02 de junio de 2016

Revised Press Release: Celebrating Biodiversity at San Diego's Urban Island

SAN DIEGO, CA – “You teach me, I forget. You show me, I remember. You involve me, I understand.” These words, penned by the famous ecologist E.O. Wilson, exemplify the power of public involvement in nature exploration. In order to foster the next generation of environmental stewards, we must make ecosystems and the animals they encompass real and tangible entities. On May 21st, 2016 Cabrillo National Monument did just this. Along with over 119 park service units, Cabrillo proudly provided a platform for the San Diego community to get involved in citizen science through the 2016 National Parks Centennial Bioblitz.

Utilizing the biodiversity observation aggregation application, iNaturalist, explorers of all ages made their way to the Monument to discover biodiversity in their National Park. Thanks to a truly outstanding community effort and an incredible team of over 157 scientists, exhibitors, and volunteers, over 1706 observations spanning 427 species were documented throughout the 24-hour Bioblitz period. Not only did this land Cabrillo in 3rd place for overall iNaturalist observations, but it was a tribute to the unique biodiversity hotspot that is San Diego, California.

In conjunction with the Bioblitz, Cabrillo hosted a Biodiversity Festival where over 19 exhibitors conducted hands-on science based activities for hundreds of park guests. From producing replica native Kumeyaay rock art, interacting with animal ambassadors, listening to current research updates from local scientists, and much more, we were excited to celebrate and introduce the public to science and biodiversity. Thanks to our strong partnerships with the Climate Science Alliance and California Geographic Alliance, over 300 students of all ages were provided transportation to the festival including an international contingency from Mexico.

None of this would have been possible without the continued support from Cabrillo park partners and volunteers. The park will process all the data and observations to create unique graphics explaining biodiversity and why we should care about preserving it. Cabrillo will continue to bring students across the county to the park and will soon be implementing a permanent Bioblitz curriculum. Our hope is that we can inspire the next generation of stewards by providing a platform for understanding of our natural world.

To learn more about the National Parks BioBlitz and activities go to:
www.nps.gov/CABR
go.nps.gov/2016bioblitz
natgeo.org/bioblitz

Follow us on social media:
Facebook: Cabrillo National Monument
Instagram: @CabrilloNPS

Bioblitz2016 #NPS100 #CabrilloNationalMonument

Publicado el junio 2, 2016 03:19 TARDE por cabrillonationalmonument cabrillonationalmonument | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

24 de mayo de 2016

Thank YOU all for a successful bioblitz!

As you can see from the numbers coming in, the Cabrillo Urban Island Bioblitz was a huge success!! It could not have happened without all your help. As of right now, we have over 1700 observations representing 429 species!

A special thank you to all the experts who came out representing government, non-profit, and academic institutions. Not only did they contribute observations to iNaturalist, but also greatly educated our visitors through informative talks, and visitor contacts out in the field.

A huge thank you to the "iNatters" who came out to join in on the fun and for all the advice and technical support!

Many thanks to the folks (77 total!!) who have been confirming IDs and verifying our data, whether from San Diego, or from other parts of the country, or the world!

Remember to tag us in your photos from the event so that we can share!

--Cabrillo National Monument Bioblitz Team

@CabrilloNPS #Bioblitz2016 #FindYourPark

CabrilloNationalMonument

Publicado el mayo 24, 2016 11:03 TARDE por cabrillonationalmonument cabrillonationalmonument | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

17 de mayo de 2016

Cabrillo NM Bioblitz in 4 days!

Hi Folks!

We're getting close to the big event! Thank you all for joining the project already!

As many of you are already aware, cell coverage at Cabrillo is pretty spotty at best. We will have an area by the visitors' center where we'll be able to tap into a wifi signal and sync our data to iNaturalist. You should still be able to get location data with your photo as you're filling in observations into the app.

Just a helpful tip to do ahead of time - we have species lists for various taxa available to download off the app. You may find this useful for inputting species' names when you're in an area with no data service. However, other than the mammal and herp guide which are complete, these are only the more common species.

For iPhone users - tap the "more" button at the bottom of the screen, then select "guides," then you can either search "cabrillo nm" or click on "nearby" to see the guides available. Then, select the guide(s) that you want, and then you can download them onto your phone.

Android and others - tap the top left icon, and then tap "guides." Follow the next instructions as above.

Thank you again and see you all soon!

  • Your Cabrillo friends
Publicado el mayo 17, 2016 10:08 TARDE por cabrillonationalmonument cabrillonationalmonument | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

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