Media Release

For Immediate Release

March 17, 2008

It’s, it’s a BioBlitz

Science just doesn’t get any cooler than this.

You see, a group scientists from Saint Mary’s University, the Ecology Action Centre, the Discovery Centre, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, the Museum of Natural History and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, have teamed up to offer something very unique for the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).

They have organized the 1st Annual BioBlitz, an event that will take place at Long Lake Provincial Park, which is located on the outskirts of Halifax.

Taxonomists — scientists who identify and often name plants, animals and fungi — from various universities and government laboratories in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will converge to identify as many species in Long Lake Provincial Park as possible.

This first-of-its-kind event in all of the Maritimes will be held from 3:00 PM on Friday, June 6 to 3:00 PM on Saturday, June 7.

“The purpose of this marathon is not only to help document the number of species found in this park, but to highlight the amazing diversity in our own backyard,” says Dr. David Cone, a biologist at Saint Mary’s and one of the lead organizers of BioBlitz.

“You will get to see taxonomists in action and having lots of fun doing it,” he said. “Twig leaders, biologists with a particular group-specialty like invertebrates, or botany will direct the activities of taxonomic teams through this enormous amount of fun.”

The teams of scientists will include professional taxonomists and university students, all the way down to high school students in training.

A BioBlitz base camp will be set up at Exhibition Park. Species counting starts 3:00 PM on Friday, June 6 and will continue all night into the next day. On Saturday at 10:00 AM the public is invited to come and see the remains of these dedicated souls and to witness the excitement surrounding the growing number of species they find.

Dr. Steven Smith, the Acting Associate Dean of Science at Saint Mary’s, indicates that this 24 hour species collection event is an act of community outreach at its best.

“What’s really unique in all this is that so many different organizations are working together to promote science to the broader community,” he says.

“The real goal in all this is to make the public aware of all the different species where we live while also promoting the importance of protecting and preserving our environment for tomorrow,” he added.

-30-

For More Information:

Paul Fitzgerald
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: paul.fitzgerald@smu.ca
www.smu.ca