PORT TOWNSEND — The Port Townsend Marine Science Center invites the public to its Natural History Building, 532 Battery Way East, at 9 a.m. Saturday to celebrate Citizen Science Day with an iNaturalist BioBlitz.
A BioBlitz is an intensive 24-hour study of biodiversity in a specific location.
Science Center representatives will spend the morning outside and around the building in Fort Worden State Park looking for and recording birds, mammals, fish, invertebrates, trees, flowers, grasses and other organisms.
People of all ages and skill levels are welcome.
Participants are asked to download the free iNaturalist app and create an account before arriving.
Observations can be made during the event with a smartphone. Cameras can also be used and photos can be uploaded at https://www.inaturalist.org.
Event schedule
Participants will meet at the center’s natural history exhibit at 9 a.m. Center representatives will make sure everyone’s set up with iNaturalist and ready to blitz.
At 9:30 a.m., participants will split into groups and head outside to make observations.
A wrap party is scheduled from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Participants will come back together, help each other make IDs and find out how many observations the groups made.
A project page has been created at https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/port-townsend-marine-science-center- bioblitz.
People who would like to take part are asked to RSVP to Lily Evanston at levanston@ptmsc.org.
