Come answer the call of the wild at the 2024 Sunshine Coast BioBlitz, running Oct. 19 to Nov. 1! Now, what on earth is a BioBlitz? A BioBlitz is a strategy of identifying as many species as possible in an area over a short period of time. It serves to create a biological inventory, providing insights to biodiversity and changes over time. In 2008, the Loon Foundation joined the global BioBlitz initiative and has organized a Sunshine Coast BioBlitz every year since. Part contest, part scientific enterprise, and part educational event, a BioBlitz brings together scientists, naturalists, and community members of all ages to record as many species from as many different taxonomic groups as they can.
Sunshine Coast community members are invited to participate in this year’s BioBlitz, anywhere between Earls Cove (sḵelh) and Langdale. Simply add iNaturalist onto a favourite mobile device and join the “19th Annual Loon Foundation Sunshine Coast Bioblitz” project within iNaturalist. Between Oct.19 and Nov. 1, community members can head out to their nearby open spaces and trails to snap photos and add observations to the BioBlitz project dataset. It’s great for personal curiosity and learning too. A past participant shared, “I love how the app helps me to identify the different plants, mushrooms, and critters I see and wonder about on my daily walks. It’s a wonderful way to get more familiar with our surrounding ecosystem!”
The Loon Foundation is hosting a series of events to support participation and knowledge sharing during this year’s BioBlitz. Events kick off at 10 a.m. on Oct. 19, in front of the EarthFair Store in Madeira Park (salalus). Loon Foundation staff will be available to share how to use the iNaturalist app and host visits to the near-by Iris Griffith Wetland to try out the app in real time. Additional guided walks are scheduled from Oct. 21 to 26, with themes of marshes, wild mushrooms, salmon, surf smelt, and shorebirds! loonfoundation.org/sunshine-coast-bioblitz has the complete schedule of events.
The Loon Foundation would like to thank all participants who join the event each year, contributing to the growth of this global dataset and supporting scientific research and conservation. More than 900 species in thousands of observations have been documented on the Sunshine Coast to date. Everyone is welcome to participate again in 2024, including classrooms, kids, and visitors to the area. Prizes are available for a Solo-Naturalist and a School Group of Naturalists with the most observations!
