Sept. 21, 2021
Contact: Nancy Lee Gomer, Marketing Coordinator, 636-949-7535, or 636-795-1137, ngomer@sccmo.org
St. Charles County, Missouri – St. Charles County parks are home to a variety of wildlife, including animals, plants, insects and birds, and are the perfect scenic destinations to learn about and explore nature. Now through the end of September, the community is challenged to assist the St. Charles County Parks and Recreation Department and the National Recreation and Parks Association in creating a snapshot of the wildlife through the first-ever St. Charles County Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz. Who knows what you’ll discover, and you may win big!
This fun challenge allows guests of all ages the opportunity to see how many pollinators or pollinator-friendly plants they can find in St. Charles County for a chance to win a free park rental certificate. It’s easy!
- Download the iNaturalist app on your smartphone and create a profile.
- Join our BioBlitz project in the app by searching “Parks for Pollinators 2021: St. Charles County Parks” https://bit.ly/2021ParksForPollinators.
- And then begin discovering! Pick an organism and take a clear, full frame photo with the app. Photos will upload automatically to our project page and your observations will be recorded.
Each entry counts as a find! If you have previously discovered photos of organisms that you found in St. Charles County this month, add them too! At the end of the month, the participant with the most BioBlitz finds over 50 wins! The winner of the gift certificate will be announced in October. Follow us at facebook.com/StCharlesCountyParks/ to find out the winner of our BioBlitz project.
The challenge is perfect for individuals, organizations, scouts, preschools, and other school groups or clubs. Science teachers also are encouraged to offer students extra credit for participating as citizen scientist in this unique BioBlitz. For a list of St. Charles County Parks to visit and begin discovering nature, go to the Parks Department website at stccparks.org and click on “Find a Park” in the menu.
Those participants who want an in-depth look at nature and how the BioBlitz works are encouraged to join Shelby Miller, St. Charles County Parks Horticulture Supervisor, for a guided event at Veterans Tribute Park, 1031 Kisker Road in Weldon Spring, from 10-11 a.m., Friday, Sept. 24.
For more information or questions about the St. Charles County Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz, email shmiller@sccmo.org.