Day 1: WELL DONE BOSTON AREA!!! + Saturday Schedules

WOW!!! We are crushing it, Boston. Throughout the day we've been in 2nd - 6th place out of 65 cities, even with a very rainy afternoon. We have already well surpassed participation from last year with 309 observers today, and almost met our total number of observations from last year in just one day!

So, keep up the amazing work and look forward to some much better weather tomorrow (Saturday). There are 18 scheduled events tomorrow across the region, listed below. Join one of these organized events, or go on adventure with your favorite people!

Saturday Schedule

ALL DAY - Mass Audubon Volunteer Day
Spend the morning helping wildlife sanctuaries with habitat restoration, garden maintenance or clean-ups, all the while adding to wildlife sightings for the City Nature Challenge.
Full Details

7:00-8:00am - Franklin Park Bird Walk at Scarboro Pond
Ed O’Brien, Assistant Curator of Bird’s World at Franklin Park Zoo, will lead this walk, with a focus on birds. Meet at Scarboro Pond in Franklin Park. Dress for a walk in the woods with long pants and sturdy hiking shoes.
Register on the Franklin Park Zoo Website.

8:00-9:00am - Guided Tour: Let's Go Birding
Location: Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130
This event is open to all ages, and you’ll need a smartphone with a camera to participate in the citizen science portion. All necessary iNaturalist training will be provided.

8:30-11:30am - Fresh Pond Reservation Earthwatch Bioblitz
Join Earthwatch scientists for our kickoff event for the Boston Area City Nature Challenge at Fresh Pond in Cambridge, MA! Drs. Stan Rullman and Mark Chandler will guide us through an exploration of the urban wildlife of Fresh Pond Reservation’s Black’s Nook and Lusitania Meadow.
Schedule of Events

• 8:30–9:00 a.m.: Meet in front of Cambridge Water Department for an Earthwatch meet and greet! Learn about the CNC with other Earthwatch volunteers and staff.
• 9:30–10:15 a.m.: Meet at Lusitania Meadow for a nature walk led by local naturalists.
• 10:00–11:00 a.m.: Meet at Alewife Pond for a nature walk led by Earthwatch Research Director Dr. Stan Rullman.
• 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Meet at Black's Nook Pond for a nature walk led by local naturalists.

9:00am - 2:30pm - Boston Harbor Islands Spectacle Island Bioblitz (FULL)

10:00am - 12:00pm - Beverly Commons Conservation Area Exploration
Location: Explore Beverly Commons! Meet at the entrance near Glen Urquhart on Farms Lane, Beverly MA

10:00am -11:00am - Franklin Park Bugs and Fungi at Shattuck Picnic Area
Location: Meet at Shattuck picnic area
Jef Taylor, Senior Keeper at Franklin Park Zoo, will lead a bug and fungi walk using the iNaturalist app. Dress for a walk in the woods with long pants and sturdy hiking shoes.
Register on the Franklin Park Zoo Website.

12:00-3:00pm - Wright Farm Spring Celebration
Location: 241 Grove St, Lexington, MA 02420, USA
Celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day at Lexington's newest Conservation property! Plenty of activities and displays for the whole family. Parking at Wright Farm is limited at present. Please carpool, bike, or walk if that is feasible. Parking is allowed on Carriage Drive.

1:00-4:00pm - Canoe River Wilderness Bioblitz
Location: Parking and Meeting area is at the Greeley’s Pond access road to the rear of #7 East St in Foxborough
Join Pare Corporation for the iNaturalist 2018 City Nature Challenge as we explore and document the biodiversity of the Canoe River Wilderness Area. Open to nature lovers of all ages and experience levels!
Register here

1:00-3:00pm - A Walk Through Central Woodland, Arnold Arboretum
Location: Meet at the intersection of Conifer Path and Valley Road
Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130
Ready to explore the Arboretum’s wild side? Join us for a walk through Central Woodland, one of the Arboretum’s minimally maintained natural areas, and learn about the history and ecology of these often-overlooked “urban wilds”. We’ll see traces of New England history and glimpses of the future among remnant native plants and encroaching invaders. This event is open to guests of all ages, and you’ll need a smartphone with a camera to participate in the citizen science portion.

1:00-3:00pm - Bioblitz with Friends of Lynn Woods
Location: Lynn Woods, 106 Pennybrook Rd, Lynn, MA 01905. Meet at the Penny Brook Entrance.
We will be taking pictures of as many different types of animals, insects, plants, and fungi as we can find. A cell phone camera is fine but optional, and no special knowledge required.

1:00-2:30pm - Mass Audubon Boston Nature Center Bioblitz!
Location: Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 500 Walk Hill St, Mattapan, MA 02126
Explore a beautiful urban wildlife sanctuary as we attempt to identify as many plant and animal species on the sanctuary as we can. We will learn about how scientists sample, and use field guides to identify the living things that call BNC home. Register Here

1:30-3:00pm - Kids, Bugs, Art: Make a Bee!
Location: Magazine Beach, Cambridge, MA 02139
We're providing supplies and guidance to make Bumble Bee (Bombus spp.) hand puppets for older kids (approx. 2nd grade and up; kids at the younger end of this range may need help from a parent or one of our Art Guide volunteers)

2:00-3:00pm - Franklin Park Salamanders and Aquatic Invertebrates at the Ellicott Arch
Location: Franklin Park - Meet at Ellicott Arch
Joseph Martinez, from the Herpetology Department at Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology, will lead this walk, primarily focusing on salamanders and aquatic invertebrates. Dress for a walk in the woods with long pants and sturdy hiking shoes.
Register on the Franklin Park Zoo Website.

3:00-6:00pm - Swampscott Town-wide Bioblitz
Location: Swampscott Citizen Science Teens will be at Harold King Town Forest (1 Nichols Street), Eiseman's / New Ocean House Beach, and the Middle School Recreation Area.

Join the Swampscott Citizen Science Teens and Girl Scouts of Ocean Bay to document the species that live in Swampscott by participating in a town-wide BioBlitz. Help support Conservation Commission in documenting our town's biodiversity. No experience necessary. Bring a digital camera or smart phone (with iNaturalist installed).

3:00-5:00pm - Niles Beach Cleanup and Bioblitz
Location: Niles Beach, Gloucester, MA 01930, USA (map)
Join Encyclopedia of Life and Kestrel Educational Adventures for a fun biodiversity survey and trash cleanup at Niles Beach as part of the City Nature Challenge: Boston Area. Part Science - Part Stewardship! Help us comb the beach for shells, explore the tidepools, look at plankton under microscopes, even snorkel in the eelgrass beds if you're feeling brave!

3:00-4:00pm - Franklin Park Reptiles and Amphibians at Scarboro Pond
Location: Meet at Scarboro Pond, Franklin Park.
Joseph Martinez will lead this walk, primarily focusing on reptiles and amphibians. Participants should come prepared to walk in the woods and should dress accordingly by wearing long pants and sturdy walking shoes. Register on the Franklin Park Zoo Website.

4:30-5:30pm - Shoreline Nature Walk, Orchard Beach, Squantum
Location: Orchard Beach, Squantum. Meet at intersection of Huckins Ave. and Bayside Rd., Quincy
Lead by Peter Fifield, this Environmental Treasures program will follow the comprehensive oyster protocol at the beginning. Then, people will be free to do some casual observations. Peter will wander around helping people and bringing them to areas where they may find more exotic shells and other interesting things. Rubber boots and gloves recommended.

Posted on April 28, 2018 02:43 AM by alorenz