by Naim Edwards, director, Michigan State University-Detroit Partnership for Food, Learning and Innovation and University of Michigan EEB alumnus (MS 2014)
On May 11, University of Michigan students and faculty partnered, with Michigan State University Extension, the Great Lakes Regional Center of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), and members of the Detroit Black Community Food Security network to coordinate the groups’ eighth annual BioBlitz and fifth at D-Town Farm. Youth between the ages of five and seventeen years along with parents and chaperones divided into groups to explore and connect with the biodiversity of one of Detroit’s largest organically managed farms.
At the end of the BioBlitz, the group forms a large circle to share what was learned.
EEB grad, Beatriz Otero-Jimenez and NWF’s Habitat and Education Coordinator, Tiffany Carey, began organizing the BioBlitz in 2012. Their intention was to connect youth and particularly groups that are underrepresented groups in the sciences to education and career opportunities in the natural sciences. Eight years later, there is now a robust organizing team and an annual event that has drawn over 100 people to D-Town Farm to learn about wildlife.
This year’s event featured evolution and ecology games, exploring Rouge Park – where the farm is located with ecology specialists, specimens from the University of Michigan museum collections and partner labs, as well as food donated from Avalon and Detroit Food Academy. Youth broke into groups of about 10 and walked the farm with binoculars, catch jars, and other ecology tools to get guided exposure to organisms and learn their value and how to identify them on their own. Approximately 120 people came out including over 20 U of M undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty volunteers.
Former UofM grad, and MSU Extension employee, Naim Edwards shares information about native plants.
Oddly enough, snails ruled this cool, overcast day as they were one of the most abundant organisms found, but participants also found snakes, a turkey, deer and coyote tracks, and many birds and flowering plants. Despite the cooler weather, the day was a joy and we look forward to planning our 9th in 2020!
With special thanks to the following volunteers: EEB graduate students: Clarisse Betancourt (alumnus); Sasha Bishop, Kenzo Esquivel, Gordon Fitch, Eric Gulson, Sonal Gupta, Nicholas Medina, Beatriz Otero, Teresa Pegan, Kristel Sanchez, Chatura Vaidya, Lisa Walsh; Paul Glaum, EEB postdoc; EEB Professor Diarmaid Ó Foighil; EEB staff (current and former): Gabriel Gadsden and Tiffany Carey; EEB and other undergraduates Jessie Agee, Siena McKim, , Arynne Wegryn-Jones; and others from the School for Environment and Sustainability Harrison Smith, Kirk Acharya; Complex Systems Professor Mitchell Newberry; Katharine Shiffler, a landscape architecture graduate student and Liz Tylander.
Volunteers who came out to coordinate and support the BioBlitz.
