BioBlitz logs biodiversity on UC Berkeley campus

Callie Mulholland-Beahrs (left) holds a small beetle while Deborah Zierten of Save the Redwoods League uses the iNaturalist app to log her findings during the UC Berkeley BioBlitz event. Photo: Kelly Sullivan

A crowd of intrepid young scientists brushed off Saturday morning rain to participate in the Berkeley BioBlitz. The BioBlitz was designed to be an intensive study of biodiversity on the UC Berkeley campus, and was one of over two dozen BioBlitz events held around California to celebrate the National Park centennial.

Photographer Kelly Sullivan put on her rain gear to chronicle the day for Berkeleyside.

Using the iNaturalist app, 32 different observers logged 290 observations of a total 54 species. The rain brought out the amphibians: the two most observed species were the California Slender Salamander (seven observations) and the Arboreal Salamander (six observations).

Rebecca Cribbin-Coates (center), of the California Outdoor Engagement Coalition at UC Berkeley, leads the group in the official BioBlitz Dance outside Mulford Hall. Photo: Kelly Sullivan

“The UC Berkeley campus is home to an amazing array of species,” said Jenny Mulholland-Beahrs, founder and director of the California Outdoor Engagement Coalition at the university’s College of Natural Resources. “We are thrilled to have this opportunity to work with our partners to connect local youth and adults with nature and with scientific research. Many of the participants don’t have a background in science, but they bring boundless curiosity and enthusiasm for learning new things. It’s a wonderful way for people to engage with the world around them, and to help foster a long-term sense of environmental stewardship.”

The Berkeley BioBlitz was hosted by the California Academy of Sciences, Save the Redwoods League, Berkeley Natural History Museums, and the California Outdoor Engagement Coalition, with support from the California Geographic Alliance.

UC Berkeley student Karen Gallardo holds a spider found by Jakob Rees in the Eucalyptus Grove. Photo: Kelly Sullivan

Yenna Lee (left) and Cecilia Grant take a closer look at the samples they collected during the UC BioBlitz event. Photo: Kelly Sullivan

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Berkeleyside staff