Event
-
05/21/2016
Location:
Weir Farm National Historic Site,
Time: 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Fee Information: Free
Contact Email: E-Mail Us
Contact Phone Number: (203) 834-1896
Explore! Look closer! Make it count!
Grab your backpack, sketchbook, and binoculars and head to Weir Farm National Historic Site for the National Parks BioBlitz on May 21, 2016. Join teams of scientists and head out into the park's woods, gardens, wetlands, and fields to discover and document as many living creatures as possible in a single day. Art activities and demonstrations are also on tap throughout the day. Experienced and budding artists alike are invited to sketch or paint and are especially encouraged to draw plants and animals found throughout the park.
Explorers of all ages are needed. All events are free and open to the public. Nature walks, hikes for kids, and art activities will engage the whole family, whether you come for a few hours or the entire day.
Be part of a nationwide effort. Organized by Weir Farm NHS in partnership with the Woodcock Nature Center, Friends of Weir Farm National Historic Site, the Weir Preserve, and the Town of Ridgefield Conservation Commission, this event is part of the larger National Parks BioBlitz, with more than one hundred national parks across the country celebrating biodiversity in parks to commemorate the National Park Service Centennial in 2016.Species data from all BioBlitz activities will be collected through a mobile application called iNaturalist and broadcast at a Biodiversity Festival on the National Mall in Washington D.C., co-hosted by the National Park Service and National Geographic Society.
Schedule of Events
FRIDAY NIGHT, 7:30-9:30pm CANCELLEDNightime Mini BioBlitz at Woodcock Nature Center
SATURDAY, 8am-3pm, Open to the publicNational Parks BioBlitz at Weir Farm NHSHop on the shuttle at Branchville Elementary School and enjoy one or more activities at the park. Shuttles run continuously from 7:40am to 4pm. See below for details. DOWNLOAD the schedule >
9am to 3pm- Science Center in the Burlingham Barn- View live animals and preserved specimens, identify and record your findings, and see the tally of species identified. Bring your smart phone or tablet, if you like, and we'll show you how to download and use iNaturalist, a mobile application that will be used to compile results. The app allows you to upload photos, record species, and see the master list of everything found at the park. You can also share your findings with us and we'll enter the data for you.
Click to download iNaturalist before you come (instructions). WiFi will be available if you want to get set up when you get here.
- Artist Tent- Take part in guided art lessons, learn how to keep a nature journal, and watch artist demonstrations. Join CT Natural Science Illustrator Susannah Graedel for Butterfly and Beetle Mania!
- Especially for Kids- Kid's nature walks will be held at 11am and 1pm. Find arts and crafts in the artist tent all day.
- Weir House and Artist Studios Open
Guided Nature Walks and Arts Activities
All walks meet at the Science Center/Burlingham Barn. Walks are not stroller friendly.
8am-9am Early Bird Walk with Ben Okewin and Ben Oko 9am-10am Insect Walk with Mitch Wagener Plant Walk with Jim Tobin 10am-11am Wildflower Walk with Julia Cencebaugh-Kloth Natural History Walk with Ed Sharron Kids Walk with Jim Ellsworth Nature Journaling (Artist Tent) with Jen Bradshaw 11am-12pm Bird Walk with Ben Oko and Ben Olewine Butterfly Walk with Victor DeMasi Sketching in Nature (Artist Tent) with Sara Breznen 12pm-1pm Vascular Plant Walk with Tom Philbrick Fungi Walk with Joe and Kathy Brandt and Gary Lincoff 1pm-2pm Microbiology Walk and Discovery with Kendra Maas and Edwin Wong Kid's Wetland Walk with Jen Bradshaw Drawing Eggs, Feathers, and Nests (Artist Tent) with Jean Mackay 2pm-3pm Butterfly Walk with Victor DeMasi Invasives Walk with Kitsey Snow 3pm BioBlitz Grand Finale with presentation of total species count, Science Center Events will take place rain or shine.
PARKING
All parking for this event will be off-site at Branchville Elementary School, located at 40 Florida Road in Ridgefield. The school is off of Rt. 102 (Branchville Road), across from Ancona's Wine Store.Directions to Branchville Elementary >Free shuttles will run continuously from 7:40 am to 4pm between the school and Weir Farm National Historic Site.
No parking will be available at Weir Farm National Historic Site or along neighborhood residential roads during this event.
Many Thanks!
Many thanks to our scientists, naturalist experts, and volunteers!
Scientists
Danny Brass, Faculty Affiliate, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University
Will Krinsky, Faculty Affiliate, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University
Kendra Maas, Facility Scientist, Microbial Analysis, Univ of Connecticut -Storrs
Karolina Fucikova, Adjunct Professor, NHTI, Concord's Community College, Univ of Connecticut -Storrs
Rafael Medina, Post-doctoral Researcher, College of Ecology &Evolutionary Biology, Univ of Connecticut -Storrs
James Mickley, Doctoral Fellow, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ of Connecticut -Storrs
Paula Philbrick, Lecturer, Ecology &Evolutionary Biology, Univ of Connecticut -Waterbury
Mitch Wagener, Professor, Invertebrate Zoology, Western Connecticut State University
Tom Philbrick, Professor, Plant Systematics, Western Connecticut State University
Rachel Prunier, Assistant Professor, Genetics, Western Connecticut State University
Edwin Wong, Associate Professor, Molecular Biology, Western Connecticut State University
Colin Kremer, Postdoctural Fellow, Department of Ecology &Evolutionary Biology, Yale UniversityLocal Experts
Larry Fischer, Birds of Prey Expert, Newtown
Victor DeMasi, Lepidopterist &Curatorial Affiliate, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University
Ben Olewine, Birder, Redding
John MacLaren, Dragonfly Enthusiast, Redding Land Trust
Jim Tobin, Plant Enthusiast, Ridgefield
Julia Cencebaugh Kloth, Advanced Master Gardener, Ridgefield
Kitsey Snow, Master Gardener, Ridgefield Conservation Commission
Ben Oko, Master Wildlife Conservationist, Ridgefield Conservation Commission
Joe and Kathy Brandt, President, Westchester-Connecticut Mycological Association, Westchester County/NY Botanical
Gary Lincoff, Mushroom Enthusiast, Westchester County/NY Botanical
James Tully, Invertebrate Enthusiast - Science Center in the Burlingham Barn- View live animals and preserved specimens, identify and record your findings, and see the tally of species identified. Bring your smart phone or tablet, if you like, and we'll show you how to download and use iNaturalist, a mobile application that will be used to compile results. The app allows you to upload photos, record species, and see the master list of everything found at the park. You can also share your findings with us and we'll enter the data for you.