Paramount Ranch was ground zero May 30-31 for the BioBlitz in the Santa Monica Mountains. The National Park Service teamed with National Geographic and a community of volunteers to record all the species of plants, insects and animals they could find of every kind in the National Recreation Area.
Sponsors also included California State Parks, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Los Angeles County Recreation and Parks Department.
The event is a 24-hour workshop for learning, incorporating nature hikes with scientists and interactive displays with the chance to be a part of the adventure of being teamed with researchers to chart the biodiversity where it lives.
Teams worked in four-hour shifts around the clock fanning out across the mountains and recording what they saw, including wildlife, plants and bugs.
Inventories were staged at five locations across the arena. Tide pools, butterflies and wildflowers were catalogued. At the end, the final inventory reflected the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, school children, scientists and community members.
The BioBlitz is staged to enhance appreciation among those who will someday become the stewards of our natural resources.
