BioBlitzes
The BSC BioBlitzes began in 2001 as an initiative of the Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands subcommittee, although they were not called BioBlitzes at that time. It was envisaged that a series of field excursions to different prairie ecozones would be made by entomologists with interests in prairie insects and related arthropods. The main, long-term goal of these gatherings was to generate collections of arthropods in selected prairie habitats to help to document the fauna. It was also hoped that participants would exchange and share information and observations about various taxonomic groups, field tactics and techniques.
In 2004, the gathering in Aweme, Manitoba was dubbed a BioBlitz and included biologists collecting other organisms such as molluscs, plants and lichens. However, subsequent BioBlitzes have continued to focus on arthropods.
In 2005, the BioBlitz expanded its scope to include participants in the Forest Arthropods project. It was held in Waterton Lakes National Park, an area that includes both prairie and forest habitats, encompassing foothills, parkland, montane, subalpine and alpine regions.
The BioBlitz permit for a project titled: Biodiversity survey of terrestrial arthropods of Waterton Lakes National Park was recently renewed and is still active. Please contact Dave Langor (dlangor@nrcan.gc
Reports from each of the annual BioBlitzes are available in pdf format from the links below:
| Year | Location/Report |
|---|---|
| 2001 | Onefour, Alberta |
| 2002 | Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, southeastern Manitoba: Heavy rainfall and flooding forced cancellation of the field trip. |
| 2003 | Peace River grasslands, Alberta |
| 2004 | Aweme, Manitoba |
| 2005 | Waterton Lakes, National Park, Alberta Update: The BioBlitz permit for a project titled: Biodiversity survey of terrestrial arthropods of Waterton Lakes National Park was recently renewed and is valid until 2011. Please contact Dave Langor for details if you wish to collect under this permit. |
| 2006 | Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland Update: The BioBlitz permit for a project titled: Biological survey of Gros Morne National Park has been renewed and it is valid for several more years. Please contact Dave Langor for details if you wish to collect under this permit. |
| 2007 | Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba |
| 2008 | Bruce Peninsula National Park |
| 2015 | Peace Region, British Columbia |
| 2016 | Carmacks, Yukon |
| 2017 | Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Alberta-Saskatchewan |
Curation BioBlitz
The idea of Collection Bioblitzes to encourage members of the entomological community to gather at an under-curated collection and assess and identify the material began in 2007 with the first Curation Bioblitz during the joint annual meeting of the Entomological Society of Canada and the Entomological Society of Saskatchewan. Click on the name of the city for a report.
| Year | Location/Report |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Saskatchewan, SK (University of Saskatchewan) |
| 2008 | Gatineau, QC (Canadian Museum of Nature) |
| 2009 | Winnipeg, MB (J.B. Wallis Museum of Entomology) |