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BRASS organized its first BioBlitz event on the 9th and 10th of July, 2004. Naturalists and scientists combed through a mile of river and shoreline near Steele Woods Road and Brainerd's Forge Roads trying to identify as many different living species as possible within a 24-hour period of time.
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Preparing to electrofish Left to right: Dennis Kalma, Anita Deming, Mary Lugalbo, David Nettles |
The event allowed BRASS to catalogue the diversity of plants and animals along a particular stretch of the Boquet River at the beginning of July, and to let local residents know that biodiversity is not just in rainforests or special wildlife refuge areas. It is right here in our watershed. All life is interconnected, and when rivers connect with the surrounding landscape an incredible variety of plants and animals is possible. The greater the diversity, the better the relative health of the ecosystem.
Why find out what species are present?
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| Janet Mihuc looks to see what insects she has collected | Tim Mihuc uses a microscope for identification of macroinvertebrates |
A list of the species we found can bee seen at this link.
The area selected for the BioBlitz was a mile long boulder and cobble-strewn section of the river running through coniferous and deciduous forests, with occasional breaks for downstream farm fields. State land, of 100-foot width lies on both sides of the river. Some adjoining property owners are also permitting access.
The elevation at this point is 425' and the UTM/NAD coordinates are: Section 18 E = 0618177, N = 4900545
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Map of the BioBlitz Area |
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Aerial Photograph of the BioBlitz Area |
A reprint of a newspaper article about the bioblitz can be seen at this link.
funded in part by
the Lake Champlain Basin Program
and
the Lake Champlain Chapter of Trout Unlimited
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