Bioblitz – McAlhany Nature Preserve (this is not a SCAN field trip)

Note: This is an event held by McAhany Nature preserve and is not a SCAN field trip.

Bio-Blitz
2015
McAlhany Nature Preserve

On May 16-17, 2015 we will host a Bio-Blitz at McAlhany Nature Preserve (MNP). The Nature Preserve has a vast diversity of organisms and habitats on the 367 acre property. This is a very unique area with upland wetlands, non-alluvial swamp, bottomland hardwood, xeric pine forest, and mesic hardwood/pine forest. MNP has an upland portion and a lowland portion. The upland portion contains the first-order stream Cattle Creek, as well as a new wetland restoration project, and a more-established project restoring a long leaf pine/ wire grass savanna. The lowland area contains a 9-acre oxbow lake, numerous vernal pools and seasonally-flooded cypress swamp, and is bordered by 1.5 miles of Edisto River frontage. All of these characteristics provide for a great diversity within the habitats on MNP. The purpose of the Bio-Blitz is to involve specialists in all areas of biology to document the biodiversity and to provide a comprehensive flora and fauna species list.

The Bio-Blitz will begin at 9 am Saturday (May 16th) and continue through Sunday (May 17th) ending around 5pm. Participants are welcome to campout at MNP which has numerous tent sites available. We have a well-equipped cabin with a fully equipped kitchen, a full bath, lounge area, two bedrooms with bunk beds, and a screened in porch. If some would like to come Friday, I will be at MNP by 5pm Friday and will stay throughout the weekend. We will have a cook out Saturday for lunch serving hamburgers, veggie burgers, and hotdogs. Unfortunately, all other meals cannot be provided; therefore, individuals must bring food in accordance to their planned length of stay. We will have at least some coolers and a full-sized refrigerator available to store food but, of course, feel free to bring your own cooler if you’d like.

Saturday morning we plan to break out in groups scouting out areas in MNP. Because we want to create a list of flora and fauna on the property, we need participants to document their findings through pictures, notes, or possible GPS coordinates. If you have a hand-held GPS unit, please feel free to use the device to document sites of findings. Photographs taken by a digital camera can be uploaded into my computer to aid in the documentation. We are currently examining ways to better document data collected. Everyone needs to return to the cabin around 12pm for the cookout. Once everyone is finished with lunch, we plan to send groups out again to survey the property finishing around 5 pm. When finished with surveying the property, please turn over the information to one of the MNP project leaders so we can compile all the data. We would like everyone to have a lot of fun, enjoy the wilderness, and help out with our project. Hopefully, this will be a great time for everyone getting out into the habitat and provide us with valuable information about the flora and fauna of MNP.

Please RSVP to Brian Reid (bkrcoach@yahoo.com) with the number of people who will be attending, so we can bring enough food, but also to give us a feel for the type of biodiversity you feel comfortable inventorying (e.g. birds, terrestrial plants, aquatic plants, aquatic insects, butterflies, moths, reptiles, amphibians, etc)

Bio-Blitz Itinerary

May 15th Friday Brian Reid will be at MNP by 5 pm for anyone eager to get a head start
• A night walk may take place later in the evening if possible

May 16th Saturday 9am – Bio-Blitz begins

12 pm –cookout at the cabin

1:30 pm – Bio-Blitz continues

4:30-5pm – wrap up of the day

5 pm – thank you for all your hard work;
now it’s time to put up your tent and relax

6:30 pm- join us around the fire for story
swap

9pm – night walk down river trail and
along the Edisto River looking for
reptiles and amphibians lead by
Brian Reid

May 17th Sunday: no real schedule is set
-a basic outline is below

9 am – blitz time
12 pm – grab some lunch
1 pm – afternoon blitz
5 pm – the end and clean up
**thank you for all of your help and expertise and please feel free to come and go as needed.