Zoe Vavrek
In partnership with OneTam, celebrate the City Nature Challenge by joining us for a Spring Flowers and Fire Bioblitz at Bon Tempe Lake! What exactly is a “Bioblitz?” It is a quick, intense survey of the species at a specific site! The City Nature Challenge, a project of the California Academy of Sciences, is an international effort to encourage communities to collect and analyze data about their cities’ local ecology. It is the largest annual census of biodiversity in the world!
At this event, we will be focusing on documenting the diversity of life (including potential fire-following species) at the site of Marin Water’s recent prescribed burn at Bon Tempe Lake. We’ll explore how the removal of non-native grasses and built-up fire fuels has made room for our native species to sprout up through the ashes. We will be uploading all of the photos we document to the iNaturalist app. CA State Parks rangers Hillary Coyler and Ryan Forbes, as well as SFSU Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Jason Cantley, will guide us in this survey.
The event will start with a quick how-to and introduction to the ecology of Mt. Tam’s oak woodlands. We will then split up into groups and hike a short-to-moderate distance, identifying and photographing plants as we go along. After the survey, participants will gather again to share their photos.
Everyone is welcome! This bioblitz will involve a group of nature-curious folks of all ages and experience levels. Bioblitz facilitators will bring expertise about different aspects of our oak woodlands’ biodiversity and the special relationship these ecosystems have with fire. Staff will provide coaching on identification and using iNaturalist.
Space is limited. Registration is REQUIRED for all participants. Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate drop-ins. The event will continue in the case of light rain, but will be cancelled in the case of heavy rain and wind.
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