In the early hours of a Saturday morning in spring, a group of Fremont citizens armed with binoculars and field guides were alert and quiet, listening intently to the chorus of birds and scribbling on their notepads. “Hermit thrush. Scarlet Tanager. Chickadee. Wait! Was that a pileated woodpecker?”. A short distance away another group huddled over a small flower, riffling through a field guide to identify it. A third group was on the hunt for reptiles, amphibians, mammals and insects. This was the start of Fremont’s “BioBlitz”, a fun and informative half-day event involving three teams of interested residents exploring a town-owned property, recording all the plant and animal species they could identify in the space of a few hours.
Pileated woodpecker
The three teams of volunteers were led by experts from UNH Cooperative Extension and Bear-Paw Regional Greenways. Moving in different directions, each team scoured the property for wildlife and plant species. By the end of the May 2011 event, the group had tallied 256 species! The Fremont Bio Blitz was organized to add data to the baseline information in the management plan written for the property. In addition, other volunteers unable to attend the event that day reported their findings from the week before and after the event. The Bioblitz was a good way to involve residents in an engaging and fun outdoor activity and at the same time collect helpful data. The Taking Action for Wildlife team worked with Fremont to help them plan and conduct the Bioblitz.
Take a look at the Fremont Bioblitz Report
