Norman Bird Sanctuary is inviting community members to attend a presentation on the results of BioBlitz 2024.
Participants in the 24-hour biodiversity survey investigated the Sanctuary’s 300 acres, including coastal forest and shrubland, fields, streams, swamps, and beaches for all manners of life. The event broke several records, including the number of participants (385) and species found (1,430).
David Gregg, Director of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, will share event highlights as well as insight into the unique qualities that make Aquidneck Island home to so many types of life.
“One of the goals of BioBlitz is to show that you can find biodiversity virtually anywhere, but what we found at Norman Bird Sanctuary really blew us away, with a new record for total number of species found in 24 hours,” Gregg said in a statement.
The presentation will also include preliminary details about the BioBlitz 2025 location.
Gregg credits the Norman Bird Sanctuary’s reputation as a key factor in the event’s success, “Volunteers come to BioBlitz when they know the site and expect it will yield interesting natural history, so the record turnout of volunteers also shows how much people far and wide know about Norman Bird Sanctuary and appreciate its history of conservation.”
The Rhode Island BioBlitz is the longest-running annual bioblitz in the world, having been held annually since 2000. The Rhode Island Natural History Survey organizes the event and is held in a different location each year. The 2024 BioBlitz coincided with the 75th anniversary of the founding of Norman Bird Sanctuary, the 30th anniversary of the Natural History Survey, and the 25th annual Rhode Island BioBlitz
BioBlitz events promote public engagement in science and help improve knowledge of biodiversity and local environments. The results from BioBlitz 2024 provide an inventory of species that can be used as a benchmark for ongoing monitoring of biodiversity on Aquidneck Island. “For the Norman Bird Sanctuary this data offers critical insight into the existing conditions across the 300 acres that we steward and the broader ecosystem,” said Kaity Ryan, Executive Director of the Norman Bird Sanctuary. “Better understanding the diversity of species at the Sanctuary helps us track habitat health as well as areas of particular concern, opportunities for further research and analysis, and challenges we may face in the years to come.”
The free presentation will occur at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 16, in the Town Council Chambers of the Middletown Town Hall. All are welcome to attend, but registration is required.
To register, please visit: https://NormanBirdSanctuary.org/events/results-of-the-2024-bioblitz/
