submitted by the West Michigan Tourist Association
GRAND HAVEN, MI – On June 12, Ottawa County Parks will be hosting its first-ever BioBlitz at Riverside Park (from pre-dawn to dusk). This event will bring local scientists and conservation organizations together to work with community members to build an awareness of the biodiversity along the Grand River while collecting monitoring data.
What’s a BioBlitz? A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. At a BioBlitz, scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to get a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity.
What will we be documenting? With your help, we will be documenting a variety of species, including:
- Birds and mammals
- Reptiles and amphibians
- Insects and arachnids
- Plant species and fungi
- Fish, mussels, and macroinvertebrates
- Water quality
No experience is needed!
Hikes & Activities
At the BioBlitz we’ll be offering hikes and activities for adults and older children (ages 10+), as well as for families. In addition to the scheduled activities, there will be exhibits available all day.
RSVPs are not required, but we do ask you check in at the registration table on the day of the event. A map of activities will be provided.
- Nocturnal Bird Hike, 5-6 am – ages 10+
- Bird Hike, 8-9 am – ages 10+
- Bob the Spider Hunter, 8-9 am – ages 10+
- Fish survey, 9:30-10:30 am – ages 10+
- Plant Hike, 9-10 am – ages 10+
- iNaturalist/Seek Training, 10-11 am – ages 10+
- Bob the Spider Hunter, 11 am-12 pm – families welcome
- Fish Shocking and ID, 1-2 pm – families welcome
- Macroinvertebrate ID, 1:30-2:30 pm – families welcome
- Plant Hike, 1:30-2:30 pm – families welcome
- iNaturalist/Seek Training, 2:30-3:30 pm – families welcome
- Insect Hike, 3-4 pm – families welcome
- Mussels ID, 3-4 pm – families welcome
- Bird Hike, 3:30-4:30 pm – families welcome
- Fungi Hike, 4-5 pm – families welcome
Restoration at Riverside Park
The BioBlitz is the capstone of a larger restoration project that was completed in 2020. Learn more about this project: https://news.miottawa.org/riverside-restoration-update/