Jamaica Bay Bioblitz
The Institute was a co-sponsor to this 24 hour Bioblitz, which served to catalogue the diversity of organisms in a particular area. This Bioblitz was part contest (racing against the 24 hour clock), part educational event, and part scientific endeavor.
From the Jamaica Bay Research and Management Information Network:
Jamaica Bay has been protected since 1972 with the formation of the Gateway National Recreation Area. Because of its unique location and rich resources, Jamaica Bay provides habitat for many terrestrial, marine, estuarine, and migratory organisms including approximately 200 species of special emphasis or protection. This event was an opportunity to show that biodiversity flourishes in a highly-impacted urban park. Unfortunately, for example, about 49 of the 65 square kilometers of wetlands have been filled in or are disappearing, and the water quality of Jamaica Bay has been impacted by sewage treatment plants, JFK airport, and urban, commercial, and industrial development. This BioBlitz was an effort to highlight the involvement of Queens College and the CUNY system in local environmental action, develop and strengthen relationships with local and national scientific organizations, and provide both media and political coverage on the importance of biodiversity in mega-cities like New York City.
Media Coverage
- The CUNY Newswire: First-Time Bio Blitz to Document Jamaica Bay Area
- The Epoch Times: College Plans “BioBlitz” for NYC’s Jamaica Bay
- Queens College, The Knight News: BioBlitz Set to Tally Jamaica Bay’s Flora and Fauna
- New York Academy of Sciences, Science & The City: Jamaica Bay BioBlitz
- New York Biology Teachers Association: NYBTA @ Jamaica Bay BioBlitz
- The Columbia Journalist: Students and Scientists “BioBlitz” Jamaica Bay Refuge for Wildlife Census
- Queens Chronicle: ‘BioBlitz’ Participants Storm Jamaica Bay
- Queens Tribune: Jamaica Bay Surprises: Need to Document Dwindling Species Spurred by Estuary’s Rapid Degradation
- NPS Digest Daily Headlines: Volunteers Gather 665 Species Around Gateway’s Jamaica Bay
- New York Daily News: This Scavenger Hunt’s Truly a Wild Affair
