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BioBlitz events set for Jackson, Tupelo
JACKSON, Miss. -- Students, teachers and community members can learn more about the ecosystems in their area during two separate events.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service will join the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the National Park Service in hosting the state’s second annual BioBlitz workshops.
The 2015 BioBlitz events will kick off April 11 in Jackson at the museum. The second workshop will be April 18 in Tupelo near the Natchez Trace Parkway Visitor’s Center.
The Jackson BioBlitz will be held in conjunction with NatureFEST. It begins at 10:15 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.
The Tupelo BioBlitz coincides with the beginning of National Parks Week, Wildlife Weekend, Find Your Park and Junior Ranger Day. It begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m.
Participants will search for insects, reptiles, birds, trees, fungi and herbaceous plants. Extension, museum and parkway personnel will conduct the nature walks. Individuals can use the free app iNaturalist to help record species they see.
Both events are open to all ages. Admission to the Jackson event is $6 for adults, $4 for children 3 to 18, $5 for senior citizens 60 and over and free for museum members and children under 3. Tupelo participants are required to sign in at the visitor’s center located three miles north of Highway 78.
Sightings of wildlife and plants during BioBlitz events help scientists compile inventories of local ecosystems to determine an area’s biodiversity.
For more information, contact Jason Gordon at 662-325-8851.
