Applied Science
Life's a Blitz!
What's In Our Backyard
"Everything in life is speaking in spite of it's apparent silence." – Hazrat Inayat Khan
"The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written these books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. But the child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of books--a mysterious order which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects." – Albert Einstein
By Chris Brunson
Looking over the small scars on a water snake - Susan Herrick of UConn Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Storrs, with Josh Mrozowski of Middletown, at the BioBlitz. Life is diverse. Change is inevitable and the best laid plans of mice and men still have to contend with Mother Nature.
For the 2007 BioBlitz held in Middletown, Conn., the skies were grey and it rained like the dickens. This did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm and learning going on between scientists gathering life forms with "junior scientists" - students from the community and around the state, slogging through trails and swamps and tromping across trap rock ridges.
Learn they did. The BioBlitz is a sort of marathon for scientists and students. Here's the goal: Find and identify as many species
in a set group of locations and tally the results. In 24 hours. Period.
From the regal peregrine falcon to parasites, tiny mites, fluttering moths and butterflies to more reclusive snakes and nocturnal species such as bats, groups fanned out and worked side by side, shoulder to shoulder.
"This experience and interaction - seeing what scientists do - will be an life epiphany for one two or three of those students," said David Wagner, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut, and lead coordinator for the event. "That may be the spark to lead them on a path and a lifelong pursuit.
Dave Wagner, lead
coordinator of the Connecticut BioBlitz in his
element.Noteworthy finds include one mite, new to science, discovered by Cheol-Min Kim, an adjunct professor in the department of ecology and evolutionary biology who specializes in acarology, the study of the subgroup of arachnids that includes mites and ticks.
Also notable: peregrine falcon on the Arrigoni Bridge; mink and southern flying squirrel; Anna's Tiger Moth was discovered on a trap rock ridge north of Higby Mountain (the only colony known in the state); populations of two state-listed snakes (copperheads and ribbon snakes) on Middletown Reservoir lands.
The total tally of 2,231 increased over what was reported on Saturday afternoon at the close of the event (2,183) and may creep up a bit still with some analysis.
The numbers, Wagner stresses, are not as important as the magic that happens between people investigating their back yards and discovering life in its myriad forms.
There are other BioBlitzes around the country. For Connecticut in years past, sites include Danbury, Hartford, Norwich, Meriden and New London.
"People are getting more disconnected to the environment - at least in terms of the kids - and an event such as this is enormously important," said Wagner. "We want to encourage a closer connection to the natural world. That is better for all of us."
Base camp, Behind the Scenes
After the big weekend winds down is probably the wrong time to ask if Wagner wants to help organize and launch another BioBlitz. And yet.
"More than 300 people turned out despite the rain, it was a great mix. Now I have to put my life back together, and already people have volunteered to be repeat offenders - despite the fact that there was 5 to 10 times the work they thought," said Wagner, "That is the angle, where I want to go with this." He noted that the young campers showed human diversity in the range of attendees. "I was gratified at what I saw happening."
Wagner describes the event as "a shifting model, the quintessential discovery of species make it event that makes it possible to discover what exactly is pollinating our flowers, cleaning our waters, turning earth. More important is that his awareness of wildlife is happening with students who are the future stewards of our world."
To make such an event happen took a host of sponsors such as the City of Middletown, Pratt & Whitney, Wesleyan University, The Rockfall Foundation, University of Connecticut, UConn Center for Conservation & Biodiversity, the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, UConn’s Neag School of Education, and Middletown Public Schools; also 454 Life Sciences and many many others. (For a detailed list of the people and companies see below.)
Wesleyan faculty, staff and students helped with the planning and logistics and participated in field studies, interacting with a range of people and youth.
A notable addition this year is the Connecticut's authors program with an offering of books on display, notable is the new Connecticut Butterfly Atlas, the result of a five-year collaboration with the "primary goal of mapping the distribution of Connecticut butterfly species." It is a treasure. The Yale Peabody Museum’s Division of Entomology is the host website of the Connecticut Butterfly Atlas Project (CBAP).
Connecticut BioBlitz sponsors (volunteers' time is not included): City of Middletown, $7,000; Wesleyan University, $5,000; Pratt & Whitney, $5,000; University of Connecticut, (huge); The Rockfall Foundation$4,900; 454 Life Sciences considerable in-kind. Also ComCast, $2,500; Garden Club of America, $1,500; CT State Museum of Natural History, $1,250; Center for Conservation & Biodiversity,$1,000; Walmart , $1,000; NEAG School of Education, $1,000. Also, Jonah Center for Earth and Art, Snow School PTO, Middletown Schools Association, The Connection. Royal Printing, Cold Stone Creamery, Vanasse Hangen and Brustlin, Inc., Connecticut Environmental Review Team, Connecticut Rental, Cypress Grill.
