Montpelier, VT Bio Blitz July 21-22
Get to know nature and her many elements in our environment!
Imagine rolling out
of your tent in Hubbard Park in time for an hour of birding and botanizing with
naturalists. Next, you cheer on friends in the trail ride and 5k run, then
bring your kids to hit the giant slip n' slide and zip line while you enjoy a quiet
outdoor yoga class. Then it's over to the Kids Maker-space, where the family
gets matching spotted salamander face paint and learns to build birdhouses, bee
barns, and animal mobiles out of re-purposed recyclables.
After a barbecue
lunch, you head down to NBNC to check out live raptors and admire invertebrates
and amphibians in the terrarium tent. The kids head down to see the weird and
wonderful critters showcased by The Caterpillar Lab while you visit the
presentation room to learn about Vermont's biodiversity from leading state
biologists. As the sun sets, your family dances to the headline band playing at
the Hubbard Park main-stage, then ventures into the NBNC woods to watch
biologists catch bats over the river, attract moths at research stations in the
forest, and search for bio-luminescent fungi. ~North Branch Nature Center
During the Montpelier Bio Blitz Biologist, Botanist, naturalist, and many other volunteers specializing in specific nature elements (volunteers from around the northeast and other parts of the country) gathered critical data for environmental conservation by discovering and documenting as many species as they could find in 24 hours in Montpelier.
Below are photos of some of the public youth (hominids) who joined in the educational and hands on experience of observing and discovering nature and its diversity. Another post will follow with photos of some of the volunteers that gathered and documented data.
EXPLORE, Capture,
OBSERVE, investigate
Stop, Look, Listen.
Small does not mean uninteresting.
Research your findings for even more knowledge.
Isn't it great to live in an age and a city with natural open spaces and no dinosaurs roaming about eating people like chicken-nuggets? ~Bernie
Holding life in hand then releasing it aloft - a joy to behold.
Getting outside, observing nature - develops hyper-awareness, self confidence; nature informs all the senses.
Nature rewards observation and focus.
Hands on exploration - a great way to learn about and relate to nature.
Nature, it's what's for breakfast for our souls! ~Bernie
Nature - getting into it, observing it, hands on experiencing it - brings on focus and smiles in young people and in the youth that is still in all of us!
"Stress reduction, greater physical health, a deeper sense of spirit, more creativity, a sense of play, even a safer life-these are the rewards that await a family when it invites more nature into children's lives." The Last Woods, by Richard Louv
The Friends of the Winooski River Stream Table was a hit! Great way to learn about channel morphology and sediment transport - and the joy of clean healthy flowing water.
Fauna and Flora observed during the Bio Blitz is listed on iNaturalist where anyone can view the photos and names each of the documented species. View results on iNaturalist. (Montpelier BioBlitz 2018.) 4,550 observations, 1,518 species. Public attendance 500, biologists 90. Read more on North Branch Nature Center website.
THANK YOU MONTPELIER BIO BLITZ SPONSORS:
The Nature Conservancy - Vermont
VSECU
Vermont Mutual Insurance Group
Vermont Center for EcoStudies
University of Vermont Environmental Program
Stone Environmental
Montpelier Alive
Community National Bank
Hunger Mountain Co-op
Washington Electric
Montpelier Rotary Club
Ben & Jerry's Foundation
Deerfield Designs
Northfield Savings Bank
Cabot Creamery Co-operative
Capitol Plaza
Down Rachlin Martin
Heney Realtors
Kingdom Construction
Outdoor Gear Exchange
Vermont River Conservancy
SunCommon
F&W Forestry
Resources for Families: Links
OBSERVE, investigate
Stop, Look, Listen.
NATURE WILL FASCINATE AND ASTOUND YOU!
LOOK CLOSELY - so much nature surrounds us - yet we are usually quite unaware.
Small does not mean uninteresting.
Research your findings for even more knowledge.
Isn't it great to live in an age and a city with natural open spaces and no dinosaurs roaming about eating people like chicken-nuggets? ~Bernie
Learning a new way to see.
BATS are now COOL!
Getting outside, observing nature - develops hyper-awareness, self confidence; nature informs all the senses.
Technology assists in picking up bat sounds to help us know which bats are out of our visual range.
Nature rewards observation and focus.
Hands on exploration - a great way to learn about and relate to nature.
Nature, it's what's for breakfast for our souls! ~Bernie
"Stress reduction, greater physical health, a deeper sense of spirit, more creativity, a sense of play, even a safer life-these are the rewards that await a family when it invites more nature into children's lives." The Last Woods, by Richard Louv
The Friends of the Winooski River Stream Table was a hit! Great way to learn about channel morphology and sediment transport - and the joy of clean healthy flowing water.
Remember when you were a child: Exploring, searching, dreaming, playing, (unstructured play), identifying, theorizing, imagining, comparing, adventure, tracking, gathering, discovering, creating stories, storytelling, measuring, keeping journals. Remember the acute sensations from hearing (listening), sighting, touching (holding), smelling, tasting. Like reading, nature stimulates the imagination and awakens the senses.
Why not experience this all again with your family.
EXPLORE, OBSERVE, RELATE,
FOR THAT IS WHAT BEING HUMAN
IS ALL ABOUT.
~ BERNIE
Fauna and Flora observed during the Bio Blitz is listed on iNaturalist where anyone can view the photos and names each of the documented species. View results on iNaturalist. (Montpelier BioBlitz 2018.) 4,550 observations, 1,518 species. Public attendance 500, biologists 90. Read more on North Branch Nature Center website.
THANK YOU MONTPELIER BIO BLITZ SPONSORS:
The Nature Conservancy - Vermont
VSECU
Vermont Mutual Insurance Group
Vermont Center for EcoStudies
University of Vermont Environmental Program
Stone Environmental
Montpelier Alive
Community National Bank
Hunger Mountain Co-op
Washington Electric
Montpelier Rotary Club
Ben & Jerry's Foundation
Deerfield Designs
Northfield Savings Bank
Cabot Creamery Co-operative
Capitol Plaza
Down Rachlin Martin
Heney Realtors
Kingdom Construction
Outdoor Gear Exchange
Vermont River Conservancy
SunCommon
F&W Forestry
Montpelier Bio Blitz was co-hosted by North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier Conservation Commission, and City of Montpelier Community Services.
Resources for Families: Links
- The Extinction of Meaning by Bryan Phfeifer
- iNaturalist (you can post a photo of your observation and ask for I.D.) YOU Can be A CITIZEN SCIENTIST!
- UVM Field Walks - Free and open to the public
- Ghosts and Tiny Creatures (Extinction of experience) by Bryan Pfeiffer
- 10 ways to help kids fall in love with being outside. Washington Post
- Crow's Path Mission: To use a relationship-centered approach to promote, foster, create and support direct, hands-on opportunities for people of all ages to reconnect to the natural world; and in doing so, foster a multi-generational community in the Chittenden County dedicated to building relationships to human and more than human ecosystems.
- How to start a movement (6 minute TED video: Derek Sivers)
- Insects and bugs of Vermont (including photos)
- Google images (Search by your observed image).
- Free the Kids. Dirt is good. (Short Video. Children spend less time outside than prison inmates. )
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