BioBlitz

The early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese. 

Chadron State Park hosted its fifth annual bioblitz last Saturday, species counting events included bats, birds, mammals, plants, insects and macroinvertebrates. 

CSC faculty including Teresa Frink for mammals and Jonathan Spiess for plants, taught sections of the bioblitz. 

Members of the community, children and college students were all welcome at the event and were able to participate in helping identify species living in the state park. 

“I love the fact that we have small children along side college students with grandmas and grandpas,” Frink said. “I love the excitement of all ages to learn about the same things.”

During the mammal event, participants looked for live mouse traps that had been set the night before. If a mouse was caught, its species mainly white-footed mouse or deer mouse, was recorded. 

Two of the mice that were caught were covered in neon orange tracking powder to help biologist track the mice.

During the plant demonstration, participants led by Spiess identified both native and nonnative plant species. 

“I learned about the different grasses and other vegetation in our area,” Johansen said. “Being from around an area of just fields, there isn’t much for natural plant life to know about.” 

Amanda Filipi, Game and Parks outdoor education specialist also attended the events. 

“I enjoy getting people outside and discovering what is in their own backyards,” Filipi said. “I think it’s important because we get to connect researchers and experts to folks who may be just starting to learn what is in their backyards.”