Discovery Site Inventory Team Registration
The Rocky Mountain National Park BioBlitz will offer exciting opportunities for the public to accompany scientists on a biological field inventory at Discovery Sites around the park (see general locations below; elevations vary). At each of these locations scientists will focus on different taxonomic groups, such as birds, insects, or plants. Participants can sign up for these free Discovery Site inventories based on their interest, and will learn about a group of species and how to sample and identify them. While we will have some spots on inventory teams available for walk-ins at the Biodiversity Festival, advance online registration is required to ensure a spot on a Discovery Site inventory team. Registration links can be found at the bottom of this page.
Most inventories are 2.5 hours, except the Estes Park Bird Walks, which will only last one hour. If you don't have a full 2.5 hours to devote to an inventory team, or aren't confident you can walk a mile, come to the Biodiversity Festival and enjoy hands-on science activities, exhibitors, speakers, music, art, and more. Better yet, take part in both. Learn more about the free, family-friendly festival here. No registration is needed for the festival.
New this year—sign up for text alerts! Keep up with the action from Rocky Mountain National Park and sign up for cell phone text alerts notifying you of the latest discoveries, the species count, and special events. Text "BIOBLITZ" to 50555.
Location and Transportation
Discovery Site activities originate from the Estes Park Fairgrounds, which is also the site of the Biodiversity Festival. The Fairgrounds, 1209 Manford Avenue, offer ample free parking.
East Side Discovery Sites: Registered participants for East Side Discovery Sites will check in at the Fairgrounds and then take a shuttle bus to their Discovery Site to meet their scientist leader. Shuttle bus transportation is free and required. Participants should plan to arrive at the registration window in Building W at the Fairgrounds no later than 30 minutes before their scheduled departure.
West Side Discovery Site: Registered participants for the West Side Discovery Site will check in at Holzwarth Ranch, 7 miles north of the town of Grand Lake or 13 miles west of the Alpine Visitor Center on the west side of the park. Participants will need to use their own transportation. The West Side Discovery Site is ideal for people who live near or are visiting the west side of the park. If you are coming from Estes Park, please plan at least 90 minutes for travel.
Nighttime Inventory: Registered participants for the nighttime inventory will check in at McGraw Ranch. Participants will need to use their own transportation. McGraw Ranch is located about 15 minutes north of Estes Park. After you register, you will receive a map with precise directions.
Estes Park Bird Walks: Registered participants for the Estes Park Bird Walks will check in at the Estes Park Visitor Center at the junction of Highways 34 and 36.
Safety First
All Discovery Site inventory participants will need good hiking (close-toed) shoes, a hat, sunscreen, water, long pants, and a snack. While the teams won't cover more than a mile, please note the elevations of the various Discovery Sites. If you are not acclimated to the altitude, you may want to select a site at a lower elevation.
| Discovery Site | Elevation (feet) |
| Meadow, East Side | 7,400 |
| Aspen, East Side | 8,400 |
| Ponderosa, East Side | 8,500 |
| Lake, East Side | 8,900 |
| Subalpine Forest, East Side | 9,500 |
| Alpine, East Side | 11,500 |
| Riparian Meadow, West Side | 8,700 |
Important Points for Field Inventory Participants
- All minors (under 18) must be accompanied by a responsible adult. In general, inventory teams are best suited for ages 8 and older. There will be many hands-on and educational activities at the BioBlitz Festival that appeal to all ages including younger children.
- Plan to check in at Building W on the Fairgrounds 30 minutes before your departure for the East Side afternoon and morning sessions. If you arrive after that, your spot may be reassigned.
- If you need to cancel or make a change to your registration, please contact Catherine Workman at cworkman@ngs.org. Once you have registered on the online site, an administrator must make any changes.
- Enjoy the Biodiversity Festival before and after your inventory.
Additional Resources/Documents
Online Registration for Inventory Teams
Scientists and K-12 teachers who have already registered do not need to register again. Advance registration on this site is required to reserve a space on an inventory team. Individuals can register up to 5 people at one time. We expect spots to fill quickly, so it is best to register soon. Online registration will close August 17, 2012. On-site registration will be available for remaining spots on teams on a first-come, first-served basis. Every participant (or parent/guardian of a minor) must print, sign, and turn in the liability waiver before participating in the BioBlitz. Printed copies will be available on site as well.
We look forward to seeing you at BioBlitz. In the meantime if you have any questions, email us at bioblitz@ngs.org.
Register for the following inventories:
Past BioBlitzes
-
BioBlitz 2012: Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
See photos of what happened when more than 5,000 people participated in a 24-hour species count in Rocky Mountain National Park.
-
BioBlitz 2011: Saguaro National Park, Arizona
Five thousand volunteers at the 2011 Saguaro National Park BioBlitz added over 400 species to park lists.
-
BioBlitz 2010: Biscayne Bay, Florida
The first ever marine BioBlitz took place in Florida’s Biscayne Bay.
More Online
-
BioBlitz Around the World
Wherever you are, you can participate in Project Noah's BioBlitz. How many species can you document and identify?
-
BioBlitz 2011 with Project Noah
The smart phone has become a viable tool for researchers thanks to Project Noah, where it showcased its capabilities at the 2011 BioBlitz.
Sponsors
-
Verizon
Verizon Wireless keeps the BioBlitz connected.
-
Geico
As a fan of planet Earth, GEICO is committed to being environmentally responsible.
-
Southwest
Environmental stewardship is a responsibility Southwest Airlines takes seriously.
Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation
Advertisement
Rocky Mountain Park Animals
-
Animals in the Park
From mighty elk to rare boreal toads, Rocky Mountain National Park protects animals of the high south-central continental divide.
-
Elk
Learn about the animal Native Americans call "wapiti." Get the measure of these antlered giants that can tower some 9 feet tall.
-
Black Bear
Get to know North America's most common bear. Learn the logic behind the familiar refrain: "Please don't feed the bears."
-
Snowshoe Hare
Look carefully to spot this creature, whose snow-white winter coat helps it blend in with its snowy environment.
-
Porcupine
Can porcupines shoot their quills at predators? Get the pointed truth, plus other fascinating facts about these prickly rodents.
Videos
-
BioBlitz in the National Parks
Dr. Edward O. Wilson talks about the importance of BioBlitzes and the biodiversity they evaluate.
-
Let's Take This Outside
Experience last year's 24-hour BioBlitz in 5 minutes of highlights from Saguaro National Park.
Explorers at the BioBlitz
Listen: Explorer Interviews
-
00:11:00 Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner(blurb here)
-
00:11:00 Bob Ballard
Boyd heads out of the studio to join National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Bob Ballard aboard his vessel the E/V Nautilus. Currently in Turkey, Ballard tells Boyd about the many shipwrecks he is finding in the Mediterranean. You can follow Ballard and his team, live as they explore the ocean at www.nautiluslive.org.
-
00:06:00 Valerie Clark
National Geographic grantee Valerie Clark licks frogs for a living. As Clark tells Boyd, she’s not looking for Prince Charming. Instead, she is studying how the diet of frogs in Madagascar relates to the toxicity of their skin.
-
00:09:00 Catherine Jaffee
Turkey is famed for its honey, which is music to Boyd's ears—he has a notorious sweet tooth. He visited National Geographic grantee Cat Jaffee, a beekeeper who left her job in Washington, D.C. to make honey in rural Turkey. She says that bees harvest pollen from their surroundings: the best honey comes from bees with natural surroundings, large meadows, rather than urban environments. Most people, Jaffee says, eat honey that is basically a synthetic mix of sugars from all over the world.
-
00:08:00 Bruce Bachand
Many people picture archaeology as the swashbuckling adventure portrayed in the Indiana Jones trilogy. But in reality, it can be much more tedious than discovering the Holy Grail and fighting Nazis. National Geographic grantee Bruce Bachand has been meticulously sewing a 3,000 bead necklace back together in Mexico after discovering a pre-Olmec burial site that housed a tribal chief and his wife, undisturbed for several centuries.
-
00:11:00 Lucy Cooke
Lucy Cooke
-
00:09:00 Elizabeth Lindsey
Most of human history existed before the advent of GPS technologies that can pinpoint where we are at any time. National Geographic Fellow and ethnonavigation expert, Elizabeth Lindsey has taken it upon herself to understand what it was like for Polynesian explorers to colonize tiny, remote islands across the south Pacific Ocean. To better appreciate the skills it takes to study the clouds and winds in search of land, Lindsey plans to join a team of Polynesian women who are island-hopping using traditional methods: no GPS, no cellphones and no compass.
-
00:11:00 Lee Berger Audio
National Geographic grantee and paleoanthropologist Lee Berger has been searching for the fossils of human ancestors, but it was his 9-year-old son who stumbled upon the find of a lifetime: a partial skeleton that may very well change our understanding of the genus Homo.
-
00:07:59 Brad Norman
Some go swimming with dolphins or stingrays, Brad Norman, National Geographic Emerging Explorer and marine conservationist, talks about swimming with the largest fish in the world: the whale shark. Norman speaks with Boyd about his research concerning whale shark habitats, tracking and conservation.
-
00:11:00 Losang Rabgey
National Geographic Emerging Explorer Losang Rabgey has found her life's work in strengthening rural communities on the Tibetan plateau, which includes building schools to educate local students. Rabgey joins Boyd with updates on the successful work of Machik, the non-profit she founded and now directs.
-
00:11:00 Dereck and Beverly Joubert
National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert capture astounding images of African wildlife in their beautiful films. The Jouberts live in the African bush alongside the lions and other animals they profile. They explain to Boyd that, because big cats are in such danger, their work is now focused on conservation projects such as the Cause an Uproar program.
-
00:11:00 Nathan Wolfe
National Geographic Emerging Explorer and virus hunter Nathan Wolfe says there is a disease pandemic lurking just around the corner. But, we can prepare ourselves. Wolfe says there are even ways to harness and use the power of viruses. Wolfe joins Boyd to talk about his new book, The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age, which is changing the way we think about viruses.
-
00:09:00 Joshua Ponte Audio
National Geographic Emerging Explorer Joshua Ponte was a successful young English entrepreneur when, over breakfast one morning, his eye fell on a newspaper ad that said "Gorilla Reintroduction Program, Gabon." His life has never been the same since. Pursuing his passion for conservation, Ponte moved to a central African forest where 13 orphaned gorillas were being studied. Boyd talks with Ponte about the joys and dangers of raising young gorillas.
-
00:11:00 Wade Davis
How did the death and destruction of World War One lead young British climbers to attempt an epic conquest of Mount Everest? National Geographic Explorer in Residence Wade Davis answers that question in his new book “Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest.” Davis joins Boyd in the studio to chat about the book.
-
00:11:00 Sylvia Earle
National Geographic Explorer in Residence Sylvia Earle has been deeper undersea than any other woman. Earle is an oceanographer, explorer, author, lecturer, field scientist, and an inspiration to women around the world. She recently received the Royal Geographic Society’s 2011 Patron’s Medal. Boyd talks to Earle about some of her early dives in the Jim Suit.
