It’s as easy as snapping a picture.
In fact, recording local pollinators species is just that simple.
New Quarter Park in York County invites residents to participate in their BioBlitz event from Sept. 12 through Sept. 20 to help find and identify pollinators, including butterflies, bees, bats, and birds.
A BioBlitz is an event aimed to identify as many species as possible in a short span of time in order to create a better understanding of the area’s biodiversity.
Residents can do so by downloading the iNaturalist App on their smartphones and joining the “New Quarter Park BioBlitz 2020” project. Any photos taken with the app will automatically be added to the park’s BioBlitz database.
Michael Wilcox, outdoor recreation supervisor, said over the last 30 years, the United States has seen a steady decline in pollinators.
“They’re critical to the health and well-being of the community,” he said. “They help especially with agriculture and getting diversity in the different types of plants we have by spreading the seeds.”
According to a 2018 poll conducted by the National Recreation and Parks Association, a majority of those polled in the United States agree that promoting pollinator health should be a conservation priority.
The purpose of identifying and recording local species is so we can better protect what we still have.
Consider submitting your photos to the York County Beautification Committee’s “Beautiful York County Calendar Art Contest” for a chance to appear in the 2021 Beautiful York County calendar.
Photos are judged by the committee, and 13 winners will be selected, one for each month and cover. Each winner will also receive $100. The submission deadline is Oct. 1.
For more information on the photo contest, click here. To learn more about the BioBlitz, call 757-890-5840 or visit New Quarter Park’s webpage.
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