The Pollinator Power Party, hosted by EPRI and the Pollinator Partnership, reaches more than 2 million people on social media, highlighting the role of pollinators in our ecosystems and communities. The conversation, taking place over 3 days, dives even deeper by considering the relationship between pollinators and energy companies, real-life challenges managing habitat on large landscapes, the cultural and existence value of bees, and social equity issues related to pollinator-dependent food supplies. Â
This year’s event includes the inaugural Pollinator Power Party Bioblitz Competition – an exciting opportunity to be a citizen scientist! Between May 1st and July 31st, 2024, we invite you to actively participate in the Pollinator Power Party Bioblitz by uploading photos through the iNaturalist online platform to help create a more robust database.Â
The BioBlitz is helping address a key gap in science and ecological knowledge about species occurrence, abundance, diversity, and distribution information. While we are always up for hosting a party, this year our goal is also to increase the underlying scientific information we need to better understand and manage for pollinators.Â
Unlike traditional biological inventories conducted solely by experts, a Bioblitz enlists the help of citizen scientists—enthusiastic individuals who observe and contribute data. This collaborative approach fosters a deeper connection between people and their environment. By documenting everything from rare butterflies to common backyard bees, every documented species contributes to our collective understanding of biodiversity.
At the center of the Pollinator Power Party Bioblitz is iNaturalist, an online platform that serves multiple purposes. Users can upload observations of plants, insects, and animals, which are then identified by experts. This system ensures that even non-experts can contribute valuable data simply by uploading photos of species seen in nature. By logging observations, users create a digital record of species occurrences, which becomes part of a global dataset accessible to researchers worldwide. These observations undergo independent verification, ensuring their quality for scientific research. Every observation, no matter how small, directly contributes to advancing our understanding of biodiversity.
The research-grade data collected during our Bioblitz may be shared with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), a repository of biodiversity data relied upon by researchers to study species distributions, monitor changes over time, and inform conservation efforts. Challenges may arise, particularly with species identification, especially for less common organisms. However, the collective effort of citizen scientists helps document even elusive species.
Top observers in the BioBlitz will have the chance to win a $100 gift card prize. So, snap photos with your smartphone, explore your surroundings, and become part of this scientific adventure! Let’s celebrate pollinators, foster citizen science, and contribute to a better understanding of our natural world.Â
Learn more about the Pollinator Power Party Bioblitz 2024 and join us in this exciting endeavor!