LAUMEIER SCULPTURE PARK BIODIVERSITY PROJECT
Earth Day Celebration Week Bioblitz
Saturday, April 18 – Sunday, April 26 / Online only
Participate in the Laumeier Sculpture Park Biodiversity Project, created by 2023 Community Artist In Residence Emily Hemeyer, by recording natural observations at Laumeier through iNaturalist.
Visit us on Saturday, April 18th,
11 a.m.-2 p.m. during our
Art & Nature Day event
Learn more about using iNaturalist and its importance to the Park. Think about a visit to Laumeier. What plants and animals do you see, what sounds do you hear? Did you know that you can share your unique experience with the flora, fauna, and fungi that call Laumeier home and help us better understand the biodiversity that we have at the Park?
iNaturalist is a free app that allows users to upload photos, videos, and sound recordings to help identify different species of plants, animals, and fungi that are found at a specific time and location. With the assistance of online experts and other users, the iNaturalist platform will verify the identity of each uploaded observation. As the number of observations found at Laumeier grows, we’ll all have a better understanding of the natural world that makes up Laumeier Sculpture Park.
BIOBLITZ / April 18 - April 26
A Bioblitz is a biological inventory or census. Our goal is to collect as many observations needed to depict an overall representation of plants, fungi, animals, and other organisms living at Laumeier. Over the week, participants are invited to use iNaturalist to record observations for the ‘Laumeier Biodiversity Project’.
Visit our iNaturalist site for additional details. Individuals who participate will be automatically entered to win three different prizes*:
Prize 1/ Wait…What Is That?! − Most Unique Find! / Submit one observation that will make us say, “wait…what is that?!” The selected participant will be given an opportunity to schedule a complimentary, hour-long Walking Tour (limit ten [10] individuals) of the Park.
Prize 2 / Explorer Extraordinaire / The participant who submits the most qualifying observations during the Bioblitz will receive a complimentary I ♥ MOTHER NATURE membership at Laumeier (a $35 value).
Prize 3 / Laumeier’s Tail & Trail Tracker / Laumeier’s Art Hike Trail is full of woodland critter activity! Observe and submit the most intriguing set of animal tracks, abandoned nests, fallen feathers, or more, and receive two complimentary registrations for an upcoming Guided Hike program (a $10 value).
Help us kick off the Bioblitz at our Art & Nature Day on April 18th from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. A staff person will be on site in the Kranzberg Education Lab ready to assist you with the iNaturalist app or answer any questions about the project.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Download the free iNaturalist app and set up your account. An account is required to upload observations.
Find the Laumeier Sculpture Park Biodiversity Project within the app.
Visit Laumeier and record what you see and hear. You can use photos, videos or sound recordings.
Upload your observations into the app and connect with experts and other users to help identify your observations.
Register at Laumeier to be notified of award winners.
WHAT IS AN OBSERVATION?
An observation records an encounter with an individual organism at a particular time and location. This includes encounters with signs of organisms like tracks or nests. When making an observation, you’ll record:
What you saw
Where you saw it
When you saw it
Evidence of what you saw (photo, video, sound)
You should make separate observations for each separate organism you encounter!
Graphic courtesy of iNaturalist.org