September is Bioblitz Month for Pollinators at the Discovery Center

Throughout the month of September, the City of San Marcos Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting a citizen-science initiative called the bioblitz as part of the National Recreation & Parks Association’s “Parks for Pollinators.”

A bioblitz aims to crowdsource a large amount of species data (observed plants, animals, fungi, etc.) from a specific area in a short amount of time. In this case, the entire city of San Marcos will be the study site and the observations can be documented completely online. All residing or passing through San Marcos are invited to participate through the iNaturalist** app on their smart phones and devices.

“This bioblitz presents a fun, interactive, educational opportunity and can be totally virtual which we think is really relevant right now,” said Conrad Chappell, Discovery Center Specialist. “Check out our project page to follow our progress live or find a teaching guide for maximizing this science adventure for in-person, virtual, or homeschool classrooms.”

Participants may document their scientific observations from any accessible in the City, including backyards, neighborhoods, and natural areas.

** You can find tutorial videos on using  iNaturalist here.

 

Written by Conrad Chappell, the Discovery Center Attendant for the City of San Marcos.