Bioblitzes are gatherings of scientists, community scientists, land managers, and more, all working together to find and identify as many different species as possible. Bioblitzes not only help land managers build a species list and atlas for their park and provide invaluable data for researchers, they also highlight the incredible biodiversity in these Bay Area oases.
Our bioblitzes are open to anyone and are family-friendly. Just bring your smartphone with the iNaturalist app, your curiosity, and your powers of observation to help catalog the natural wonders of our parks and open spaces.
We've been hosting grassroots bioblitzes in the Bay Area for over 10 years. Explore the events we've helped host in the past here!
Check below to find out about upcoming bioblitzes and other community science events and campaigns. Links will be live once the event is open for registration. Registration is free, but be sure to let us know you're coming so we can send you all the information you need ahead of time!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Solstice Sea Star Search
Help us find and document sea stars along the California coast for the winter solstice
The search is on during the entire month of December 2024.
We’re especially keeping an eye out for sunflower stars and giant pink sea stars, but we want to document as many star species as possible.
Sunflower stars are incredibly important keystone predators in our kelp forests and were especially hard-hit by sea star wasting syndrome. While we know there are some sunflower star populations still out there, they’re pretty hard to find.
More people searching for sea stars means more chances of finding and documenting them — we’re hopeful that by coming together to search for these keystone species, we can better understand and restore sea star populations in the long run. (Psst, a fun bonus: solstice low tides are pretty phenomenal for exploring.)
Join an Event Near You
- December 12 Pillar Point Harbor, Half Moon Bay | 1pm - 5pm with California Academy of Sciences | Carpooling strongly encouraged Register for the event here
- December 13 Pigeon Point, Pescadero | 2pm - 5pm with Queer Surf and California Academy of Sciences Register for the event Here
- December 14 Pebble Beach, Crescent City with Tolowa Dunes Stewards & Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation Email Rahadra for information
- December 14 Orange County with Laguna Ocean Foundation Email Carissa for information
- December 14 Killer Dana, Dana Point | 1:30pm - 3:30pm with City of Dana Point Learn more about the event here
- December 15 Los Angeles County with Heal the Bay | Email the team here for information
Partner Organizations
We are lucky enough to partner with organizations who also host their own community science events. Check out their pages for some great upcoming bioblitzes, restoration days and more!
The work we do utilizes iNaturalist to make biodiversity observations while building community around nature. It's a community-powered website and app that makes it easy to upload and share your observations in the field and to get help from other users with flora and fauna IDs.
A selection of videos, articles, and press that offer a closer look at community science at the Academy.
Have questions about our community science programs? Want to get involved? Email us at communityscience@calacademy.org.