Stroud Water Research Center entomologists, interns, and educators joined citizen scientists, students, and partner organizations on May 21 for the First State National Historical Park BioBlitz and White Clay Creek State Park BioBlitz.
Both events were held as part of the National Park Service Centennial BioBlitz, a nationwide effort to discover and document the diversity of living species across the United States.
U.S. Sens. Chris Coons and Sheldon Whitehouse stopped by the Stroud Center table at First State National Historical Park to learn about macroinvertebrates. Stroud Center educators Dave Dickens and Vince O’Donnell manned the table, sharing insights about how macroinvertebrates can tell us whether streams and rivers are healthy.
“Open innovation tools like crowdsourcing and citizen science can present solutions to real challenges by drawing on the knowledge, creativity, and expertise of citizens,” said Sen. Coons, who introduced the Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act (S. 2113) last September.
“It was a pleasure working alongside community members participating in the 2016 BioBlitz to help count and categorize local plant and wildlife species in our national park. I encourage other citizen scientists to pitch in for upcoming events.”
The Stroud Center team, including entomology staff scientists Katie McFadden and Kelly McIntyre, and interns Maria Scarborough, Luke Frankel, Amy Kochel, Trevor Hall, Kelli Williams, Garrett Hoover, and Jacqueline Smiler, helped sample and identify aquatic macroinvertebrates.
BIOBLITZ RESULTS
The final tally for fungi, plants, and animals identified on May 21: 353 species at White Clay and 112 at First State.
You can view the results at iNaturalist.org:
