{"id":28558,"date":"2018-04-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-04-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.tarleton.edu\/news\/tarletons-first-ever-bioblitz-invites-the-public-to-become-citizen-scientists-for-a-day\/"},"modified":"2022-06-30T08:35:06","modified_gmt":"2022-06-30T14:35:06","slug":"tarletons-first-ever-bioblitz-invites-the-public-to-become-citizen-scientists-for-a-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/tarletons-first-ever-bioblitz-invites-the-public-to-become-citizen-scientists-for-a-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarleton’s first-ever BioBlitz invites the public to become ‘citizen scientists’ for a day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Become<\/a><\/p>\n

Become a Citizen Scientist with Tarleton WSES<\/p>\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
\nThursday, April 5, 2018<\/p>\n

STEPHENVILLE, Texas\u2014You don\u2019t always have to be a botanist or zoologist to contribute to science. Thanks to Tarleton State University\u2019s Department of Wildlife, Sustainability and Ecosystem Science (WSES), anyone can play the role of scientific observer.<\/p>\n

The WSES department will hold an intense, 12-hour biological survey in an effort to record all of the living species within Hunewell Ranch as part of its first annual BioBlitz from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 21.<\/p>\n

The community is invited to participate and explore the biodiversity surrounding them. To register as a volunteer for the event, visit www.tarleton.edu\/ecosciences<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hunewell Ranch, located at 4999 County Road 182 off of FM 205, eight miles east of Stephenville, encompasses approximately 1,170 acres and is used by Tarleton for a variety of educational endeavors. The property is also home to Tarleton\u2019s Observatory, a facility used by the university\u2019s Program for Astronomy and Research.<\/p>\n

For directions to Hunewell Ranch, go to https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/observatory\/map_observatory.html<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A BioBlitz, also known as a biological inventory or census, is a scientific survey focusing on discovering and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area during a short period of time. They occur every year in many locations around the globe and benefit the scientists who participate, the managers and caretakers of public lands and preserves\u2014and particularly, those who attend, allowing everyone to have a much better understanding of biodiversity.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we see continued loss of biodiversity around the world and close to home, citizen scientists will play a larger and larger role in nature conservation,\u201d said Dr. T. Wayne Schwertner, head of the WSES department. \u201cThey say you won\u2019t protect what you don\u2019t love, and you can\u2019t love what you don\u2019t understand. We are excited about this opportunity to host Tarleton\u2019s first BioBlitz, to connect people with nature and promote that understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Groups of experts, students, faculty and community volunteers will participate in the half-day survey, including representatives from Tarleton\u2019s chapters of the Fisheries Society, Entomological Society and Wildlife Society. The public is invited to attend\u2014whether as participants or interested citizen scientists who want to witness the gathering of biological diversity within Hunewell Ranch.<\/p>\n

All participants are encouraged to download the iNaturalist app for their smartphones prior to the event, said co-organizer Seth Hamby, WSES graduate assistant and president of the Prairie Oaks Master Naturalists Chapter. The app, available for free on Google Play for Android and Apple Store for iPhone, will be used to assist in documenting species during the BioBlitz.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event serves as an excellent opportunity for folks to become a citizen scientist,\u201d Hamby said. \u201cWhen you\u2019re out in the field, it\u2019s easier to see the many connections in the natural world. As we learn how to see even the tiniest of organisms during the BioBlitz, we begin a journey to try and make sense of those observations. I hope this event promotes a sense of wonder in participants to better understand the intricate and interconnected systems of the world around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several sessions are scheduled during the BioBlitz, each led by various Tarleton faculty and graduate students. Sessions are:<\/p>\n

\u2022 1st\u00a0iNaturalist Mini-Blitz, 9-11 a.m. \u2013 Small groups collect photographic documentation of species;<\/p>\n

\u2022 Herpetology Outing, 9-11 a.m. \u2013 Participants learn the basics of \u201cherping\u201d in a field setting;<\/p>\n

\u2022 Plant Walk, 11 a.m. \u2013 noon \u2013 Small groups learn the basis of plant identification;<\/p>\n

\u2022 Lunch, noon \u2013 1 p.m. \u2013 Hosted by the WSES Department;<\/p>\n

\u2022 Observatory Tours, 1-3 p.m. \u2013 Participants see the inner-workings of Tarleton\u2019s 32-inch reflecting telescope within the observatory dome;<\/p>\n

\u2022 2nd\u00a0iNaturalist Mini-Blitz, 1-3 p.m. \u2013 Small groups collect photographic documentation of species;<\/p>\n

\u2022 Fish Shocking, 3-4 p.m. \u2013 Participants learn the basics of fish shocking and identification in a field setting;<\/p>\n

\u2022 Aquatic Macroinvertebrates, 3-4 p.m. \u2013 Participants learn the basics for collecting these tiny organisms and identification procedures;<\/p>\n

\u2022 Algae and Diatoms, 3-4 p.m. \u2013 Participants learn the basics of algae and diatom collection in a field setting;<\/p>\n

\u2022 3rd\u00a0iNaturalist Mini-Blitz, 4:15-6:15 p.m. \u2013 Small groups collect photographic documentation of species;<\/p>\n

\u2022 4th\u00a0iNaturalist Mini-Blitz, 6:30-8:30 p.m. \u2013 Small groups collect photographic documentation of species;<\/p>\n

\u2022 Mothing Demonstration, 7:30-9 p.m. \u2013 Participants find and record moth species using a light and white backdrop; and<\/p>\n

\u2022 Closing and Data Entry, 8:30-9 p.m. \u2013 All observations are uploaded to iNaturalist.<\/p>\n

Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience, marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today\u2019s scholars into tomorrow\u2019s leaders. Offering degree programs in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online to more than 13,000 students, Tarleton engages with communities through real-world learning experiences to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.<\/p>\n

#<\/p>\n

Contact: Seth Hamby, Graduate Assistant – WSES
\n817-584-6192
\nseth.hamby@go.tarleton.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You don’t always have to be a botanist or zoologist to contribute to science. Thanks to Tarleton State University’s Department of Wildlife, Sustainability and Ecosystem Science (WSES), anyone can play the role of scientific observer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":28561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[423,424],"tags":[436,442],"class_list":["post-28558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics-research","category-arts-events","tag-college-of-agriculture-natural-resources","tag-community-events"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"keegan","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/keegan-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2021\/11\/image-1307-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Academics & Research<\/a>","Arts & Events<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Academics & Research<\/span>","Arts & Events<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["College of Agriculture & Natural Resources<\/a>","Community Events<\/a>"],"unlinked":["College of Agriculture & Natural Resources<\/span>","Community Events<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 8 years ago","modified":"Updated 4 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on April 5, 2018","modified":"Updated on June 30, 2022"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on April 5, 2018 12:00 am","modified":"Updated on June 30, 2022 8:35 am"},"featured_img_caption":"Bee on an orange flower in a grassy field.","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28558\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}