VIU Biology Professor Eric Demers (second from right) is an expert researcher in ecology and the environment, including bird ecology. He volunteered his time and bird spotting scope at BioBlitz to help the teams of participants identify shore birds.
April 25, 2016 - 2:00pm
Weekend BioBlitz engages community to build long-term species database
More than 80 people scoured the grounds at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Milner Gardens and Woodlands to record as many species as possible during the first annual Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region BioBlitz. The goal was to create a database that, over time, will provide useful baseline information that researchers can use to better understand how the species diversity that exists within the region changes over time.
The April 17 BioBlitz was made possible thanks to the efforts of VIU’s Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI) and a group of students from a variety of VIU departments including Forestry; Recreation and Tourism Management; Community Planning; Geographic Information Systems and Geography. Dedicated to building and sharing knowledge about the UNESCO-designated Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region, MABRRI created the BioBlitz event as a way of engaging community at multiple levels.
“The BioBlitz was tons of fun and a great success. Our team of students had been planning the event since February, so it was exciting for all of us to see such positive results from those efforts,” said MABRRI research coordinator Graham Sakaki.
“We had more than 80 people at Milner Gardens for the event and throughout the day managed to survey seven different locations within the property. Over the next couple of weeks, the team will be combining all of the species lists that were collected and posting the final results of the BioBlitz on the MABRRI website.”
Billed as a citizen-science event, community members, VIU students and experts came together to identify plant and bird species in the area. Monica Shore is coordinator for the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR). She said they couldn’t have asked for a better turn out for their first event.
“What was most exciting to me was to see so many new faces and to meet people who had never attended a MABR or MABRRI-related event. Many had never been to Milner Gardens and Woodlands before,” said Shore.
“We’re constantly trying to reach new audiences – people who live or work in the biosphere region – and to find a meaningful way to connect them with nature. The BioBlitz was a perfect mix of all we aim to do: community engagement, research, connecting people and building an appreciation for the land. This event did it all and we’re already looking forward to making next year’s BioBlitz bigger and better.”
People of all ages joined in the fun and when they got stumped, there were seven experts on site to assist with identification. Four were VIU professors, three were VIU alumni and all volunteered their time to help out.
Milner Gardens and Woodlands Executive Director Geoff Ball says he was pleased with the event. “We’d been wanting to capture an inventory of species that lie outside of the ornamental gardens for some time, and it was great to see the enthusiasm of the community participants.”
“Educating the public is part of our mandate at Milner and it’s exciting to see partnerships develop between VIU student researchers and the community. We are looking forward to next year’s BioBlitz and to seeing the data that will result from this first event.”
To learn more about MABRRI go to their website at: mabrri.viu.ca/home
For more information and to check out upcoming events at Milner Gardens and Woodlands go to: www.viu.ca/milnergardens/
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Dane Gibson, Communications Officer, Vancouver Island University
P: 250.740.6288 | E: Communications@viu.ca T: #viunews
Tags: Research
