BioBlitzAtDurantNaturePark


 * A BioBlitz is being planned for Raleigh's Durant Nature Park on 2015 April 10-11 (Friday / Saturday).**

The WakeNature Preserve Partnership will be offering park staff and others interested in natural resource conservation an opportunity to see how a BioBlitz inventory is conducted, and how gathering inventory data in their parks can provide valuable information on how to provide stewardship for those resources. We have scheduled the BioBlitz training to occur on Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11 at Raleigh's Durant Nature Park. We expect 40 participants to attend Friday and 40 more on Saturday. Groups will be divided into two for each time period and each group will have an Interpreter bringing them around to the Field Biologists.

This will not be a traditional 24-hour BioBlitz...instead our primary goal is to demonstrate inventory techniques and discuss the importance of collecting inventory data when making park management decisions...so we are asking field biologists to commit to performing 2-hours of data gathering while participants are brought to the sampling sites to ask questions. Durant staff are excited to be getting updated inventory data, but the primary goal is to demonstrate techniques. We are scheduling a staggered time frame for sampling different plant and animal groups, so here's a rough schedule (subject to change): **Friday's Schedule: participants primarily park managers** 8-10 am Herps= under cover boards, with dip nets and turtle traps Mammals= checking live traps, camera traps & bait stations 10 am-12:30 Classroom discussion/lunch 12:30- 2:30 pm Birds= walking transects, ID by ear Vegetation= walking transects, general habitat types according to Wildlife Action Plan Vegetation= systematic plots in unique habitats 2:30- 4 pm Insects= sweep nets and other trap techniques Streams= macro-invertebrate sampling; possibly fish 7-9 pm Insects= black light traps Herps= Frog calls, transect Mammals= Bat detector

**Saturday's Schedule: participants primarily students** 9-10:30 am Birds= walking transect, birding by ear Wildflowers= visiting selected sites, sampling plots 10:30-12 noon Herps= cover boards,dip nets and turtle traps Insects= sweep nets

So that is the general idea. WakeNature will set out the cover boards, and will provide maps of the choice habitats for inventory. Many of you know Durant already, but for those who don't we can arrange a site visit before the BioBlitz. There is a good amount of historical inventory data at Durant with which results can be compared. Obviously, for some setting up turtle traps, camera traps, live traps and such, it will a Thursday visit to get that equipment in place. The Training Lodge is available for storing equipment, for food, and even has sleeping quarters for those who want to spend the night at Durant.

So for now we are looking for Field Biologists who can commit to help with this training event. Some of you may have students or interns who could fill some roles...we are happy to have teams of field biologists doing the work. Please let us know if you will be able to help, or if you have other names you might suggest.

Let me know if you have questions/suggestions. Thank you for considering to help.

John Connors/Chair WakeNature Preserve Partnership

Tom Wentworth, NC State University (plants) Laura Robinson, NC NHP (plants) Ed Corey, State Parks (animals) John Connors, Wake Audubon (birds, Interpreter of what inventory biologists are doing) John Finnegan, NCNHP (leading a bird walk or helping out with surveys) Brian Bochahn (will do whatever, frog calls) Daniel Wheeler (Lake Crabtree, herps) Johnny Randall (NC Botanical Garden) Caren Cooper (NC Museum, Citizen Science) Scott Anderson, NC Wildlife Resources Commission (Birds and/or technology) Chris Moorman (wildlife - Friday only) Stephanie Schuttler (NC Museum - camera traps) Jackie Trickel, Wake County (Natural Resource Inventory Database) Julie Moore (FWS plants) Jeff Beane (tent, herps) Christine Goforth (Prairie Ridge, aquatic insects / macro inverts) Steve Grodsky (ent) - asked 10 Feb - YES to both days Carl Nordman (NatureServe) - vegetation sampling and ID Alex Krings (plants, Hess asked) - asked 10 Feb - Maybe 10th (potential conflict), not 11th.
 * Confirmed Participants**


 * Tentative**

Jeff Hall (Wildlife Resources Commission) Arielle Parsons (NC Museum) Steve Franks (NCSU) Gary Perlmutter, UNC Herbarium (lichens) Eimy Rivas Plata, Chicago Field Museum (lichens)
 * Asked but cannot attend**

Kaly Clark - NCSU Zoology senior - willing to help in any way; interested in working with herp inventory [ ref Hess ]
 * Interested in Helping**


 * Need to ask - once schedule is firm**

Alvin Braswell (Connors will) Lisa Gaitens, Ben Hess for mammals (Connors has asked - awaiting response) Dave Lennat (Connors has asked) Logan Williams (Connors will ask) Jesse Perry (Connors will ask) Matt Bertone, NCSU Insect Clinic guy (Connors will ask) Meghan Lobsinger (about getting their students involved - Snow will ask) Tom Howard (State Parks - NRID) (Connors will ask) Deb Roberston alternate for NRID (Snow is asking) Brooke Massa (green growth toolbox) (Pohlman will ask)