Anza-Borrego Desert BioBlitz
Anza-Borrego Desert BioBlitz
Dates & Times:
This is a two day event – you can join for one or both days!
Friday, April 26 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 27 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (exact timing may change depending on participant involvement)
Meeting Location: UCI Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center
Cost: Free!
Description:
Come celebrate Earth Day with the Anza-Borrego Foundation and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park! We’re closing out the season with an event you won’t want to miss – our first annual BioBlitz, in collaboration with the City Nature Challenge. What is a BioBlitz you ask? It’s a concerted effort by scientists and amateurs to survey and document as many living organisms as possible within a designated area and time frame. Alongside Anza-Borrego Desert State Park scientists, we want to invite you, our community, to join in this effort to understand and catalogue the biodiversity of our beloved State Park.
What will it look like you ask? You can choose to join us the evening of Friday, April 26th for night surveys of bats, arthropods, and snails, AND/OR join us on Saturday morning for surveys of birds, plants, amphibians, and reptiles. You’ll catalogue the species you come across using iNaturalist – our favorite tool for participatory science and identifying organisms. And don’t worry if you’re not an expert! You’ll be surveying alongside scientists and amateur experts who will help identify everything. All that’s required is an interest and the desire to be outside amongst the incredible biodiversity!
Once you register for the event, we’ll reach out and ask you to pick a topic for field survey that you’re most interested in helping out with (e.g. plants, birds, arthropods, bats, reptiles). Note that some field surveys will require more intensive hiking to areas that are not accessed as frequently, while other sites will be more easily accessible and easier hiking. We’ll make all of this clear in the additional details. We ask that participants joining field surveys are able to hike and potentially climb rocks or move through brush. If you’d like to participate but are concerned about physical capabilities, please register anyway! There will also be jobs for folks who have limited hiking capability.
Bonus – Free Camping! **free camping is available for participants on a limited and first come first serve basis**
Special Note: The desert can get hot during the day in April – if you are sensitive to heat we recommend attending the evening session on Friday, April 26 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Our Amazing Partners: UCI Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
We’d like to offer free campsites to those who would like to be involved both Friday and Saturday. Please reach out for additional information about camping.
You won’t want to miss this collaborative community effort to explore, document, and celebrate the incredible biodiversity of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Please register in advance. Registration is free but will allow us to keep track of participants. You can sign up for one or both Friday evening and Saturday morning. Register Here
Cancellation Policy:
While registration is free, please notify us as soon as possible if you’re unable to attend so that we can keep accurate participant counts.
