Last year around this time 90 naturalists, scientists, and interested volunteers explored 53 acres of Vashon's backyard forests, shorelines, ponds, and clearings at Neill Point Natural Area on the southern tip of Vashon Island. This dedicated crew gently observed, photographed, identified, and documented as many species as they could in a 24 hour period. It was Vashon's first annual Bioblitz event and it was eye opening and fun.

 

What an amazing amount of life shares this island with us and what an incredible community treasure we have in the talent and enthusiasm of the naturalist community here. An equally amazing cadre of filming, producing, and computer talented folks just helped us put together a short video summarizing the feel of Vashon's first Bioblitz.

Watch it here: https://vimeo.com/65585456

And email info@vashonnaturecenter.org if you want to help us in the next Bioblitz held at ...

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Written by: Kathryn True

My daughter and I arrived at Neill Point, unloaded the car and took a look around the maple-ringed clearing. We were the first to arrive, could we start counting yet? The sun broke through for the first time all week (part of the magic of our Island BioBlitz was the seemingly preordained weather—24 hours without rain between bookends of precipitation) and a Western Tiger Swallowtail fluttered towards us, then stopped on a blackberry leaf to flex her wings. We had our species #1.

Basecamp for the BioBlitz at Neill Point. photo by Ed Otto

A BioBlitz is a 24-hour marathon for nature lovers. A citizen-science effort disguised as a treasure hunt—groups of scientists, naturalists and curious citizens join together and do their best to document every living organism within a prescribed geographic area on one calendar day. Vashon Nature Center’s 2012 BioBlitz was ...

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