During organized surveys known as “bioblitzes,” small groups of volunteers and expert guides work together to record as many species as possible using iNaturalist, a free app that makes it easy to share observations of biodiversity.

Birds, Bugs, Birches & Barnacles events explore the biodiversity on the Schoodic Institute campus.

In partnership with Acadia National Park and Friends of Acadia, bioblitzes at the Great Meadow Wetland help measure the effect of efforts to restore water flows and make the Sieur de Monts area more resilient in a changing climate.

Past bioblitzes, held in partnership with the National Park Service, Maine Forest Service, University of Maine, and the Maine Entomological Society, documented thousands of insects and spiders:

  • The 2016 Bioblitz focused on butterflies and moths. The 2016 effort included the introduction and use of iNaturalist.
  • In 2015, volunteers from all over New England captured more than a thousand specimens of wasps, bees, and ants and promptly sorted all of them. The collecting effort yielded approximately 300 species, with the possibility of newly discovered species.
  • In 2013 and 2014 we focused on beetles. More than 400 species were recorded of which 109 were new records for the park.
  • Each year from 2004 through 2012, volunteers searched for insects and spiders and identified 1,605 species in 248 families, of which 525 and 109 were new species records for Acadia National Park and State of Maine, respectively.