Bioblitz Howard County

Bioblitz Howard County
April 26, 2014

Sponsored by Transition Howard County’s Ecosystem Landscaping Committee, The Howard County Department of Recreation and Parks and the Howard County Living Farm Heritage Museum

Bioblitz is a survey of the biota in a particular place on a particular date.The survey provides base-line data about the biodiversity of an area, in this case a section of the Howard County Living Farm Heritage Museum, West Friendship, MD.

We need leaders who can identify plants in the field, both native and non-native. Leaders will lead small teams into the field to identify and count plants.  If you are interested in participating, but do not want to lead a group, we also welcome your help. You may register as a leader or participant.

Please register at http://www.transitionhoco.org.

Questions can be directed to Ann Coren, Chairperson Ecosystem Landscaping Committee, Transitition Howard County at anncoren@hotmail.com.

The relevance of the survey to Howard County residents is that we are experiencing rapid land use changes. Our forests long ago became farmland, and that farmland is now becoming suburban and urban development. This is either fragmenting or destroying what’s left of the native habitat. Thus native populations are in decline, including those that humans value: For instance the beauty of butterflies and dogwoods; bees, to pollinate our crops; snakes to eat the mice; bats to eat mosquitoes….

One goal of the Bioblitz is to determine what lives here, and to use that data for land use management. Another goal is to educate people about biodiversity, landscaping to preserve it, and reducing habitat fragmentation. The site has lawn, farm fields, woods and stream to survey.