ESLT's Land and Legacy Celebration: Bio Blitz!

Eastern Sierra Land Trust is inviting you to participate in collecting scientific observations in a Citizen Science BioBlitz event! We are excited to get onto the land with you as part of our 21st Anniversary Lands & Legacy Celebration.

A BioBlitz is a community science event that brings together people of all ages to observe nature. It’s kind of like a flash mob for identifying and counting species. Community members get together outside and use iNaturalist to document the plants, birds, insects, reptiles, and other life that they find. BioBlitzes can contribute useful data that scientists can learn from. They are also a fun opportunity for our community to come together and learn about nature. 

This BioBlitz has an in-person and DIY option. ESLT will have an in-person event on Saturday, August 21st from 8am-10am. We will meet at the Bishop Paiute Reservation Conservation Open Space Area (COSA). The COSA is 24.8 acres of wetlands and walking paths that have been set aside by the Bishop Paiute Tribe for conservation, learning, recreation and science. There is plenty of parking next to the Bishop BLM and National Forest offices behind the DMV. We will meet by the gate to the COSA at the back of the parking area (North end). There are no restrooms in the COSA, but there is a gas station with facilities close to our meeting spot. Coffee and pastries will be provided.

If you can’t join us in Bishop that morning, you can still join in the fun with ESLT’s DIY Backyard BioBlitz! Get outside on your own and record your observations. Whether you’re in your backyard or the backcountry, we want to know what you find.

For both the In-Person COSA BioBlitz and the DIY Backyard BioBlitz, you will need to make an account with iNaturalist. Don’t worry– you won’t need to identify all of your observations! The great thing about iNaturalist is that it’s an online community of scientists and nature lovers. Other users (as well as the app) can help you ID your finds!

Two ways you can use iNaturalist are:

1.    Using a smartphone to download the app, take photos of the organism, and upload instantly to the “2022 ESLT BioBlitz”. Your phone can record location and time.

2.    Using a camera to take photos, and then uploading the photos to your iNaturalist profile and the “2022 ESLT BioBlitz” project. Bring a notebook to write down metadata including location and time.