The internationally recognized Connecticut State BioBlitz will take place at the CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School, 337 East River Drive, East Hartford, CT. Everyone is invited to experience the BioBlitz’s public events on Saturday, June 4, 10 am to 3 pm.
The Connecticut State BioBlitz is part contest, part festival, part educational event, and part scientific endeavor. Over 180 scientists representing all branches of the tree of life will assemble from across 10 states and provinces in a race against time to count as many distinct species as possible. Connecticut will enjoy the greatest amassing of taxonomic expertise that has ever occurred in the State’s history. More than 200 BioBlitzes will be taking place across the country to celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016, and the Connecticut State BioBlitz will be the largest in the United States.
People of all ages are invited to come and see Connecticut’s rich plant and animal life on Saturday. Some of the featured activities include an interactive Caterpillar Lab/Insect Zoo, Guided Nature Walks, Hands-on Activities for Kids, Pond Exploration, iNaturalist Grassroots BioBlitz, Raptor (Bird) Rescue Program, interactions with BioBlitz Scientists, nine field guide authors autographing copies of their books, and more than 20 plant and wildlife exhibitors. Additionally, the Connecticut Sciences Center is offering half-price admission to the first 500 families to attend the 2016 CT State BioBlitz, with free shuttles running between the two venues.
The University of Connecticut's Center for Conservation and Biodiversity, State Museum of Natural History, and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department will be teaming up with the CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School, Connecticut Science Center, and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to organize the 2016 BioBlitz—made possible by a grant from the Richard P. Garmany Fund at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. For more information, visit http://web.uconn.edu/mnh/bioblitz/BioBlitz2016.html
For more information, contact: Natural History Museum at 860.486.4460