BioBlitz
Vashon Nature Center launched in 2012 with the first island BioBlitz, an exciting, outdoor marathon where scientists and members of the public find as many species as they can in one place in 24 hours.
Our BioBlitz events have grown to become popular community celebrations of island nature. Each survey focuses on a different island park or preserve to create a base record and seasonal snapshot of life. These surveys boost our sense of pride and awareness of local nature while providing environmental resource managers data on species occurrences and distribution. Washington Department of Natural Resources, the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust, and King County all use our BioBlitz species lists to inform management and conservation efforts. We also partner with the Salish Sea Biodiversity project to contribute to an international endeavor to catalog the biodiversity of the entire Salish Sea.
A BioBlitz Celebrates Biodiversity. Why BioBlitz?
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You could discover a new species! We have only discovered ¼ of the world’s species!
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Biodiversity is rapidly declining. Scientists predict a loss of 50% of species in the next 50 years. This is between 1,000 and 10,000 times the normal rate of extinction.
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Local efforts to record biodiversity have the potential to act as early alarm indicators of larger glocal decline since biodiversity declines on local levels tend to be more dramatic and occur earlier than global declines.
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Data collected during BioBlitzes is used by land managers to inform management. Examples of agencies and organizations using this data include Washington Department of Natural Resources, King County, and the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust.
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Our sense of place broadens when we learn about the variety of life forms that live around us which enhances our shared cultural identity.
Species Counted
Vashon Nature Center data is accessible on iNaturalist accounts.
Participate in Our Next BioBlitz!
Join a survey to help expert team leads find species! No experience is required!
Help with base camp operations. Check-in survey teams, manage equipment, and other volunteer support.
Follow the Vashon Biodiversity Project on iNaturalist and track the observations coming in. If you have some taxonomic expertise, help identify the observations.
Subscribe to our newsletter to be one of the first to know about our next BioBlitz. Or, contact us for more information.
Header Photo: Sherry Lee Bottoms