Diario del proyecto Madison County 2020 BioBlitz

To all of you who contributed to the Madison County 2020 BioBlitz, Thank You, from the Madison County Public Library and Madison Natural Heritage and MountainTrue. You have helped in the effort to build a foundation of knowledge and understanding for our treasured natural environment here in beautiful Madison County, North Carolina. 

And what an environment it is. The BioBlitz documented 1187 species! Some of those species have never before been observed or recorded in Madison County. Others are rare and sensitive species and the State Natural Heritage Program has asked for more information about some of these important finds. Those of you who have explored this place know that is just the tip of the iceberg! There is an immense diversity of plants and animals yet to be discovered in this rich place. 

But, the most important metric of success for the Madison County 2020 BioBlitz was the participation: kids, parents, students, teachers, experts, so many people helped. That says the will is strong to forge ahead using our own eyes and ears and our amazing Madison Public Library System to keep leading the way. 
There's a lot more exploring to do. So get ready for our next community project celebrating the curious young minds of Madison County- Kids Exhibit! 

Thanks again from Madison Natural Heritage for all your support!
Pete Dixon

What a community! What an environment. Thanks to all the participants and the supporters like the Madison County Friends groups, MountainTrue and the Madison County Public Library System.
pete@madnatural.org

One thousand species is a big milestone, but more important is the record of people caring enough to do all the work to make it happen. What a cool thing that our community cares enough to search, see, learn and work together to generate this important scientific record. Even though there are many participants I do not know and will likely never meet, I am happy as can be to be part of the big invisible team that did this in 2020.

Many thanks to the people that supported the BioBlitz: The Friends of the Madison County Library, The Friends of the Mars Hill Library and The Friends of the Hot Springs Library. Also the Compleat Naturalist in Asheville sponsored the BioBlitz with super discounts on prizes for kids. And MountainTrue brought the organizational A-game. And thanks to the Blitzers. Keep Blitzing, we got to break a thousand, one week to go!
pete@madnatural.org

I had some awesome fun yesterday blitzing with Jakelley and Taylor. Josh took me over hill and dale, and over cliff and ledge, to the "the greatest patch of Glade Fern in North Carolina!" possibly the universe. Taylor kept me out way past my bedtime chasing Blue Ghost Fireflies, Very Cool! It's amazing to see how many people joined in and how much information about the county just piled up in one day. It's a great expression of our community's strength and love of our place, Madison County. Keep it up BLITZERS. And if you have any questions about how to help or how to observe the results please reach out to me. Pete@madnatural.org

Hey Madison County BIOBLITZERS!!!
I am very excited to get started BioBlitzing on Saturday. I think with a great group effort we could observe, identify and catalog hundreds of species, significantly contributing to the scientific knowledge of our home and the world. Thanks to all who have helped us along, the Friends of the Mars Hill Library, Friends of the Hot Springs Library, the Madison County Friends, The Madison County Public Library System and our partner MountaiunTrue. I am excited that we can do this together even during difficult times. This BioBlitz is not just a record of living things, it's a record of one of the things our community did in 2020: we came together to study and explore the natural world.
Pete Dixon
Madison Natural Heritage
Madison County Public Library Trustee

A BioBlitz is just what it sounds like- it’s a concentrated group effort to document as much biology as possible. The Madison County 2020 BioBlitz is the result of a partnership between the Madison County Public Library System and Mountain True which is a Western North Carolina Non-profit grassroots environmental organization. The goal is to get busy and get the public involved in documenting the EXTREME biological diversity in Madison County North Carolina. So sign up and join in.