UPPER DELAWARE RIVER — The public is invited to experience first-hand the diversity of life in our natural world on a unique parcel of land in Wayne County and to meet renowned scientists and accomplished amateur naturalists who will document their findings, during the sixth Upper Delaware BioBlitz on June 28th and 29th.

During a 24-hour event, biologists and volunteers will collect, identify, and catalog as many living things as possible on a demarcated property owned by the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center in Boyd’s Mills, PA. 

Eight teams of researchers will focus on specific species including birds, botany, fish, fungi, reptiles and amphibians, terrestrial invertebrates, aquatic macroinvertebrates, mosses and lichens, and mammals. 

The public will have the opportunity to meet scientists of different disciplines, see what they have collected, and take a tour of the site to learn how different species live and thrive in the context of the overall property.

Bring the family on Saturday, June 29th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to view the specimens, talk to the experts, and enjoy a tour, all at no charge. Teams and sponsoring organizations will provide information and offer programs on their areas of expertise.

Hunt for and get help identifying mushrooms with the Delaware Highlands Mushroom Society. Explore the site’s natural wonders on a short foraging walk with Laura Silverman of the Outside Institute. Enjoy a nature- and climate-oriented theater performance by the acclaimed local theater troupe, Farm Arts Collective. Join botanist Sarah Chamberlain of the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society to search for native plants and learn how to start your own garden.

“This event is a way to highlight the richness of the environment in which we play, work, and live and to help us see our lives in the context of all the other living things with which we co-exist,” says BioBlitz organizer, Steve Schwartz.

“It’s also an opportunity for scientists and amateur naturalists to work together and share information with the public about what they find,” Schwartz adds. “All of the identified species, along with vast biota of microscopic species, are interdependent; all are nourished by the mineral and organic composition of the soils and the air and water. Similarly, people experienced in various scientific disciplines working together at this event reflect the interdependence of life in the natural environment.”

The scientists will identify what they find down to the species level. Some of this work will be done in the field through visual identification and documented with photos. Other items will be brought back to the collection tables for further identification through careful analysis. Some of the items will be identified through high-powered microscopes available on-site. 

The teams all have specialized methods of collection depending on the species. For example, the mammal team will erect mist nets to collect bats, and the invertebrate team will utilize different types of traps for insects. 

All the data will be compiled into an inventory of species collected during the event. This information will be publicly available and may help future scientists understand what was living on the site at this specific time. If rare or endangered species are found, they will be added to the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory database.

Wayne County Community Foundation has made a grant to the 2024 BioBlitz and is the fiscal agent for the event. 2024 Sponsors of the BioBlitz include the Upper Delaware Council, Wayne Conservation District and Friends of the Upper Delaware River. Individual donations can be made through the Network for Good at:  https:/bit.ly/2024BioBlitzSupport  

This year’s BioBlitz will follow from five successful events we held in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021 in the Upper Delaware River Watershed. The 2013 Upper Delaware BioBlitz was on the Gales property in Buckingham Township. During the 24 hours of the event, despite a deluge of 5 inches of rain the night before, the teams collected, identified, and cataloged 1,024 unique species. Over 60 species identified by the teams were first occurrences in Northeast PA that year. We returned to that site in 2018. 

In 2014 the BioBlitz was held in the Delaware River corridor portion of the Ten Mile River Scout Camp in the Town of Tusten, Sullivan County, New York. That year the teams identified over 884 unique species and 123 first occurrences for Sullivan County. The BioBlitz returned to that site in 2016. 

In 2021, during the pandemic, we decided to hold a virtual BioBlitz on a private property in Wayne County where each team could schedule its field work for any 24-hour period within the growing season. The participating teams were able to find 725 unique species and 13 first occurrences but were not able to include the public portion of the event where families could meet the scientists and see what they had collected. To follow up, there was a Zoom debrief for interested parties.

Visit upperdelawarebioblitz.com or www.facebook.com/UpperDelawareBioBlitz for additional event information and directions to the site, or email info@upperdelawarebioblitz.com.