About 150 people visited the Lakeshore Nature Preserve on June 7 to participate in our first-ever bioblitz. Participants recorded more than 985 species, including 253 that had never been documented in the Preserve before! Some “bioblitzers” walked the trails on their own, looking for species to record, while others ventured out in groups or joined expert-led tours (bees, parasitic wasps, fungi, fireflies…) Another 330 people helped to verify the more than 4,400 observations on iNaturalist. We were thrilled to see so many people excited about local biodiversity. In addition to bringing together the community to identify the organisms found here, the data we gathered at the bioblitz will help guide ecological restoration and management of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve and bring attention to its teaching, research, and outreach value.
