The Berkshire Bioblitz

September 28th, 2018

On the second Log Lunch of the academic year, Drew Jones of Hopkins Memorial Forest introduced the event that would be happening there the coming weekend: the Berkshire Bioblitz.

(from left) Drew Jones, David McGowan, Elizabeth Orenstein, Eric Doucette

Eric Doucette of MCLA,  Elizabeth Orenstein of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), and David McGowen of the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation (WRLF) gave a brief overview of what a bioblitz is, and why it is important.

A bioblitz is a 24-hour long survey of biological life in a place. Scientists may have an agenda on what they look for in particular at a given bioblitz. Everyone gathers every species they can find and then expects sort them into taxonomic groups. Bioblitzes provide useful information about how other species are using land, so organizations like WRF can plan for the coexistence of all beings.

—Jane Tekin, ’19