We are excited to announce that the third Rocky Top BioBlitz will be held Thursday, October 12, 2023 from 9a-3p! A BioBlitz is an intensive survey of the variety of life in a defined area over a limited timeframe. Participants of a BioBlitz include students, scientists, naturalists, and members of the public. Help us document as many species as we can find on the University of Tennessee campus! This is a fun and easy way to learn about the flora and fauna of Rocky Top while contributing to our knowledge of local biodiversity.

What: Rocky Top BioBlitz on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus

When: Thursday, October 12, 2023 | 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Where: Find our tent on the south lawn of Ayres Hall

Requirements: None! This event is free and family-friendly. No expertise is required, but please bring your smartphone with the iNaturalist app downloaded. All observations will be added to the Rocky Top Census of Life that we designed to track observations on campus. If you need a tutorial, we will have instructions on how to use iNaturalist. 

How it works: Stop by the event tent on the south lawn of Ayres Hall anytime from 9a-3p. We'll send out small groups to survey different parts of campus. You can also contribute on your own by recording your observations from anywhere on campus using the iNaturalist app on your phone. All observations from the BioBlitz will be added to the Rocky Top Census of Life, aiming to document all species on the UTK campus over the long-term. You can also check out results from our Rocky Top BioBlitzes in 2018 and 2019.

Questions? Please contact the organizers, Dr. Kimberly Sheldon (UTK Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) at [log in to unmask] and Dr. Will Kuhn (Discover Life in America) at [log in to unmask]

Best wishes,

Kimberly

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