The largest gathering of scientists and nature-lovers
ever assembled in Vermont will convene in Montpelier for a unique
inventory of plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms and every other
living thing they can find. It is called a BioBlitz. And it will
transform the city in just 24 hours.
What’s a BioBlitz?
BioBlitzes are a blend of science, celebration, education,
community, and loads of fun. Biologists and ordinary citizens fan
out to find orchids and otters, ferns and frogs, birds and butterflies,
lichens and liverworts. Anything living is fair game. What we discover
will be tallied, catalogued, and presented for everyone to see.
And it all happens in one 24-hour period.
The
Montpelier BioBlitz
BioBlitzes
typically cover a park or nature preserve. The Montpelier BioBlitz
will include the entire city, the first-ever BioBlitz of a state
capital. Envision a city-wide nature festival: landowners discovering
the flowers and birds on their property; schoolchildren learningscience
and the natural gifts within their community; guest lectures
on nature; and the city’s restaurants and other merchants
joining the celebration.The official BioBlitz clock runs from
July 11 at 3pm untiil July 12 at 3 pm. We will end the event with
a huge barbecue supper wherewe will tally all the species we find.
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