Homestead Critter Count – A Centennial Celebration of Biodiversity in the National Park Service

Date: May 10, 2016

Help discover the species that inhabit Homestead National Monument of America by joining the Homestead Critter Count and Biodiversity Festival on Saturday, May 21, 2016.

To celebrate 100 years of stewardship, the National Park Service is planning a shared nation-wide quest to discover and document biodiversity –the variety of living organisms in a place. You are invited to be part of the celebration as parks across the country host bioblitzes onMay 21, 2016.

Bioblitzes are intense periods of biological surveying in an attempt to record all the living species within a designated area. Groups of scientists, naturalists and volunteers (that's you!) will be conducting intensive field studies over a continuous time period. Homestead will be offering three bioblitzes on May 21–come for one or come for all!   After a short orientation, you will go out onto the monument with the specialist and record what you observe.

Schedule of Events

-7 a.m.Orientation for Bird BioBlitz- Education Center Multi-Purpose Room

-10 a.m.Orientation for Plant BioBlitz–Education Center Multi-Purpose Room

-12:30 a.m.Orientation for Insect BioBlitz- Education Center Multi-Purpose Room

-10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Biodiversity Festival –Education Center Courtyard

-11 a.m. to 1 p.m.Lunch available for purchase - Back Alley Eatery –Education Center Picnic area

To record observations on May 21, Homestead National Monument of America is utilizing a smart phone app called iNaturalist. You can download this free application to your device before coming to the monument. The iNaturalist application allows you to upload images of the species that you discover. Once uploaded you record the information that you know about your species and other iNaturalist users will collaborate to identify and confirm the identification of the species that you capture.

The Biodiversity Festival from 10a.m.-3p.m.at the Education Center will have stations that feature hands on activities for all ages where you can discover macro-invertebrates, nematodes and learn about the variety of living things at Homestead National Monument of America.

The goal of the HomesteadCritterCount (bioblitz) is to bring people of all ages together to assist the park in identifying the birds, plants and animals of the monument. It will be a great opportunity to share your knowledge with other citizen scientists while learning about the incredible biodiversity at the monument. 

"In 1916, the act that created the National Park Service stated the purpose of the parks is to conserve the natural and historic objects and the wildlife in a manner that will leave them unimpaired for future generations. This event is appropriate for all ages to come out and share knowledge and experiences of biodiversity and resources here at our national park service site in southeast Nebraska," said Mark Engler, the monument's Superintendent.

Remember, Homestead National Monument of America has an exciting schedule of events planned for 2016, the Centennial year of the National Park Service. Keep up with the latest information by following us on Twitter (HomesteadNM) and Facebook (Homestead National Monument of America).

Homestead National Monument of America is a unit of the National Park Service located four miles west of Beatrice, Nebraska and 45 miles south of Lincoln. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free of charge. For additional information, please call 402-223-3514 or visit https://www.nps.gov/home/