Rocky Mountain National Park BioBlitz Reaches New Heights

ESTES PARK, Colo. (Aug. 28, 2012)—After two days of exploration and documentation, the Rocky Mountain National Park BioBlitz held on Aug. 24 and 25, 2012, captured a vivid snapshot of the plants and animal diversity in the Rocky Mountains. Led by nearly 200 scientists from around the country, thousands of amateur explorers, families and schoolchildren conducted an inventory of the plants, insects, mammals, birds and other creatures that inhabit the majestic park and found several species not previously documented in the park. A companion festival at the Estes Park Fairgrounds celebrated biodiversity. The Rocky Mountain National Park BioBlitz and Biodiversity Festival coincided with the National Park Service’s 96th birthday on Aug. 25.

Highlights:

More than 5,000 people, including more than 2,000 schoolchildren, participated in the BioBlitz and the concurrent Biodiversity Festival.The initial scientific species count as of the 4 p.m. closing ceremony Saturday was 489, but a passing bald eagle during the ceremony raised the count to 490. Organizers expect the number to increase significantly over the next few months as state-of-the-art testing of the collected samples continues.The two-day, 24-hour (noon-to-noon) inventory added species to the already well-documented park’s species list. They tentatively included a lizard, nine insects and 13 nonvascular plants. Researchers are verifying these possible new records for the park. The big brown bat species was officially confirmed at BioBlitz 2012.In addition to scientific discovery, the 2012 BioBlitz focused on personal discovery and understanding the park in new ways. For a group of fourth graders from a Denver school, it was the ultimate field trip and the first time in a national park for most of the students.National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis participated in the BioBlitz, working side-by-side with students exploring meadow and alpine tundra ecosystems. The BioBlitz coincided with the release of “Revisiting Leopold:  Resource Stewardship in the National Parks.” This is a report that revisits the 1963 Leopold Report, which has been guiding Park Service management of natural resources for 50 years.The Biodiversity Festival included a wide variety of music, nature-inspired activities, photography workshops, talks, art, live animal demonstrations and hands-on science activities. The festival emphasized biodiversity and encouraged the public to do its part to protect the environment. Many visitors interacted with representatives of science, nature and environmental organizations at more than 45 booths.An integrated art program at the festival included flags featuring local species, made by local and visiting artists and schoolchildren. Festival participants were invited to do art on site, including “create a creature” and participating in a watercolor class led by a 9-year-old artist-in-residence.

The BioBlitz was part scientific endeavor, part festival and part outdoor classroom. Participants combed the park, observing and recording as many plant and animal species as possible in 24 hours. Activities included counting elk, catching insects, spotting birds, exploring and examining aquatic invertebrates and using technology to better understand the diverse ecosystems of this unique park.

“This was a fantastic opportunity for the public to meet and work with scientists and to understand and appreciate what makes Rocky Mountain National Park such a special and biologically rich place,” said Vaughn Baker, Rocky Mountain National Park superintendent. “For many people, especially schoolchildren, this was their first visit to the park, and it was exciting to have them experience it with amazing scientists and naturalists as their guides.”

“Watching scientists, students and the general public in the field exploring and making discoveries put a smile on my face,” said John Francis, National Geographic’s vice president for Research, Conservation and Exploration. “Scientists joined students and residents from the surrounding communities and celebrated their unique roles as members of the natural systems where they live. It was also exciting to see new technology and smartphone apps being used in the field to document and identify species finds.”

Rocky Mountain National Park was the sixth in a series of 10 annual BioBlitzes to be hosted by National Geographic and the National Park Service, leading up to the Park Service’s centennial in 2016. During closing ceremonies the BioBlitz flag was passed to Carol Clark, superintendent of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, where the seventh BioBlitz will take place May 17-18, 2013.

The first BioBlitz was held at Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., in 2007; the second took place at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California in 2008. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was the site of the third BioBlitz in 2009; Biscayne National Park, just outside Miami, was the 2010 site; and Saguaro National Park in Tucson hosted the 2011 BioBlitz.

The Rocky Mountain National Park BioBlitz was made possible through the generous support of foundations and corporations. Through National Geographic’s partnership efforts, the 2012 presenting sponsors were Verizon Wireless and GEICO. Additional corporate and foundation support came from Southwest Airlines and the Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation.

National Geographic has had a close relationship with the National Park Service since the Service’s inception; the Society helped draft legislation to establish the Service in 1916. National Geographic has given grants to establish or sustain national parks and has extensively covered the parks in its media for nearly a century.

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Media Opportunities — BioBlitz in Rocky Mountain National Park

Visitor watching bull elk. NPS photo by John Marino

When:  Friday, Aug. 24, 2012, at 11:30 a.m.

Where:  Meet at Estes Park Fairgrounds, then travel to Rocky Mountain National Park

What:  On Friday, Aug. 24, at 11:30 a.m. media are invited to attend the opening ceremony of the BioBlitz at the Stanley Park Fairgrounds in Estes Park at 1209 Manford Avenue. Director of the National Park Service Jonathan B. Jarvis,  Chairman and CEO of the National Geographic Society John Fahey, Superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park Vaughn Baker and National Geographic Emerging Explorer Juan Martinez will make brief remarks to celebrate biodiversity and the importance of connecting young people to science and nature.

At noon media will board a bus with the National Park Service director and others to participate in a BioBlitz site in Rocky Mountain National Park with schoolchildren and scientists. Media will need to go by bus, as parking is limited at the site. If there is interest and if time allows, there will be an option to travel to the alpine tundra with the director to highlight other aspects of the BioBlitz and additional National Park Service activities.

Please R.S.V.P. by noon, Thursday, Aug. 23, to Kyle Patterson, Rocky Mountain National Park Public Information Officer, at (970) 586-1363 or Kyle_Patterson@nps.gov if you plan to attend, as seating is limited.

Background:

Rocky Mountain National Park boasts one of the most expansive areas of alpine tundra in the United States as well as beautiful forests and mountain meadows. To better understand, appreciate and protect this national treasure, the National Park Service and National Geographic Society are teaming up to host a 24-hour BioBlitz species count and a two-day Biodiversity Festival, Aug. 24-25, 2012.

Part scientific endeavor, part festival and part outdoor classroom, the Rocky Mountain National Park BioBlitz will bring together 200 leading scientists and naturalists from around the country, thousands of local citizens of all ages and hundreds of students. Students are coming from as far away as Arizona and Costa Rica. Together they will explore the park, observing and recording as many plant and animal species as possible in 24 hours. Inventory activities include counting elk, catching insects, spotting birds, exploring and examining aquatic invertebrates and using technology to better understand the diverse ecosystems of this unique national park.

In this extraordinary experience open to the public, participants are invited to work with experts to count, map and learn about the park’s diverse organisms, ranging from microscopic bacteria to towering pines.

In addition to the BioBlitz inside Rocky Mountain National Park a Biodiversity Festival will be taking place at the Stanley Park Fairgrounds in Estes Park. This free, family-oriented festival will be celebrating biodiversity with over 40 exhibits featuring music, live animals, science demonstrations, hands-on activities provided by prominent science and environmental organizations, food and art. The goal: to connect children and families to science and nature.

Adding more cause to celebrate, the Rocky Mountain National Park BioBlitz coincides with the National Park Service’s 96th birthday on Aug. 25. This is the sixth in a series of 10 BioBlitzes throughout the country leading up to the centennial of the National Park Service in 2016. Rocky Mountain National Park will turn 100 a year earlier, in 2015.

Through National Geographic’s partnership efforts, the 2012 presenting sponsors are Verizon and GEICO. Additional support comes from Southwest Airlines and the Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation.

Further information will be provided at the event.

If interested, additional opportunities can be made available for the media on Saturday, Aug. 25.

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Rocky Mountain National Park Bioblitz: Taking Stock Of The Continental Divide & Celebrating Biodiversity, Aug. 24-25, 2012

ESTES PARK, Colo. (July 18, 2012)—Rocky Mountain National Park boasts one of the most expansive areas of alpine terrain in the United States as well as beautiful forests and mountain meadows. To better understand, appreciate and protect this national treasure, the National Park Service and National Geographic Society are teaming up to host a 24-hour BioBlitz species count and a two-day Biodiversity Festival, Aug. 24-25, 2012.

Part scientific endeavor, part festival and part outdoor classroom, the BioBlitz will bring together 200 leading scientists and naturalists from around the country, thousands of local citizens of all ages and nearly 1,000 students from around the state. Together they will comb the park, observing and recording as many plant and animal species as possible in 24 hours. Inventory activities include counting elk, catching insects, spotting birds, exploring and examining aquatic invertebrates and using technology to better understand the diverse ecosystems of this unique national park.

In this extraordinary experience open to the public, participants are invited to work with experts to count, map and learn about the park’s diverse organisms, ranging from microscopic bacteria to towering pines. To be part of an inventory team, you must register online beginning Wednesday, July 25. While children ages 8 and older may participate in inventory teams with their parents, there will also be age-appropriate activities for younger kids at the Biodiversity Festival to be held at the Estes Park Fairgrounds, 1209 Manford Avenue.

The Biodiversity Festival, which will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24 and 25, will feature music, live animals, science demonstrations, hands-on activities provided by prominent science and environmental organizations, food and art. This free event is open to “explorers” of all ages. Members of the public can even “graduate” from Biodiversity University by participating in select activities. No registration is required for the festival. For a schedule of events, go to www.nationalgeographic.com/bioblitz.

National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis, who is scheduled to attend, said, “The BioBlitz offers each of us, especially young people, the opportunity to discover and connect to nature.  I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the National Park Service’s 96th birthday on Aug. 25!”

Rocky Mountain National Park Superintendent Vaughn Baker said, “This will be a great family event, and we invite everyone who knows Rocky, or wants to know the park better, to get involved. There is amazing biodiversity that exists within the park and in our own backyards. We hope locals and visitors will participate in this one-of-a-kind opportunity to connect even deeper with this special place.”

“We expect to reach new heights at Rocky,” said John Francis, National Geographic’s vice president of Research, Conservation and Exploration. “We will have leading scientists from around the country and the region to help citizens explore the park like never before. One of our BioBlitz scientists, Dr. William Miller, just published about a new species he discovered at the Biscayne BioBlitz in 2010. We look forward to working with Dr. Miller, other amazing scientists and the public to make new discoveries — personal and perhaps scientific — and appreciate the rich biodiversity in the park and our own backyards.”

The Rocky Mountain National Park BioBlitz has been made possible through the generous support of foundations and corporations. Through National Geographic’s partnership efforts, the 2012 presenting sponsors are Verizon Wireless and GEICO. Additional corporate and foundation support comes from Southwest Airlines and the Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation.

National Geographic has had a close relationship with the National Park Service since it helped draft legislation to establish the Service in 1916. National Geographic has given grants to establish or sustain national parks and has extensively covered the parks in its media for nearly a century. The Rocky Mountain National Park BioBlitz is part of the organizations’ latest joint venture. It is the sixth of 10 annual BioBlitzes that will be held at national park units around the country, leading up to the National Park Service’s centennial in 2016. The first annual BioBlitz took place in 2007 at Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. The others have been at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California in 2008; Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in 2009; Biscayne National Park in Florida in 2010; and Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Ariz., in 2011. Smaller-scale events throughout the year happen at various national parks across the country, and information about these can be found at http://nature.nps.gov/biology/biodiversity/docs/BiodiversityDiscovery.pdf.

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