Bioblitz 2019 goes to Tabaquite

STEPHANIE WARREN-GITTENS

A bioblitz is an intense survey done in a 24-hour period to find as many species as possible within a given area. It has come to be a highly anticipated annual event for local naturalists. Started in 2012, this event has been held in various parts of TT, from Icacos to Charlotteville (where 1,044 species were found).

Bioblitz 2019 will take place in Tabaquite on November 2 and 3 and the centre of the weekend’s activities, or basecamp, will be at Tabaquite Secondary School. From noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday, scientists, naturalists and volunteers will walk trails within the Tabaquite area looking for plants, mammals, insects, birds, fish, fungi, reptiles, lizards, and even microbes – just about any living organism.

Camera traps have already been strategically placed in the area to pick up on any mammals, which may not present themselves on the weekend of bioblitz. Participants are also encouraged to use the iNaturalist app to log their findings, which is also a great day-to-day app that can be used to identify organisms.

On November 3, from 7 am-2 pm, the public is invited to visit the basecamp to view displays from several environmental groups, see what organisms have been found, walk the trails and interact with the bioblitz team. This is a great opportunity to gain exposure for those (children included) who may be curious about the natural environment and not too sure how to get into the field and make a contribution to science. At the end of the event, all species found from the different groups will be tabulated to get the preliminary species count for the area and announced at 1 pm. These results, as well as that of past bioblitzes are useful as important ecological baseline data for future surveys.

The bioblitz is sponsored by the TT Field Naturalists’ Club, with support from the Life Sciences Department of the University of the West Indies. To keep updated follow the Facebook Page T&T Bioblitz.