. (quantities limited)

Check out this site for details on our various state parks:
https://www.travelok.com/state-parks
I might also recommend visiting Greenleaf State Park in particular, as that's the site of our Fall 2018 BioBlitz!

April 8-15 - Make five observation of invasive plant species. Prize options are the same as the State Park challenge. The following website is an excellent database of the invasive plants within our state:
https://www.okinvasives.org

Happy observing, and let's hope for some better weather!

Best,
Ethan Kelley

Make your teachers proud by doing something educational while they advocate for funding public education at the Capitol! Participating in our Virtual Spring BioBlitz! would be a perfect activity on this beautiful day!
We will also award a special prize those people making at least 5 iNaturalist observations at the Capitol this week!

Edit April 2nd: Updated requirements on Migratory Bird Challenge. Any bird that is not a year-round resident can count towards the challenge, regardless of the timing.

Hi all,
As April fast approaches, so too does the start of the Spring 2018 Virtual BioBlitz! As a first update I wanted to express how excited I am to see what everyone finds, as well as to make observations myself. BioBlitz! Staff will be using this journal feature to post updates on our progress, as well as to announce any upcoming or finished challenges. We’ll have a variety of unique challenges this year and some prizes to go along with them.

To start off we have two challenges:

1) Participate! – April 1-8
Each participant who makes at least one observation and posts it to this project page within the first week of Spring BioBlitz! will receive a sticker and letter in the mail to commemorate your participation in this great effort.

2) Migratory Bird Challenge: - April 1-8
Make at least 5 unique observations of migratory birds as they begin to fill the sky this Spring. Any bird that is not known to be a year-round resident will count, even if they do not migrate during the Spring season. Participants will receive free registration to Fall 2018 BioBlitz! at Greenleaf State Park (including a free shirt)! Once you have made 5 observations, simply message me with links to the observation pages, and I will mark you as having completed the challenge. This is a perfect opportunity to visit one of our various refuges, parks, or preserves and utilize resources designed for birders. Check out this article on birding in Oklahoma from the Audubon Society:
http://www.audubon.org/news/birding-oklahoma
or this page from the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department:
https://www.travelok.com/birding
for more details on locations to visit. I also recommend checking out eBird and Merlin to access birding information and hotspots on the go.

I wish you all a happy, life-filled Spring, and many chances to get outside and see it. Again, I’ll updating this journal regularly with upcoming challenges and BioBlitz! news. If anyone has any questions, feel free to message me!
Ethan Kelley,
BioBlitz! Oklahoma Staff