Centennial funds were used in 2008 to spark interest in biodiversity and science through the park's ongoing all taxa biodiversity inventory (ATBI), part of the NPS national ATBI.

Funds were expended to hire curriculum consultants, produce teacher kits, support site visits by project-specific researchers and species identification by taxonomists, provide water transportation for students participating in project-specific school programs, produce an educational card game, purchase a specimen cabinet for visitor center display, and design and print several graphic materials including educational and interpretive posters, postcards, and T-shirts.

The Exploring the Microwilderness project met numerous Centennial goals by:

• promoting stewardship and ensuring professional excellence through scientifically rigorous methodologies as developed and implemented through a partnership among NPS, Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology and the Boston Harbor Island Alliance
• directly linking scientific exploration to curriculum-based education program development
• promoting recreation through citizen-science “volun-tourism”
• developing the next generation of environmental leadership through a multifaceted approach that includes high school curricula, undergraduate and graduate research, citizen-science volunteerism, and public interpretation of the park’s micro-wilderness.

Six research projects related to the ATBI were presented at the 2008 Boston Harbor Islands Science Symposium and associated abstracts have been submitted for posting on the park website, including a project summary by the lead postdoctoral fellow. Undergraduate research projects are underway on ants as an indicator for human impact on local ecology; the biogeography, population dynamics and genetic diversity of ground beetles; and a quantitative analysis and comparison of sound spectrum partitioning in temperate communities. Graduate student research includes dissertation project on plant-pollinator networks, and the production of an interactive database that will allow students, staff, and the public to explore biodiversity data graphically and offers future opportunities to integrate mathematics into curriculum offerings.

A scientific poster summarizing the ATBI project in the park was produced that has been presented at a NPS regional natural resource managers workshop and an interpreters conference, and is now on public display.

Six research projects related to the ATBI were presented at the 2008 Boston Harbor Islands Science Symposium and associated abstracts have been submitted for posting on the park website, including a project summary by the lead postdoctoral fellow. Undergraduate research projects are underway on ants as an indicator for human impact on local ecology; the biogeography, population dynamics and genetic diversity of ground beetles; and a quantitative analysis and comparison of sound spectrum partitioning in temperate communities. Graduate student research includes dissertation project on plant-pollinator networks, and the production of an interactive database that will allow students, staff, and the public to explore biodiversity data graphically and offers future opportunities to integrate mathematics into curriculum offerings.

A scientific poster summarizing the ATBI project in the park was produced that has been presented at a NPS regional natural resource managers workshop and an interpreters conference, and is now on public display.

Education & Outreach
Lesson plans were developed and middle school curriculum was piloted for 1,150 school children this year. Rangers conducted programs in 16 classrooms at 7 different Boston Public Schools (620 students total), and led 11 field expeditions for 9 area schools (530 students total). Field work included overnight expeditions to learn about insects that are active at night. Insects that were collected and labeled by students were processed as part of the all-taxa biodiversity inventory. Lesson plans are currently available. Curriculum is currently being revised and expanded to include activities geared to high school and elementary school levels.

This project allowed the park to take on the challenge to create a catalyst for curiosity, learning and action from insects, which are inherently grotesque to some and invisible to others. A series of eye-catching graphic materials were created to meet this challenge. An educational card game called PredatOR Prey was produced. This game engages young and old to play a guessing and matching game with cards featuring eye-popping images of insects found on the Boston Harbor Islands, while learning about the dynamics of predator/prey relationships and park biodiversity.

Over 1000 decks of PredatOR Prey cards were distributed to local schools, community centers, and to the general public through area libraries and outreach events. Posters showing details of these insects along with compelling T-shirts were also given away to spark interest in the project and the science behind it.

The PredatOR Prey cards and T-shirt design won awards of excellence at a national design competition presented by Graphic Design USA Magazine.

Hundreds of people participated in events like the Cambridge Science Festival and a park sponsored program “Catch the Science Bug” held on Spectacle Island where they learned about the project.

A mobile exhibition cart was designed and built to complete an exhibit on Spectacle Island that will showcase insects found on the islands. This exhibit includes 3-D images of the insect specimens on display. These images literally “jump out” at the viewer who is challenged to match the actual insects to the image. Shrieks and squeals are common, but with closer observation, most visitors find something new and amazing.

Other products include a poster that shows a small sample of the astounding diversity found in just one family of beetles and a brochure about the microwilderness project that will be used for years to come to engage students, citizen-scientists and the public.