A Voice from the Eastern Door
A Voice from the Eastern Door
By Mahlon Smoke
Backyard Bioblitz encourages families to explore and document the environment from their own back yards. Akwesasne is a wonderful and diverse environmental place that is still being observed and explored to this day. That is why the Bioblitz is being held by the MCA Environment Department to help families and individuals understand and examine the life that is right in their backyard.
A Bioblitz is defined by Jacey Hall, Field Technician, as “large in-person gathering where people go to a specific area and in 24 hours they identify all the plants and animals in said area” but due to Covid-19 this was not possible. Instead of cancelling the event altogether, Hall decided to modify the event. The modifications she made turned the event, she expanded it to a community event for anyone to participate in, having individuals take pictures and examine everything within their own property.
“We started doing workshops over Zoom and introductory classes that focus on different types of animals and plants,” said Hall explaining what she has done to help prepare people and what they may expect to find. With a diverse environment on every property, it’s a good place for aspiring environmentalists or curious people to start looking. Hall cited the iNaturalist app that is key to organizing the BioBlitz.
The program allows people to create a project, which Hall did for the Bioblitz; the app also allows for people upload and take pictures of any animal tracks or plants they find, the app will identify it and inform the user what it is. It helps to keep Hall updated on the process of those who have signed up for the program.
The purpose of this event is meant to promote and educate people about the importance of biodiversity. “The more biodiversity you have the healthier your ecosystem is,” said Hall in regard to what biodiversity is. “In our backyards we do a lot of work like mowing the lawn, cutting down trees, putting up buildings. That impacts those areas and the environment around it, like the plants that grow and the animals that are there.”
Hall also said in why biodiversity and even understanding the environment is important when it comes to how humans are involved and how humans change the biodiversity. Hall says that it’s important for people to learn about biodiversity for the sake of protecting the environment so that even if the area is disturbed, it will allow people to help the area bounce back and continue to grow.
The BioBlitz is an important tool that will educate the community about the importance of biodiversity as well as letting people explore their backyards to see what life is living there now. The iNaturalist app can be downloaded on Google Play and iTunes and will help those who are curious about said life on their property, that can be done outside the BioBlitz.
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