Mike Vensky's team hunts for reptiles and amphibians by lantern light during their pre-dawn expedition.

Photograph by Phil Crosby

POSTED BY FORD COCHRAN/BIOBLITZ TEAM AT 7:59 AM

A two-striped garter snake, Thamnophis hammondii, found by volunteers on an expedition team led by wildlife biologists Todd and Heidi Hoggan. These snakes have evolved natural resistance to deadly toxins in the poisonous newts on which they prey.

Photograph by Heidi Hoggan, U.S. Forest Service

POSTED BY FORD COCHRAN/BIOBLITZ TEAM, 6:48 PM PDT

Disney animators created Simba, Mufasa, Nala, and Scar at a Burbank studio just north of Griffith Park, eastern outpost of the Santa Monica Mountains BioBlitz. But the Lion King stars aren't the only big cats to prowl these hills: The Santa Monica Mountains are home to mountain lions (also known as pumas) and bobcats.

Inventory teams routinely find paw prints and scat, but the animals themselves prove elusive. Ingenuity and technology--trip cameras rigged to photograph prowling mammals as they pass, radio collars and tiny GPS transmitters--help people keep tabs on rare and stealthy felines, says National Park Service biologist Seth Riley.

Major highways divide Santa Monica's few mountain lions from larger populations in neighboring public lands. Scientists are keen to understand how they're coping with this challenge, to locate lion kills, to measure their home ranges ("Puma 1," the park's dominant male, routinely traverses the entire breadth of the National Recreation Area), and to observe and tag newborn kittens.

Seth takes teams out night and day to track cats and collect data. How often does he see the animals? "Almost never."

Photograph of Puma 1 courtesy National Park Service

POSTED BY FORD COCHRAN AND EMILY LANDIS/BIOBLITZ TEAM, 4:32 PM PDT

Just outside the scientist's tent stands a lanky fellow swinging a net through the dry brush. He takes a few gentle swipes over the flower tops, stirring up some moths, and then inspects his catch. This is Sam Droege, the father of the BioBlitz. He organized the first 'Blitz with Dan Roddy back in 1996 at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C.

The idea was to bring together the city's numerous field biologists, typically trapped and isolated in their offices, and unleash them in an under-visited park to highlight its surprising biodiversity. And to have fun. "I told them: Go and do whatever you want, just get as many species as you can," jokes Sam. "Let's have a party!"

Sam will be leading inventory teams collecting bees and wasps later today. It's his eighth BioBlitz.

Photograph by Ford Cochran/NGS

POSTED BY EMILY LANDIS/BIOBLITZ TEAM, 1:55 PM PDT

It begins today, and under a cloudless sky at Paramount Ranch, rangers, scientists, and volunteers swarm, making final preparations for the BioBlitz. Over the last week, an advance team erected tables and tents, posted signs, hung banners, prepared stages, brought in two tons of water, and networked Base Camp so that each species found can be logged and counted as it's identified.

Now field ecologists unpack their microscopes and critter collections in the Inventory Tent. Flags--of the U.S., the state of California, the city of Los Angeles, the Department of the Interior, National Geographic, and the BioBlitz itself--flutter in the morning breeze on the main stage, where singer-songwriter Billy B warms up on an acoustic guitar, playing the anthem he composed for the event.

Students from Monroe High in North Hills have just rolled in, the first of more than 1,400 children and teens slated to join the 'Blitz with their teachers on school fieldtrips. Some 1,200 more intrepid adults and kids have pre-registered for more than 180 planned field expeditions, with room for hundreds more who show up eager to join a team. Thousands are expected to come check the scene at Base Camp, take in a short nature hike, and make the rounds of the 40+ exhibitors' tables. Hope to see you here!

Photograph by Ford Cochran/NGS

POSTED BY FORD COCHRAN/BIOBLITZ TEAM AT 10:47 AM PDT

Just ten days left until Friday, May 30th, and the official start of the 2008 Santa Monica Mountains BioBlitz.

From Base Camp at Paramount Ranch in the heart of the National Recreation Area to the Hollywood Hills on the east and the Pacific on the west, this marathon quest to find and identify every species that grows, crawls, hops, swims, slithers, or flies will span more than 150,000 acres of public land north of Los Angeles.

Volunteer to join a field team on a four-hour trek, catch a free talk or a concert at Paramount Ranch, celebrate biodiversity at the festival Saturday afternoon, or stop by the scientists' tent to get tips on identifying the creatures that live in your own back yard.

Can't make it to Southern California for the 'Blitz? Not a problem: We'll follow it all here on our BioBlitz blog. Check back often for the latest!

Photograph of Paramount Ranch courtesy National Park Service

POSTED BY FORD COCHRAN/BIOBLITZ TEAM AT 12:39 PM