Lace up your tennis shoes, grab some grubby clothes and don’t be afraid to get dirty at the Florida Museum of Natural History on Saturday.
The first Earth Day BioBlitz, which runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., is part of the museum’s Earth Day celebration. The event is free and open to all ages.
Catherine Carey, public programs coordinator at the museum, said a bioblitz is a quick way to get a population number for plant and animal specimens.
This bioblitz is a little bit different.
Instead of going into nature and counting populations, participants will see how scientists get specimens.
“Why look at the environment when you can look at all the things in the neighborhood?” Carey asked.
Leeann Bright, marketing and public relations coordinator for the museum, said there will be a variety of activities for all ages.
Inside the museum, the UF entomology department will have some displays, and other organizations will talk about their mammal and bird collections.
Outside, the UF Natural Area Teaching Laboratory will be set up along three different trails to show collections and field research techniques.
Visitors can also learn why researchers need to collect plants and animals for study and the importance of collecting.
“The environment truly affects all of us, so it’s important to see how research is done,” Bright said.
Carey said the teaching laboratory areas will be stationed along the Upland Pine Trail, the Old Field Trail and the Storm Ecological Enhancement Project Trail, otherwise known as the Wetlands Trail, behind the museum and the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
The trails are easily accessible with man-made paths and a boardwalk through the SEEP trail, Carey said.
