• Image of swamp, bayou, and marsh

    Jean Lafitte

    National Historical Park and Preserve Louisiana

BioBlitz 2013 School Field Trips

Image of boys squatting on a boardwalk and pointing at a log

Bring your students on a BioBlitz field trip---and leave with young scientists and explorers!

Adventure awaits your students at BioBlitz 2013! Here's their chance to discover new ideas and new creatures in their own backyards, to participate in real scientific exploration, and to understand their surroundings in a whole new way.

BioBlitz is a two-day adventure that takes a scientific snapshot of one day at one place: students and other volunteers will join scientists to search for, count, map, and learn about plants and animals. Each year National Geographic chooses a different National Park for a BioBlitz; follow the link to learn more.

BioBlitz 2013 is set for Friday and Saturday, May 17 and 18, at the Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (6588 Barataria Blvd. in Marrero near Crown Point). Although participants at Jean Lafitte's BioBlitz will be encouraged to inventory every living thing, the event will concentrate on invertebrates---creatures without backbones like crawfish, mosquitos, butterflies, and spiders---perfect for a BioBlitz on the bayou!

Along with the scientific adventure, there'll be a free Biodiversity Festival at the preserve featuring local nature and science organizations and celebrating the cultures of Louisiana with food and music.

Student field trips from schools and home school groups are welcome to participate on Friday, May 17, by

  • registering for a GLE-based species inventory project led by scientists and trained volunteers at the Barataria Preserve
  • attending the free BioBlitz Biodiversity Festival where area environmental educators will encourage students to discover the biodiversity in their own backyards

All field trip spaces are currently full, but you can still register for the waiting list; you will be informed if space becomes available. Follow the link to the National Geographic Education website to learn more about BioBlitz school field trips and to put your group on the field trip waiting list (look for the Educational Resources link on the righthand side of the page).

Note for scout groups, nature clubs, and groups other than school field trips: Registration for group activities will open for you in April. You'll be able to sign up to join exploration teams with park rangers, naturalists, and scientists on Friday evening, May 17, or Saturday, May 18. Send an email to the BioBlitz team and you'll receive an email when registration opens.

  • BioBlitz at Jean Lafitte BioBlitz at Jean Lafitte

    After a BioBlitz: What happens to the information discovered by the BioBlitz explorers? How will it help the park better manage natural resources? Read More

  • Barataria Preserve Barataria Preserve

    Explore the swamps, bayous, and marshes of the Barataria Preserve. Read More

Did You Know?

Vultures arrive on land.

Vultures do not have many predators. If an enemy does approach, the vulture will face its enemy and vomit. This inventive bird also has a unique way to stay cool: it urinates on its legs. The urine also helps kill any germs picked up while standing on a carcass.