International Day of Biological Diversity
What is Biodiversity?
Biodiversity refers to the incredible number of plants and animals around us.
To Celebrate the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, the Get to Know Program held a series of fun "BioBlitz" events for kids. BioBlitz events were held at 23 sites in Canada and the US, most of which took place on May 22, 2010.
A BioBlitz is designed to highlight the biological diversity of a specific natural area, and in so doing develop a deeper understanding of the environment among the general public.
Kids will join biologists, park interpreters and naturalists as they learn the names of plants and animals around them and take part in the unique activities organized at each BioBlitz location. Depending on where they live, kids might get a chance to try their hand at scientific species classification, photography, wildlife sketching, writing about nature, or the discovery of natural history of their area. No two BioBlitzes will be the same, as each one will be a reflection of the local environment.
“On July 4, 1998 we attended the most memorable BBQ and bonfire of my life. It was not far from Thoreau’s Walden Pond and a wonderful group of naturalists presented their disoveries of the day. They had been counting or estimating numbers of the different species within a 10 mile radius of Walden... How wonderful, I thought, to get to know our wild neighbours and compare trends from year to year. What if every community did this on International day for Biological Diversity? That raised consciousness could change the world.”