This should be an event worth attending: some of the area's top researchers and scientists -- including ichthyologists, ornithologists, mammalogists, entomologists, herpetologists and botanists -- will be gathering in Yellowstone National Park on Aug. 28-29 for the first-ever Yellowstone National Park BioBlitz, a 24-hour inventory of all living organisms.

A BioBlitz is a 24-hour event in which teams of scientists, community members and students find and identify as many local species as possible. The concept of a BioBlitz was first developed by Harvard biologist, E.O. Wilson, to catalog organisms around Walden Pond. Many states and other countries have now conducted similar events with one of the most publicized in New York’s Central Park where over 800 different species were documented. This will be the first in Yellowstone National Park.

The Yellowstone BioBlitz Committee is currently accepting applications from scientists interested in leading or joining a taxonomic specialty team on August 28 and 29. An application form is available at http://www.greateryellowstonescience.org/getinvolved/outreach/bioblitz/yellowstone.  You may contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with questions.

Applications are also being accepted from local citizen scientists, including middle and high school teachers, interested in learning more about the natural history in Yellowstone. If you are interested in working as a research assistant, you can apply using the above website.  A limited number of spaces are available, so apply early. The deadline for citizen science applications is July 15.

The event will be open to the public on Saturday, August 29, in front of the Albright Visitor Center in Mammoth Hot Springs from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., for children, families and others interested in the project.  Educational programs on Yellowstone’s natural history and specific survey techniques employed by the scientists will be available for families.

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