National Geographic Society

Registration is now open for scientist and naturalist volunteers to help identify species and lead field inventories at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in May.

We're also accepting registrations from teachers who want to bring student groups to the 'Blitz. Spaces are limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so teachers are advised to register early!

Scientist and naturalist volunteers, register here.

Teachers, register here.

Photograph of students and teachers on their way to the Santa Monica Mountains BioBlitz by Phil Crosby

POSTED BY FORD COCHRAN at 10:54 a.m. EST

The band on the main stage of the Festival is winding down, and we're already contemplating the next annual National Geographic-National Park Service BioBlitz. It's planned for the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, a 15,000-acre urban park accessible to Chicagoans via commuter train.

Indiana Dunes boasts 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, plentiful undulating sand dunes, swamps, prairie, and forest land.

According to Carl Sandburg, "Indiana Dunes are to the Midwest what the Grand Canyon is to the West." Costa Dylan, Superintendent of Indiana Dunes, agrees. "Did you know that there are more varieties of orchids at our park than in the state of Florida?" he asks. "I'm looking forward to adapting BioBlitz to our diverse, fragile ecosystem."

We are too. And you're invited.

Photograph by Christopher Light, courtesy National Park Service

POSTED BY EMILY LANDIS AND FORD COCHRAN/BIOBLITZ TEAM AT 5:59 PM PDT

It's official: The 24-hour Santa Monica Mountains inventory has come to an end, but the party's just beginning!

Teams turned up 1,364 unique plant and animal species by noon today--more than twice the hoard volunteers ID'd in the same time at Rock Creek Park last year. More still will come in the days ahead as bio-sleuths resolve the identities of a slew of mystery species.

For now, at least, the breakdown looks like this:

Algae - 22
Amphibian - 4
Arthropod - 628
Bird - 86
Fish - 6
Lichen - 3
Mammal - 12
Marine Invertebrate - 91
Other Invertebrate - 2
Plant - 495
Reptile - 15

TOTAL - 1364

The Celebrate Biodiversity Festival's in full swing, with the Banana Slug String Band on the main stage. We'll have more updates in the hours to come, so stay tuned!

POSTED BY FORD COCHRAN/BIOBLITZ TEAM AT 1:26 PM PDT

Sometimes it's hard to get kids enthused about plants when there are snakes around. "Vertebrates are cute and fuzzy, and we're vertebrates, so it's easy to relate," says plant ecologist Jocelyn Holt. Nurturing a child's sense of kinship with plants requires some effort.

Jocelyn works with the National Park Service to bring EcoHelper students from the Los Angeles Unified School District to hike, pull weeds, and replant healthy native plant species. Students get hooked on plants and keep coming back. "Sometimes I wonder if we're getting through," says Jocelyn. "It can take years, but you can tell when it really sinks in, and the students say 'Hey, I understand this! Plants are cool!'"

The Mediterranean climate that accounts for today's perfect weather also allows more than 1,200 native plant species to flourish in the Santa Monica Mountains. This natural diversity is threatened by some 70 species of prolific non-native plants.

Why does it matter? Exotic "invasives" like eucalyptus, storksbill, and horehound get a head start in the growing season, towering over native species in no time at all, shading them out of their territory and sucking up more than their share of water. Adding insult to injury, when some invasives die, they create thick mats of organic material that prevent native species from getting established. What's more, many invasives increase the rate and intensity of fires in these tinderbox hills.

Photograph of Julian McCoy with invasive mustard grass by Phil Crosby

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Native plant species identified so far: 302

Non-native plant species identified so far: 107

POSTED BY EMILY LANDIS AND FORD COCHRAN/BIOBLITZ TEAM AT 11:07 AM

Students use an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) to search for fish in Malibu Lagoon.

Photograph by Phil Crosby

POSTED BY FORD COCHRAN/BIOBLITZ TEAM AT 9:17 AM PDT