To do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the border region, we have decided to postpone the 2020 Border BioBlitz event until further notice. This includes all nodes in the Mexico and the US.
In the meantime, the Border BioBlitz Independents iNaturalist project is still active and individuals are welcome to make observations on their own and identify observations remotely. Find more information on how to identify observations here. Please follow the recommendations of the CDC and health care experts to protect yourself and vulnerable members of society.
Our best to everyone in this challenging time.
The Border BioBlitz is carried out by independently organized teams along the border. Each team is responsible for organizing and leading all aspects related to their outing. The Border BioBlitz kick-off weekend is March 28th-29th. However, we will continue to accept data from local follow-up events during the entire month of April (BioBlitz Month).
The Border BioBlitz kick-off weekend is March 28th-29th. We hope for a big push of events this weekend and will continue to accept data from events during the entire month of April (Citizen Science BioBlitz Month).
General requirements for being a team leader are:
1. Organizing all aspects related to the outing, including logistics, safety considerations, training, publicity, and gathering all necessary permits or licenses.
2. Creating an iNaturalist Collections Project for your event(s) (learn how to create an iNaturalist project here). Your project must have the following characteristics:
- Title “Border BioBlitz 2020: [Your Site Name]”
- Icon: Border BioBlitz logo (download it here)
- Your event location as an iNaturalist place (learn how to create an iNaturalist place here)
3. Promoting the event and the Border BioBlitz in your area and facilitating participation (posters and flyer templates are available in the Team Leader Toolkit).
4. Training participants in all aspects related to the outing (including safety considerations and how to use iNaturalist) and ensuring they are registered in your team’s project page(s).
5. Documenting and sharing participation data for the final report within 2 weeks of the event(s). Basic documentation includes a participant count, registration sheets (registration sheets are available in the Team Leader Toolkit), and a group photo. We recommend that you also take photos, videos, testimonials if possible.
Region-wide kick-off event
The Border BioBlitz begins with a region-wide kick-off event on March 28th and 29th, where teams all along the border will simultaneously make as many observations as possible over the weekend!
Community Science BioBlitz Month
We know that biological and logistical conditions along the border region are diverse. For this reason, teams are invited to conduct additional, local events throughout April. For this reason, we invite teams to organize additional events throughout April based on their knowledge of local conditions. These can range anywhere from one-day BioBlitzes to longer collections over days or weeks.
If your team has more than one iNaturalist project page (for example, an outing for the Region-wide kick-off and a second outing in April), please send us the link(s) at nextgensd2012@gmail.com, with the subject line “Local Border BioBlitz event” so that we can compile the project pages in a larger collection.
If you would like to start a new team, please fill out this Google Form
Please check out our Team Leader Tutorials page for info and tutorials to set up your BioBlitz event!
Resources for team leaders such as posters and flyer templates, registration sheets, and tips are available in our Team Leader Toolkit!
Any questions? Please contact us at nextgensd2012@gmail.com!
