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Olympic National Park Staging BioBlitz Weekend

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Northwestern salamander at Olympic National Park/NPS

Explore Olympic National Park and see if you can spot a Northwestern salamander/NPS, Shawn Shletren

A weekend of science in the park will be offered at Olympic National Park in Washington state later this month, with activities ranging from counting moths at night to exploring the diversity of mosses in the park.

The park's BioBlitz is set for May 20 and 21. A BioBlitz is a 24-hour event that brings together scientists, students, families and community members to find and identify as many living species of organisms as possible.

This year, in celebration of the National Park Service Centennial, more than 100 national parks across the country are joining the BioBlitz to create a snapshot of biodiversity across the country.

“There’s no better way to celebrate the Centennial than joining with our neighbors and visitors to discover and record the amazing biodiversity within Olympic National Park,” said Olympic Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum. “A BioBlitz is like a treasure hunt, where people of all ages and backgrounds help us find and photograph as many species as possible.”

In partnership with parks and organizations across the Pacific Northwest, Olympic will host several public events. Events are scheduled for several locations in and around the park: the Olympic National Park Visitor Center and nearby Peabody Creek, the former Aldwell lakebed along the Elwha River and the Hoh Rain Forest.

All events are free of charge, but some events require advance registration. Previous experience and science backgrounds are not required. 

Friday, May 20

* 10:30 a.m.  Storytime with Park Rangers and Port Angeles Library Youth Librarians, Olympic National Park Visitor Center, 3002 Mount Angeles Road

Young children with adults are invited to join park rangers and youth librarians for a special story time in the Olympic National Park Visitor Center Discovery Room. This story time will help children up to age six discover biodiversity and the amazing variety of animals around the world. No advance registration needed.

* 8 p.m. -10:30 p.m. Moth and Pollinator Night with Scientists J.D. Herndon and Dennis Strenge, Olympic National Park Visitor Center, 3002 Mount Angeles Road

Join experts J.D. Herndon and Dennis Strenge in attracting and counting as many moths and nighttime pollinators as possible. This event will begin with a short presentation indoors and then move outside the visitor center where participants will help scientists use lights and white sheets to attract moths. Participants will help identify and photograph moths and will use iNaturalist to upload results to the nationwide BioBlitz database.

Free. Advance registration required: http://bit.ly/21kmM40 Smartphone with free iNaturalist app will be helpful.

* 7 p.m. Discover Mosses of the Hoh Rain Forest with Dr. Judy Harpel, Hoh Rain Forest Campground Amphitheater

From the forest floor to treetops 250 feet high, Olympic’s rain forests harbor an amazing diversity of mosses, lichens and liverworts. Dr. Judy Harpel, Bryophyte Curator, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia will present a richly illustrated evening program showcasing this diversity. This presentation will provide an introduction to the moss inventories scheduled for the following day. Free. No advance registration required.

Saturday, May 21

Former Lake Aldwell

* 9 a.m.-12 p.m and 1 p.m.-3 pm. Bee, Pollinator and Plant Inventory in the Former Lake Aldwell with Bee experts J.D. Herndon and Houston Guy, parking area at the north end of Lake Aldwell Road. 

Join bee experts to discover and document the diversity of bees and other insect pollinators in the former Lake Aldwell. This area was submerged by a reservoir for nearly a century. Removal of the Elwha Dam in 2012 released the lake and restored the free-flowing river. In the years since, plant life has been restored to the area and with it, pollinators and other animals. Collect, count and identify as many pollinators as possible and the plants on which they can be found.  Explore the restoration of biodiversity in the Elwha Valley. Free. Advance registration required: http://bit.ly/1XYZmiJ  Smartphone with free iNaturalist app will be helpful.

Hoh Rain Forest

* 10 a.m. Big Tree Discovery with scientists James Freund, Ph.D, Russell Kramer, Korena Mafune, Bob Van Pelt, Ph.D, and Sean Callahan, Hoh Rain Forest, Hall of Mosses Trail

Join a team of scientists to examine the details of a single giant Douglas fir in the Hoh rain forest. How big is it? How old is it? How much carbon does it store? What’s living on its trunk, in its canopy and in its roots?  Find out the answers to these questions and more, and learn how scientists gather this information. (Hint: do you like to climb trees?)  Free. Advance registration required: http://bit.ly/1O1xnJB.  Binoculars or a spotting scope will be helpful.

* 11:30 a.m. Moss Inventory with Scientist Judy Harpel, Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center

What better place to inventory mosses than the Hoh rain forest? Join moss expert Dr. Judy Harpel to discover, identify and record as many species of moss as possible. Free. Advance registration required:http://bit.ly/1O1xt3Y. Smartphone with free iNaturalist app will be helpful.

* 12:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. Big Tree Canopy BioDiversity Inventory with scientists James Freund, Ph.D, Russell Kramer, Korena Mafune, Bob Van Pelt, Ph.D, and Sean Callahan, Hoh Rain Forest, Hall of Mosses Trail

Join a team of scientists to discover what life can be found in the canopy of a single giant Douglas fir tree. Scientists will climb the tree and bring down samples for close examination. Participants will help examine, count and identify as many species as possible.  Free. Advance registration required:http://bit.ly/1SzSeJl.  Binoculars or spotting scope and a smartphone with free iNaturalist app will be helpful.

Olympic National Park Visitor Center, 3002 Mount Angeles Road, Port Angeles

* 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. ‘Mosaic of Diversity’ film shown throughout the day

Stop by the Olympic National Park Visitor Center any time between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. and see the park’s award-winning film ‘Mosaic of Diversity.’ This 20-minute film is an introduction to Olympic and focuses on the remarkable biological and cultural diversity of this vast wilderness park.

* 10 a.m. BioBlitz Dance Flashmob

Join the Girl Scouts, Boys & Girls Club and park staff in celebrating biodiversity with the BioBlitz Dance! Park rangers will teach and lead the dance, and a special instructional video is available athttps://youtu.be/SZXpyUGj0fQ. The moves are simple, and will help everyone feel their ‘inner wild animal’! Everyone’s invited to join the fun!  Free. All ages. No advance registration required.

* 11 a.m. Stories of Totem Animals with Lower Elwha Klallam Storytelling Roger Fernandez

Join tribal storyteller Roger Fernandez to discover a cultural perspective on biodiversity as he shares stories about the totem animals of the Elwha Klallam people. Free. All ages. No advance registration required.

* 12 p.m. Discovery Walks on Peabody Creek

This inventory is designed especially for kids accompanied by an adult to discover, count and identify living organisms along the Peabody Creek Trail. Local experts will guide this walk and help kids find and identify as many living things as possible.

Smartphone with free iNaturalist app will be helpful. Free. All ages. Advance registration required. Register for Amphibian and Invertebrate Walk: http://bit.ly/1UmGDys. Register for Native Plant Walk:http://bit.ly/1O1xHbg.

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