NPS/Karen Lanier
Searching for small insects at the True Bug Blitz
Since 2003, the National Park Service has hosted a series of field events to help document the biodiversity of Acadia National Park. Over the course of 24 hours during each BioBlitz event, biologists and naturalists conduct a rapid assessment of a specific group of invertebrates. While BioBlitzes cannot provide a complete inventory, they can document species occurrence, provide estimates of species richness, and identify rare and unique species.
The goals of Acadia National Park's BioBlitz program are to:
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build upon a legacy of past natural history studies;
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develop new science partnerships with science institutions and organizations;
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increase awareness and excitement about the park's biodiversity, and;
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establish new baseline information about little-known plants and animals.
2012 Acadia National Park BioBlitz
The National Park Service, Maine Forest Service, Maine Entomological Society, University of Maine, University of New Hampshire, and the SERC Institute are pleased to sponsor the 10th annual BioBlitz at Acadia National Park on July 13-16, 2012. This year, we will be targeting aquatic insects. The event is open to professional entomologists, amateur naturalists, and other interested persons.
As in the past, the event will be based at the park's Schoodic Education and Research Center. Collecting will be focused in the Schoodic District of the park, but we are also planning to collect at selected aquatic habitats on Mount Desert Island. Lodging at the Schoodic Education and Research Center will be provided to participants at no charge; however space is limited, and will be available on a first-registered, first-served basis. Participants will only need to pay a small registration fee and food costs - meals will be provided by the SERC Institute.
The event will begin with dinner on Friday evening followed by presentations about ongoing research or emerging issues of interest to the entomological and natural history community. Saturday morning will feature a workshop on collecting and identifying aquatic insects. The official BioBlitz will commence around noon and continue 24 hours till noon on Sunday. The remainder of Sunday and Monday morning will be focused with sorting, pinning, and identifying collected specimens.
Lead taxonomist for the event will be Dr. Don Chandler from the University of New Hampshire.
More details and registration information will be posted here in the near future. To get on a mailing list for the aquatic insect BioBlitz, please email David Manski at Acadia National Park e-mail us.
Results from Past BioBlitzes
Visit the pages below for results and images (where available) from past BioBlitzes.
Free Workshops
For individuals and families interested in a shorter and more general introduction to the BioBlitz, the park generally holds public, hands-on Resource Acadia workshops in association with the BioBlitzes.
