BioBlitz Festival - All Species Count!
June 15 & 16, 2007
at the Audubon Center at Chatfield
BioBlitz is a celebration of biodiversity and a 24-hour count of everything that grows, creeps, crawls, hops, flies or slithers!
Please check back often. This list of activities will be updated weekly as programs are added.
Friday, June 15
6:30pm Bats of Colorado
Learn about the amazing lives of bats and echolocation with Lea Bonewell and Mark Hayes. Lea’ Bonewell and Mark Hayes have been conducting bat research in Colorado for over 12 years. Lea’ worked more than 10 years on the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s Bats/Inactive Mines Project and now works for the US Geological Survey at the Fort Collins Science Center. Mark is conducting bat conservation biology research while pursuing his doctorate at the University of Northern Colorado. They have volunteered or worked for a number of other bat conservation-related organizations, including Colorado State University, University of Colorado, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Orient Land Trust, and Colorado Bat Society.
7:30pm Wildlife Stories & Campfire
Join us in the Lois Webster Outdoor Classroom to hear animal stories, learn about living with wildlife and enjoy the campfire. Colorado Division of Wildlife will have their "critter crates" available for families to see and touch furs, skulls and other artifacts. Bring marshmellows and roasting forks if you want!
8:30pm Wildlife Night Hike & Bat Mist Netting
Reservations required, please call 303-973-9530.
Discover the amazing lives of nocturnal creatures and how they adapt to life in the dark. Explore Chatfield’s night life with a naturalist and help count critters for BioBlitz. Eavesdrop on bats hunting the night sky with bat detectors. Lea and Mark will have mist nets set up at the ponds and, if the bats cooperate, we will have the opportunity to see live bats in hand again this year.
The night hikes to the bat mist net station are FULL. However, we are arranging for additional naturalists to be on hand to lead night hikes to other areas.
Saturday, June 16
Other short talks and walks will be added throughout the morning as guests arrive.
7am—11am Bird Banding
Visit a bird banding station with field biologists from the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. This is an incredible opportunity to see birds in-hand! Talk with the researchers as they measure, weigh and collect data on each songbird.
7am Bird Count
Enjoy the dawn chorus of bird songs with an early morning walk along the South Platte River. Discover the diversity of birds nesting at Chatfield and sharpen your observation skills. Bring binoculars and a field guide if you have them.
8:30am What's Bugging You?
Join us for a morning bug hunt. We will be checking our pit fall traps and sticky syrup slicks to see what creatures ventured out overnight.
9am—1pm Open House
Discover the diversity of wildlife and plants that are our wild neighbors. Visit displays and talk to naturalists on everything from mammals to spiders to wildflowers.
Exhibits include:
- Invertebrate Investigations with the Butterfly Pavilion - Come face to face with insects, spiders and other "mini-beasts."
- Colorado Division of Wildlife - Learn about our wild neighbors and how to live happily alongside them.
- Creepy Crawly Quest - Unlock the identity of a mystery bug with the key of knowledge.
- Biodiversity Quiz Wheel - Test your knowledge and win fun prizes!
- National Wildlife Federation - Discover how to create a wildlife sanctuary in your backyard.
- Colorado Herpetological Atlas - Learn how to help map our state's reptile and amphibian populations.
- Alien Invasion - Learn how noxious weeds are threatening the health of Colorado's wildlife habitat and biodiversity.
- And more!
9am Pond Muck Monsters
Discover the strange creatures that live at the bottom of the pond. Naturalists will help you catch, identify and record the things that hide under the boardwalk.
9:15am Wonderful Wildflowers
Come see what's blooming! From grassland to shrubland to river side, learn about the battle between native and alien wildflowers while practicing your identification skills.
9:30am Herp Hunt
Join the search for the herps! Herps are reptiles (ie. snakes, lizards, turtles) and amphibians (ie. frogs, toads, salamanders). Division of Wildlife herp expert Tina Jackson will lead the hunt and help dispel some of the myths about these fascinating creatures.
10am Butterfly Count
Follow expert butterfly enthusiast Gordon Revey into the field for a morning count of our winged jewels. Learn butterfly identification with catch and release methods and field observation techniques.
10:15am Mini-Beast Safari
Join an expedition to survey the land for insects, spiders and more. Be amazed at how many “mini-beasts” you catch with a sweep net or beat sheet.
10:30am Wildlife Detectives
Hit the trail to look for clues and solve the mystery of who lives at Chatfield. You may not see the culprits, but you will find tracks, scat and other signs.
11am Meet the Mollusks!
Come learn about the native and non-native Mollusks (snails and clams) and Crustaceans (crawdads, crayfish) that call Colorado home. Tina Jackson, with the Division of Wildlife, will show you how to locate, identify, and in the case of non-natives prevent the spread of these often overlooked creatures.
BioBlitz is free and open to the public.
The Audubon Center is located at the southwest corner of Chatfield State Park, about 4 1/2 miles south of C470 and Wadsworth on Waterton Road.
