Pigeon Point Bioblitz 2017

Pigeon Point and Año Nuevo State Park docents are invited to participate in a Bioblitz! As part of Snapshot Cal Coast 2017, Dr. Allison Gong will lead a Bioblitz at Pigeon Point on Wednesday, 28 June 2017. We will take advantage of the excellent morning low tide to document biodiversity in the rocky intertidal. Participants will contribute their observations and photographs to iNaturalist, the app and online platform that the California Academy of Sciences uses for their citizen science program. You can download the app for free wherever you buy apps for your smartphone.

What is a Bioblitz, you ask? Come learn! Allison is conducting a MANDATORY training session at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center the weekend before the Bioblitz. The training session is on Sunday, 25 June, from 10:00-11:30. Bring your smart phone or laptop, so you can practice working with iNaturalist. Snacks will be provided.

The actual Bioblitz takes place the following Wednesday, 28 June, from about 8:00-noon. We will meet with a park interpreter at Pigeon Point and walk down to the tidepools. We'll explore for a couple of hours and take pictures of organisms that we see. When the tide returns to chase us out of the field, we'll return to the Año Nuevo Horse Barn to upload our observations and have a snack.

The best thing about a Bioblitz? You don't need to be a trained scientist to participate! Even if you've never taken a marine biology course or studied the ocean, you can contribute valuable information to iNaturalist--I promise!

If you'd like to join us for the fun, send a message to ajgong@ucsc.edu so I know to expect you. less ↑