BioBlitz Frequently Asked Questions
A BioBlitz typically is a 24-hour inventory of all living organisms in a given area, but Save Mount Diablo extended it to two weeks following restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first Save Mount Diablo BioBlitz was held 2007 on Irish Canyon. BioBlitz events are used to bring the public and the scientific community together to establish baseline data about the biodiversity of an area. It’s a great opportunity for the public to explore new areas and be involved in real science data collection. The data collected by citizen scientists is used to study how species composition in a certain area change over time.
Save Mount Diablo’s 2024 BioBlitz begins Saturday, April 20th and continues through Saturday, May 4th. We are encouraging participants to visit sites that are open to the public.
As a carryover from the modified events during COVID-19, there is no specific place that we will be gathering. Instead, we encourage participants to visit sites with public access safely, during their own time at any of the sites up and down the Diablo Range found here.
Joining is fun and easy! All you have to do is download iNaturalist onto your device, make a free account, head out to the site, and start making observations.
Anyone! This year, our BioBlitz is completely open to the public. Learn how to get started by watching the video below from our SCU Complex Fire Follower events:
If possible, provide multiple photos of the object from different perspective. For example, a good tree observation can include a photo of the leaves, the bark, and the flowers.
Based on your observations, iNaturalist will propose its identification, often listing several for you to pick from. Unless you know otherwise, select or enter the most general option that is predicted for this area. There are experts on iNaturalist that can confirm your identification. If you come across a plant that you suspect was likely planted by another person, check the Captive/Cultivated box.
iNaturalist has some great videos on how to take better photos for identification: https://vimeo.com/167341998
Please feel free to contact Sean Burke, Land Programs Director, at sburke@savemountdiablo.org.
