The 2022 EcoBlitz

Congratulations to the winners of the first Binghamton University and Center for Integrated Watershed Studies EcoBlitz! Please find below our winners and honorable mentions and the final event stats. We had many amazing submissions, and we thank everyone that participated!

We hope to have everyone at the next BU EcoBlitz! To find out more information, make sure to join our official EcoBlitz Listserv HERE!

Have a great summer!

Most # of Observations

1st:  julall (128)

Honorable mention: npenhollow (96)

Most # of Species

1st: julall (79)

Honorable mention: sophse (55)

Coolest Plant/Fungi

Haircap moss by: an_empty_teabag

Coolest Invertebrate

Chinese Mantis by: npenhollow

Coolest Vertebrate

Spring Peeper by: aberard2

Final Event Stats:

# of Observations: 1,162

# of Species: 329

# of Observers: 103

# of Identifiers: 190

Most observed species: Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)

The 2022 EcoBlitz Binghamton University iNaturalist Umbrella Project stats as of today:

# of Observations: 1,146

# of Species: 326 (about 50% of them are plants!)

# of Observers: 102

Most observed species: Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 

Most observations:

julall has 118 observations

npenhollow has 96 observations

Most species:

julall has 75 species

sophse has 55 species

There is still time to add observations, ID your species, and be in the running for a PRIZE!

The 2022 EcoBlitz Binghamton University iNaturalist Umbrella Project stats as of today:

# of Observations: 1,123

# of Species: 324 (about 50% of them are plants!)

# of Observers: 98 

Most observed species: Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 

Most observations: julall has 112 observations

Most species: julall has 71 species

There is still time to add observations, ID your species, and be in the running for a PRIZE!

Don’t forget, you can win PRIZES for your observations!​

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We will be giving away cellphone macro lenses for the winners of the following categories:

• Most number of observations on the 2022 EcoBlitz iNaturalist Project

• Most number of unique species on the 2022 EcoBlitz iNaturalist Project

• Coolest observation of a Plant or Fungi

• Coolest observation of an invertebrate (insects, arachnids, gastropods, etc.)

• Coolest observation of a vertebrate (birds, amphibians, etc.)

In order to be in the running for a prize, your observations on iNaturalist need to be submitted between April 30th – May 13th and located on Binghamton property (campus, the Nature Preserve, and Nuthatch Hollow). We will announce winners at the conclusion of the EcoBlitz! 

*Binghamton courses connected to the EcoBlitz may begin collection earlier

How will we collect data?

• Record observations on the free application iNaturalist. This application allows us to capture data on location, time, date, and upload a picture or sound file. You can share your observations to the rest of the iNaturalist community! Visit our website to learn how to download and use iNaturalist.

How do you add to the EcoBlitz 2022 Project?

• It’s automatic! Just make sure your location is set to Binghamton Campus and you upload between April 30th and May 13th.

• If you attended our Kickoff Event on April 30th, make sure to fill out our participant survey!

• This survey will provide us valuable data about the event and help us continue the #EcoBlitz2022 for years to come!

• The survey can be found HERE!

• Thank you for everyone that attended and volunteered at our Kickoff Event on April 30th! We were beyond thrilled to see so many community and campus members visit our Kickoff event!

• On the first day

  • We logged 194 observations

  • Had over 200 participants

  • Gave away 50 giveaway prizes

  • Hosted 8 Nature/Eco Tours

  • Hosted 28 Stations

• Thank you to all the volunteers that made the Kickoff Event possible!

• Due to the recent snow storm, parts of Nuthatch Hollow trails and driveway are not ready for public access. This area will be closed for public use until it is properly surveyed and cleared.  

• Additional Trails to avoid as they are being cleared: Forest Loop, Oak trail, and Snowshoe. 

• ​Thank you for your patience!

• Our Course Collaborators are Hard at Work! iNaturalist observations have already started early thanks to the contributions from Binghamton’s very own FRI Ecological Genetics Stream and the upper level Plant Ecology course!

  • So far, we have 171 observations, 85 species, and 20 observers!

  • Check out the stats HERE.

  • Will we be able to meet our goal of 200 observations?

A chronolog is an interactive monitoring tool for communities to monitor a landscape over time. The chronolog consists of a photo stand where a passerby aligns their phone, snaps a photo, and emails it to chronolog. The photos are then added to a time lapse collection. 

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The BU Nature Preserve recently installed 5 chronologs and the Kickoff Event is a great opportunity to find them all! You can find the map of the sites HERE. 

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Chronolog Sites:

BUC-101: Main Campus - Bartle Constructed Wetlands Complex (edge of wetlands adjacent to parking lot)

BUC-102: Nature Preserve – New Deer Exclosures (along the Connector and Redwing Trail)

BUC-103: Nuthatch Hollow – Newly Constructed Check Dam in Stream Channel and Vernal Pool (adjacent to boardwalk on east side of pond)

BUC-104: Nature Preserve - Beaver Dam Wetlands Complex (along the wooden walkway near the main pond)

BUC-105: Main Campus - Lake Lieberman Constructed Wetlands (lake overview near the 11th tee for the Disc Golf course)​

General Registration and Nature Tour Registration are free and highly encouraged and will help us know how many participants to expect the day of the event.

Space is limited for our Nature Tours so SIGN UP to reserve a spot!

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New Tours include:

• May 7th (10:30 AM and 1:30 PM) Amphibian/Reptile Tours with the Cornell Herpetological Society. ** This is a great option for those that cannot attend the Kickoff Event on April 30th!

• April 30th (10:30 AM and 11:30 AM) Naturalist Tours with Binghamton University professor/naturalists and the Conservation Biology Course

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Open Tours include: 

• April 30th (10:30 AM and 1:30 PM) Insect Survey Tour with "BUgs!"

• April 30th (2:30 PM) Birding Tour with BU Audubon Society

• April 30th (10:30 AM) Amphibian/Reptile Tour with the Cornell Herpetological Society

The first 50 people to attend our Kickoff Event will receive EcoBlitz GIVE AWAY BAGS! Make sure to come early! 

We will be giving away cellphone macro lenses for the winners of the following categories:

• Most number of observations on the 2022 EcoBlitz iNaturalist Project

• Most number of unique species on the 2022 EcoBlitz iNaturalist Project

• Coolest observation of a Plant or Fungi

• Coolest observation of an invertebrate (insects, arachnids, gastropods, etc.)

• Coolest observation of a vertebrate (birds, amphibians, etc.)

In order to be in the running for a prize, your observations on iNaturalist need to be submitted between April 30th – May 13th* and located on Binghamton property (campus, the Nature Preserve, and Nuthatch Hollow). We will announce winners at the conclusion of the EcoBlitz! 

*Binghamton courses connected to the EcoBlitz may begin collection earlier

If you plan on participating in the EcoBlitz, please keep in mind to wear closed toe shoes appropriate for muddy or wet conditions, long pants, and socks tucked into pants to help prevent ticks!