FAQ

A BioBlitz is a period of intensive and collaborative cataloguing of the plant and animal life in a specific area. Some BioBlitzes are open to the public, but our 2024 BioBlitz is for Macaulay sophomores and invited guests of Van Cortlandt Park, who will be guided by scientific experts and other knowledgeable volunteers to complete the BioBlitz.

Here’s a nice short video showing a BioBlitz in McLaren Park in San Francisco.

The 2024 BioBlitz is September 14-15 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

No, this is not a 24 hour endurance event for students! Students sign up for one shift. Most shifts are 3 hours long. During your shift, you will work in a team to catalogue a particular type of life in the park. You will have directions and guidance from your team leader.

The 2024 BioBlitz is at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Check-in will be at the VCP Golf Lake House. The closest subway stop is the 1 train at 242 Street/Van Cortlandt Park.

You can find more information here.

The 2023 BioBlitz is for Macaulay sophomores (that’s the class of 2026). If you are a Macaulay sophomore, this is a required event and you must register in advance. Registration will open August 21, 2023.

You must wear your BioBlitz t-shirt throughout the event. You will receive your shirt when you check in at the Macaulay building. Wear clothing that covers your legs and sturdy, flat, closed-toe shoes. We strongly recommend masks inside the Macaulay building and on the shuttle bus.

You should also bring a backpack, a bottle of water, some snacks, sunscreen if you are working during the day, and you should consider bug spray. If the forecast calls for rain, bring your rain gear.

If you have an iPhone or Android, please download iNaturalist and bring your device!

Otherwise, please avoid bringing extra things and valuables with you. There will be no storage space for personal items onsite.

You will be working outside, and that could include work on the ground and in wetlands, shoreline, and muddy areas. In other words, your clothes could get wet and dirty. The BioBlitz goes on rain or shine, so dress for being outside in the weather that is expected. For safety reasons, you must wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes and clothing that covers your legs. Do not wear shorts, short skirts, sandals, flip-flops, high heels etc. And don’t forget sunscreen, bug spray, and rain gear if necessary! After you check in, you will receive a BioBlitz credential on a lanyard. Please wear that throughout your shift.

You should expect a fun and active learning experience that will help you experience the survey sites and data collection in ways that few New Yorkers have before. You will get to see how scientists conduct field research, and participate directly in that process. You will be contributing to an important event whose data will help scientists and residents of New York to understand biodiversity in our city.

You need to register! Registration will open in August. Don’t wait! Shifts fill up fast when registration opens.

Besides registering, please create an iNaturalist account and download the app if you have a compatible device.

We are working with a team of scientists and knowledgeable enthusiasts to lead teams of students. Team leaders will provide guidance, instruction, and species identification help.

We will collect data both on paper data sheets and using a program called iNaturalist. Please create an account with iNaturalist. Android and iPhone apps are available, so if you have one of those, please download the app. You can also use iNaturalist through a web browser. iNaturalist creates geotagged, time-stamped observations when you use it to take photos of organisms (or upload photos from your photo library).

Data will be used in your Seminar 3 classes. iNaturalist data may be used by scientists and others who study the various forms of life you will encounter. Ecological data is sometimes important for policy decisions. Data will also be available on this web site for public use.

The BioBlitz will go on rain or shine. We will have ponchos on hand. If there is an extreme weather event such as a hurricane, the BioBlitz will be canceled and we will inform participants via email and this site. If there is a brief period of severe weather, such as a thunderstorm, activity will be temporarily suspended. Leaders will communicate with their teams in case of a weather event during the course of the day.

This is a mandatory event for Macaulay sophomores. If you can’t come, you should talk to your Seminar 3 professor about what makeup activity they require.

Contact our BioBlitz help. Include your name in the subject line.

Scientists will lead the students teams during the BioBlitz. They’ll show you how they work in the field and help you identify the species you see. You do not need any experience to participate in the BioBlitz.

iNaturalist is a program and app that uses both built in species suggestions and community crowdsourcing to identify and verify observations that users make. The app can make a suggestion for you about the species, or you could put in something broad like “bird” or “plant.” (The built in suggestions are not always correct, especially if the photo isn’t great, but they are often on the right track.) Other users will then be able to look at your observations and suggest, correct, or verify the identifications. Of course if you are certain of what you have observed, add as much detail as you can. And if you are good at identifying species in our area, try your hand at verifying observations others have made. Once enough members of the community agree on the species identification, the observation is marked “research grade.”

If you are particularly interested in birds, there are also some other free apps that can help you. eBird is a free app and database for documenting birds. You can use it to explore the bird observations in your neighborhood or NYC in general. Merlin Bird ID is a free app that helps you to identify birds. When you open Merlin Bird ID, it will ask you to install a specific “Bird Pack” so that you don’t have to download the whole database. Choose US:Northeast for the birds relevant to the BioBlitz.

Many of the animal species we observe during the BioBlitz are only visually observed, or recorded through some other non-invasive means, such as track plates or infrared cameras. Some species, such as turtles, fish, and bats, are caught in specialized nets or traps, and released, unharmed, after they have been identified. All vertebrate animal trapping and handling activity is regulated by permits from the DEC and from CUNY’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). In most cases, only taxon leaders may directly handle animals, and all taxon leaders will be able to explain the procedures they use to identify and study animals, and why it is important to do so.

A small number of insects and spiders and potentially some mollusks (such as slugs) are trapped and humanely euthanized so that they can be studied in a lab. (If you have specific questions about procedures, you can ask a taxon leader.) Taking samples to a lab allows for more accurate species identification, which is an important part of studying the area’s ecosystem. If you want to be on a team with only vegan activity, you may indicate this when you register.

If you want to know more about why it’s important to collect specimens, check out this video.

The BioBlitz requires physical activity on varied terrain, and working with a group. However, we have lots of options available to make the event accessible to all students. We are committed to meeting your needs! Shift E on Sunday, September 15 has specially designated accessible spaces, but you are free to sign up for any slot. On the registration form, there will be a space for you to indicate what types of accommodations you need. It is important that you complete a registration on time, and list the accommodations that you need, so that we have time to prepare. Some examples of accommodations we can offer (if requested in advance) include being placed on a team that includes reduced walking, being placed on a team that will complete work only in wheelchair-accessible areas, having an assistant paired with you, and ASL interpretation. If you have questions or would like to discuss your specific needs, please contact Dr. Lisa Brundage, bioblitz@macaulay.cuny.edu.