Second annual BioBlitz at the Bird Sanctuary a success

Understanding and tracking the diversity of natural ecosystems is difficult and requires innovative strategies. We need to track and understand species’ patterns over time and space. As biologists learn more about the natural world, we understand that many unique species rely on small habitats, such as tree hollows. At the same time, other species may be more at risk due to climate change or land management practices. Measuring organisms’ current abundance and distribution is important to understand how populations handle environmental shifts.

Scientists at many universities are now involving local communities to maximize species observations and improve data collection. Anyone can contribute to ecological data using free, accessible tools. For example, the iNaturalist website and application have been used to record over 200 million observations and almost 500,000 species globally over 16 years. Scientists can use observations collected by local naturalists to better understand biodiversity patterns.

With the right tools and enough help, large data collection events can provide a valuable snapshot of current biodiversity in important conservation areas. This is the main aim of BioBlitz events, where scientists and members of the local community come together to work toward recording as many observations as possible in a local area. Similar sampling tools and techniques can show us how the number and range of species change over the years. A BioBlitz can also target historically under-sampled groups.

On June 15, 2024, the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary hosted the second annual KBS BioBlitz. There were 91 participants, and 24 field leads contributed to data collection by photographing and recording organisms using iNaturalist—many teams surveyed areas including restored prairies, forest understories, and wetlands. In 2024 alone, the BioBlitz documented 174 species of insects, and almost 400 species overall, with more than 1000 total observations on iNaturalist.

You can see the full list of species observations here.

Dr. Alisha Shah, a resident faculty member at KBS, will use data collected over five annual BioBlitz events to track the number of insect species and their abundance at the Bird Sanctuary. These large datasets, collected over multiple years, will be compared to local climate patterns to measure how insects respond to ongoing climate change. The public is encouraged to participate as community scientists in future KBS BioBlitz events. Join us next year for the third year of sampling at the Bird Sanctuary on June 14, 2025!

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Stephanie Bristow is a Ph.D. student at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. Stephanie is part of the Shah Lab and was the 2024 Kellogg Biological Station BioBlitz fellow.  
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