Citizen Scientists Wanted for the California Coastal Bioblitz!
Crystal Cove’s tidepools provide both beauty and insight into the biodiversity and health of our ocean ecosystems. On Saturday, June 11, you and your family are invited to join Crystal Cove Alliance and Crystal Cove State Park as we take place in California’s inaugural coordinated statewide coastal bioblitz, Snapshot Cal Coast!
A bioblitz enlists the help of Citizen Scientists to observe and document the plants and animals that they see in a particular place in the hopes of better understanding that ecosystem. During Snapshot Cal Coast, participants will use the iNaturalist app to document species that they find in Crystal Cove State Park’s tidepools. Their observations will then be shared online, where they can be accessed and analyzed by researchers at organizations like the Ocean Science Trust, the California Coastal Conservancy, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Snapshot Cal Coast organizers are particularly interested in monitoring target species such as California’s sea stars. In 2014, Sea Star Wasting Disease caused sea star populations on the West Coast to plummet. Recently, Park visitors have begun noticing juvenile sea stars in our tidepools again, showing that these unique animals may finally be starting to recover.
If you’re interested in coming out for Crystal Cove’s Snapshot Cal Coast event, join us from 8-11 AM on Saturday, June 11! The group will meet in the Education Commons of the Historic District at 8 am, and all ages are welcome. Park visitors can also contribute to the Bioblitz at any time during the week of June 4th-12th by visiting Crystal Cove’s tidepools and using the iNaturalist app to document any species that they observe.
To register for the Crystal Cove State Park Snapshot Cal Coast event, visit our Calendar! For more information on the statewide coordinated coastal bioblitz effort, visit the California Academy of Sciences’s website.