The term “bioblitz” dates to 1996, when it was coined by U.S. National Park Service naturalist, Susan Rudy, to describe a 24-hour wildlife survey that she ran in Washington D.C. Bioblitzes are biodiversity inventories conducted in a specific geographic area over a specific – usually short – period of time to engage everyone from volunteer experts to students to budding naturalists to make wildlife observations.
In recent years, BPCA has begun performing bioblitzes of its own to not only engage the public and raise awareness, but also to monitor wildlife populations within BPC. Through bioblitz events, we are better able to measure the success of our park operations, engage both staff and park patrons with nature, and connect with the wider scientific community; this information helps to shape maintenance decisions within the park garden spaces.
In 2020, the Authority further streamlined the collection of this data and made it possible for the public to input and view observations directly via the iNaturalist app and dedicated Battery Park City Wildlife page. Subsequent release of Battery Park City’s Sustainability Implementation Plan that September included formalized milestones to ensure continued monitoring, engagement, and commitment to supporting wildlife communities in BPC. Over time our iNaturalist page has developed as a result of planned bioblitzes, BPCA staff, and folks who live, work, and visit Battery Park City uploading their observations. To date, the greater BPC naturalist community has recorded more than 7,000 observations of plants, animals, and insects, with 1,300+ identified as species that live in our parks.
In 2024, examples of the Authority’s bioblitz efforts include:
– The City Nature Challenge (April 25-29)
– I Love My Park Day (May 4). Citizen scientists were once again invited to Battery Park City, joining volunteers all across New York State’s beautiful parks, to make observations documenting the biodiversity of BPC.
– National Pollinator Month (June 1-30)
– National Moth Week (July 20-28). During National Moth Week, BPCA staff conducted a nighttime bioblitz to foster a deeper understanding of and appreciation for these fascinating, beautiful and largely unseen residents of our parks. Over the course of four nights, our staff discovered roughly 20 moth species in South Cove, 14 of which were observed for the first time in BPC! One of the more observed moth species (from the genus Idia) requires leaf litter to complete its lifecycle, information that has been used by our Parks Operations team to allow leaves in the garden to decompose rather than immediately sweeping them up. This will ensure that these BPC moth residents will have the habitat they need to survive and contribute to our local ecosystem.
– NYS Tick Blitz. BPCA collaborated with Cornell University on its annual “NYS Tick Blitz” project, conducted from during the month of June from 2021-2023, to create a map tracking tick species throughout New York State. No tick species have been identified in Battery Park City.
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