2018 Upper Delaware BioBlitz to return to the Gales Property

The Steering Committee of the Upper Delaware BioBlitz has decided to host the 2018 event on the Gales Property in Starlight, Wayne County, PA.

The event will begin on Friday, June 29th and continue through to Saturday, June 30th. The public is invited from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday, June 30th to see what has been collected, meet the scientists and amateur naturalists doing the work, and participate on walks or in workshops on the site.

It is on PA Rt. 191 at the junction of PA Rt. 370 about 1 mile south of Hancock NY. It is also at the junction of the East and West Branches of the Delaware River and just downstream of the Shehawken access in PA.

The Gales Property was also the site of the 2013 Upper Delaware BioBlitz, the first BioBlitz in the region and this will be the 4th event we have hosted overall. In 2013 the 9 teams of researchers collected 1,022 distinct species in 24 hours.

More information will be published here and on the BioBlitz Facebook page as it becomes available.

If you are interested in volunteering to help at the event or would like to donate to support the event please send an email to: info@upperdelawarebioblitz.com

Upper Delaware BioBlitz Steering Committee Calls for Site Nominations for Potential 2018 BioBlitz

The Upper Delaware BioBlitz Steering Committee is considering producing another BioBlitz in 2018. The date has not been determined but in keeping with past events will likely be at the end of June.

Key to a successful BioBlitz is finding the right site. For 2018 the Committee has decided to solicit nominations from the public. Important criteria include the biodiversity of the site, availability, meadows to place the event tents, parking, and accessibility. The event is self contained so other buildings and improvements are not required. For a complete list of site selection criteria and the site nomination form, download the 2018 Upper Delaware BioBlitz Site Selection Nominations pdf at this link.

Nominations are due December 8, 2017. The Committee will then arrange for brief site visits at viable sites and the site selected will be announced early in 2018.

2016 Upper Delaware BioBlitz at Ten Mile River Boy Scout Camp

The 2016 Upper Delaware BioBlitz was held on June 24th and 25th at the Ten Mile River Scout Camp (TMR) in Tusten Township, Sullivan County, New York, returning to the site of the 2014 Upper Delaware BioBlitz.

Over 60 renowned scientists and amateur naturalists comprised the 9 teams surveying the site. The biologists came from throughout the region including some people from Philadelphia, Harrisburg and New York City.

They identified 756 unique species in 24 hours.

The site encompassed a 500 acre plus stretch of the Camp from the Delaware River to and including Maul's Pond and Grassy Swamp Pond. The center of activities was at the head of Rock Lake on Cochecton Turnpike.

The public portion of the event was on Saturday, June 25th from 9am to 3pm. There were activities for children and their families including nature walks for birds, fungi and native plants, as well as other demonstrations of scientific work and programs. A workshop on nature photography was held featuring 4 renowned local nature photographers. A scientific illustration workshop helped people learn to make technically detailed drawings of specimens they found in nature. For more information check out The 2016 Event page.

Here are the 2016 results of species identified by team:

The Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River unit of the NPS was the lead sponsor in 2016 and the Delaware Highlands Conservancy was the fiscal sponsor. The Greater New York Council of the Boy Scouts of America, who own and manage TMR, heartily supported the event.

For more information about 2016 BioBlitz sponsors and volunteers check out the About page of this site.

2014 Upper Delaware BioBlitz

The 2014 Upper Delaware BioBlitz was held on Saturday, June 28th and Sunday, June 29th at the confluence of the Delaware River and Ten Mile River on the Boy Scouts of America, Greater New York Councils, Ten Mile River Scout Camp.

Over 60 renowned scientists and amateur naturalists comprised the 9 teams surveying the site. They identified 884 unique species including 123 "first occurrences", species never before identified with the data publicly accessible, in Sullivan County.

The site encompassed a 500 acre plus stretch of the Camp from the Delaware River to and including Maul's Pond and Grassy Swamp Pond. The center of activities was at the head of Rock Lake on Cochecton Turnpike.

The public portion of the event was on Sunday, June 29th from 9am to 3pm. There were activities for children and their families including nature walks, demonstrations and programs.

Here are the 2014 results of species identified by team:

2013 Upper Delaware BioBlitz

To highlight the biodiversity of the Upper Delaware River watershed and, in particular, the portion of the watershed in Starlight, Wayne County, PA, we held a BioBlitz event June 28-29, 2013. It was held on the 63.5 acre Gales Property owned by the Norcross Wildlife Foundation

The teams assembled on the site at 12 Noon on Friday, June 28th, collected specimens, camped on site, and continued collecting until 12 noon the following Saturday.

On Saturday, June 29th from 9 AM till 3 PM, the public was invited to view the collected specimens, talk to the experts, and learn about the biodiversity of the target site.

Over 50 scientists and amateur naturalists from all over Pennsylvania and New York participated in the BioBlitz. More than 25 volunteers helped run the event. 200 visitors came to see what the teams had collected, participate in programs and tours of the site.

The final results are that 1,022 distinct species were collected and identified.

The complete report and results are available on the Science page of this site.

Here are the results of species identified by team: