Local parks play a key role in helping to protect pollinators and pollinator-friendly habitats. This September, you can “bee” part of the solution by visiting your neighborhood park and taking part in a Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz.
What’s a BioBlitz?
Across the globe, we are losing 1 to 2% of insects, which include many pollinators, every year due to multiple complex factors. To help protect these local pollinators that are critical to our ecosystems and food supply, we joined forces with The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) to host the third annual Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz during the month of September.
A BioBlitz is when people come together to record as many species as possible within a designated location and time period. It’s designed to raise awareness and community involvement in the pollinator crisis and create a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity. BioBlitzes help local park agencies better understand, manage and plan for the multitude of different pollinator species in their local parks.
BioBlitzes empower each of us to become a citizen scientist for the day and do our part to help pollinators. Plus, they’re fun and easy.
How to BioBlitz
Step 1: Grab your family or friends.
Step 2: Visit a local park.
Step 3: Download the iNaturalist app.
Step 4: Use the app to take photos of all the insects, plants, and animals you see.
Step 5: Follow the prompts to upload your images.
That’s it! The iNaturalist app will add your findings to its database with the location and suggested identification. You’ve just contributed to helping local park agencies better care for the pollinator species in your community.
Partnering to drive impact
Our Foundation has partnered with NRPA since 2018, when we first created the Parks for Pollinators campaign. Together, as part of our GroMoreGood initiative, we are working to educate more children, families and communities about the importance of pollinators and what people can do to help.
In 2020, a total of 57 park agencies in 24 states signed up to host a Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz event. These events bolstered local environmental education, increased awareness of pollinators and the role local parks play in their health, and helped parks improve local pollinator habitats.
Want to join a larger BioBlitz with other citizen scientists? See if there’s a BioBlitz happening in your community.
Western Region: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/parks-for-pollinators-2021-western-region
Mid-Western Region: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/parks-for-pollinators-2021-mid-western-region
Southern Region: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/parks-for-pollinators-2021-southern-region
Northern Region: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/parks-for-pollinators-2021
