Four Rivers Environmental Coalition/Environmental Education Association of Illinois/Byron Forest Preserve
Saturday, May 17, 7:00 am-4:30 pm (Come for all or part)
at Byron Forest Preserve, 7993 N. River Road, Byron, Illinois
Everyone, 8 years and older is welcome
This great day is provided to you ALL FREE!!!

Why? To increase our awareness and understanding of the variety of life in our own backyard, and to hang out with some great people, and to have some fun outside learning about bugs, flowers, birds and trees!

A BioBlitz is a scientific race against time, measuring the diversity of life to be found in a defined area. The more diverse the living organisms, the greater the quality of the habitat. Participate all-day or for part of this exciting program as we send scientists and citizen assistants out in the field to identify and count as many different life forms as we can. They have only one day to complete this assessment of the site’s biodiversity, and you can help!

The BioBlitz fieldwork sessions begin at 7:00 am and continue throughout the day. Session topics include: Aquatic Critters, Birds, Fungi, Insects, and Plants. There will also be nature activities, separate from the fieldwork sessions. Field team workers must be at least 8 years old and must register in order to participate in one or more of these sessions. An adult must accompany children under the age of 14. While helpful, no prior experience or scientific knowledge is required, just a good curiosity is all that is needed. The day will conclude with a report of the day’s findings at 4:00 pm.

Register here: www.fourriver.org. We expect the day to fill up quickly and space is limited, advance registration is strongly recommended. Registration Fee: FREE

Session 1: 7:00-9:00 am
A) Birds

Session 2: 9:30-11:15 am
A) Birds
B) Insects
C) Woodland Plants
D) Prairie Plants
E) Aquatic Critters

LUNCH 11:15 am-12:00 noon

Session 3: 12:00-1:45 pm
A) Fungi
B) Woodland Plants
C) Aquatic Critters
D) Insects: The Flyers and Crawlers
E) Birds of Prey (informational program)

Session 4: 2:00-3:45 pm
A) Fungi
B) Prairie Plants
C) Insects: The Flyers and Crawlers
D) Life Underground
E) Reptiles (info program)
F) Aquatic Critters (for project WET)

FINAL DATA PRESENTATION: A Biodiversity Tally: 4:00-4:30 pm
That is not all there is. For those who don’t wish to, or aren’t able to, join a field work team or those who just want to take a break, there will be plenty of other options:

~ Drop in any time to watch the teams bring their specimens in from the field
~ Participate in special nature activities
~ Come at 4:00 pm for the final Tally

Everyone is welcome and registration is not required for these general activities of the day!