Calendar of Events
Sustainability at Purchase

2024 BioBlitz

August 28, 2024

Open gallery

A group of students standing in a shaded area on the outskirts of a forest
Forest Expedition to Blind Brook Forest Restoration Plot; Friday September 6th

Grace Afflerbach
Sustainability Coordinator

Purchase College will be hosting its second annual BioBlitz on September 6th and 7th.

What is a BioBlitz? National Geographic defines it  as “an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time.” We are focused on just 48 hours and want to document every living organism on campus! Having this data helps us understand the rich biodiversity of our campus.

How Can I Participate?

We are planning on using iNaturalist again this year to document every species. This app allows every individual to log observations of anything they can take a photo of. Read more about how iNaturalist works and how to set up an account.

Last year during our first BioBlitz, 35 participants logged 317 different species and made 911 observations during the 48 hour period, including 176 plant species, 66 insect species, 32 fungi species, 13 arachnid species, nine bird species, four mammal species, and two amphibian species.

We hope to top that record this year! Keep checking back on our 2024 BioBlitz iNaturalist page to see the progress!

Schedule of Events:

Dr. Allyson Jackson will be hosting an iNaturalist Overview info session on Friday, September 6th at 9AM in the Native Plant Garden. There will then be 5 different expeditions throughout the campus led by subject matter experts on Friday and Saturday:

  1. Freshwater Expedition to Alumni Woods; Friday September 6th, 10AM-11:30AM
    1. Meeting Location:  Alumni Village Parking Area near the forest
    2. Dr. Ebbs of the Biology department will be leading a freshwater expedition to explore the pools and streams of the Alumni Woods with particular focus on snails (one of her study species). Enjoy documenting all the critters in the pond and other species found in the forest as well. This expedition involves a relatively short walk over uneven terrain. Please RSVP to erika.ebbs@purchase.edu if you would like to attend this expedition.
  2. Forest Expedition to Blind Brook Forest Restoration Plot; Friday September 6th, 3PM-6PM
    1. Meeting Location: East 1 Parking Lot
    2. Dr. Jackson of the Environmental Studies department, along with Dr. Linda Rachele Burke (Environmental Scientist and Broadview resident) will lead an expedition to our amazing old growth forest along Blind Brook with particular attention to plants and invertebrates. You will need to be able to hike approximately 2 miles over uneven terrain, long pants and boots are highly encouraged to avoid ticks and poison ivy. Please RSVP to allyson.jackson@purchase.edu if you would like to attend this expedition.
  3. Nighthawk Watch Expedition at the Broadview Hill; Friday September 6th, 6:15PM
    1. Meeting Location: Base of Broadview Hill
    2. Professor Emeritus of Literature Lee Schlesinger will lead the first Broadview BioBlitz Expedition to look for plants, insects, and maybe even Nighthawks! This area is paved and ADA accessible. Please RSVP to lee.schlesinger@purchase.edu if you would like to attend this expedition.
  4. Birding Expedition; Saturday September 7th, 8AM
    1. Meeting Location: Base of Broadview Hill
    2. Professor Emeritus of Literature Lee Schlesinger will lead the group on a birding expedition while also observing plants and insects of interest. Walk will cover parts of the athletic fields and behind the gym and wherever the birds are, so come prepared to walk. Lee will likely bird all morning but you are welcome to stay as long or as short as you want. Please RSVP to lee.schlesinger@purchase.edu if you would like to attend this expedition.
  5. Forest Expedition to Alumni Woods; Saturday September 7th 12PM-2PM
    1. Meeting Location: Central 5 Parking Lot
    2. Dr. Jackson of the Environmental Studies department, along with Dr. Linda Rachele Burke (Environmental Scientist and Broadview resident) will lead an expedition to the Alumni Woods, another portion of old growth forest on our campus. Attention will be paid to forest plants and invertebrates, but it’s common to find frogs and mammals in this area. This expedition requires an approximately 1 mile hike along uneven terrain. Please RSVP to allyson.jackson@purchase.edu if you would like to attend this expedition.

Can’t make any of these expeditions? Contribute iNaturalist observations anywhere on campus anytime during this two day period and they will count toward the BioBlitz. This event is open to anyone and anything you observe is worth contributing! Just make sure you get a photo and upload it to iNaturalist.

What to do in case it rains: We will not be holding expeditions if there is heavy rain.  Each expedition leader will make the decision themselves, so some may happen while others get cancelled. Contact the expedition leader if you are unsure about weather.