Individuals and teams of up to 6 people to serve as ‘citizen scientists’ in documenting as many species as possible within center’s 72-acre preserve
On Saturday, May 2, the Elling Eide Center of Sarasota has announced, it will open “the gates to its private research preserve” on Little Sarasota Bay for what its staff is calling the Team‑Challenge BioBlitz.
“This community-driven biodiversity survey invites members of the public to explore the Center’s 72‑acre coastal preserve and contribute to long‑term conservation research,” a news release explains. “Individuals or teams of up to six will act as ‘citizen scientists’ for the day, using the iNaturalist phone app to document as many species as possible within the Preserve, generating research‑grade data that will guide land management and ecological decision making for years to come,” the release adds.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the community to the Preserve for a day of discovery,” said Lee Amos, Elling Eide Center director of land management and environmental programs, in the release. “The bioblitz model is a smart and sustainable way to engage the public in our research mission,” he added in the release.
“The Elling Eide Center’s Preserve is a living laboratory” and a fragment of Sarasota’s historic natural coastline and habitats, “including rare maritime hammock and coastal scrub,” the release points out. “All observations made during the event and uploaded to iNaturalist will contribute to the Preserve’s records, helping track species richness, abundance, and seasonal patterns over time,” the release says. Such information “will guide conservation decisions both within the Preserve and more broadly,” it continues.
Following the BioBlitz, prizes will be awarded in four categories, the release notes: Most Significant Discovery, Most Species Observed Overall, Most Invertebrate Species Observed, and Best iNaturalist Observation.
“Participants of all ages are welcome; those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult,” the release points out. The Center staff “especially encourages participation from naturalists, photographers, and those with expertise in plants, insects, arachnids, and other taxa,” the release adds.
Participants are invited to arrive or return any time between 6:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. on May 2, the release notes. Entry will close at 7 p.m., “with the BioBlitz ending after sunset,” it adds.
“This free event includes lunch at noon and a late‑afternoon happy hour,” the release also says. Learn more and register at eidecenter.org/visit-the-preserve.
To review further information about the Elling Eide Center’s environmental programs and ongoing initiatives, visit eidecenter.org.
The center is named after scholar and preservationist Elling Oliver Eide (1935–2012), the release adds. Its “mission is to advance scholarly research in the humanities and environmental sciences, focusing on Medieval China and Inner Asia. The Center houses one of the most significant private collections of East Asian literature in the United States, as well as one of the last remaining reserves of biodiversity in an increasingly urbanized Florida coastline,” the release points out.
“The public may visit the managed research preserve by invitation only, either by volunteering or by participating in scheduled programs,” the release says.