Help carry out a “BioBlitz” at Sharon Hills Preserve

Sharon Hills Preserve. Photo courtesy of Legacy Land Conservancy.

from Legacy Land Conservancy

Join us on Saturday, June 14, from 10am to noon, for a hike and BioBlitz at Sharon Hills Preserve.

A BioBlitz is an intense period of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. It is similar to a biological inventory conducted by scientists but open to everyone. We will begin with a short hike and discussion on the value of observations made using citizen-science platforms before dispersing in the prairie for the BioBlitz.

During the BioBlitz, we will be using iNaturalist, an online citizen-science platform, to observe species present in the open area and collect data to contribute to our preserve-monitoring efforts. We suggest event attendees download iNaturalist and set up an account on their personal device in advance of the event if possible. We will have iPads available with iNaturalist set up for folks who do not wish to or are unable to use their personal devices as well.

This event is informal and collaborative. It is open to beginners, and no prior knowledge or experience is necessary. Please dress for the weather and in clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Pants and closed-toe shoes are a must, regardless of the temperature, to protect from poison ivy. Don’t forget sunscreen, and we suggest you bring bug spray to reduce the risk of exposure to ticks.

Help document the biodiversity of the preserve — register and RSVP for the event by visiting https://legacylandconservancy.org/, selecting “events” in the top bar, then clicking on “BioBlitz at Sharon Hills Preserve” on June 14. There is an RSVP link in the description of the event.

Sharon Hills Preserve is located roughly between Grass Lake and Manchester in Sharon Township on Sharon Hollow Road between Walker and Washburn Roads. You can easily navigate to the location using Google maps — but please ensure you navigate to Sharon Hills Preserve, rather than Sharon Short Hills, Sharon Mills, etc.

Check out what’s been observed on Legacy’s preserves by exploring our iNaturalist projects at https://www.inaturalist.org/people/legacylandconservancy

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.