Gulf Breeze — Gulf Islands National Seashore will host a BioBlitz at the Naval Live Oaks Area on Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event celebrating biodiversity is part of a larger effort coordinated by the National Park Service to celebrate the NPS Centennial. In addition to obtaining valuable species information, this is a tremendous opportunity to expose youth to hands-on science and resource stewardship.
The biodiversity festival begins at 10 a.m. and the first citizen scientist activity will begin at 10:15 a.m. All programs will end by 4:30 p.m. Parking will be available to all visitors at Gulf Breeze High School. Free shuttles will run between the high school and the event starting at 9:15 a.m. For more information or to register for an activity visit: www.nps.gov/guis/bioblitz.htm.
Participants must register online for free tickets to participate in the citizen scientist activities. Some of the activities include a raptor survey, osprey behavior, sea grass, marine and terrestrial invertebrate, birds, reptiles, animal tracks, and more. No registration is required for the biodiversity festival. Park Superintendent Dan Brown encourages visitors to explore the biodiversity festival and visit all of the booths to earn a prize.
The BioBlitz provides visitors an opportunity to inventory the plants, animals, and other organisms that live in a park. Participants engage in scientific activities including observing, recording and documenting living things in a short period of time. Participants gain greater awareness and understanding of the biodiversity of an area.
About Gulf Islands National Seashore — Created in 1971, the national seashore stretches 160 miles along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and Mississippi, and includes barrier islands, maritime forests, historic forts, bayous, and marine habitat.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Free tickets available for Gulf Islands BioBlitz