A BioBlitz is an effort to record as many species as possible in a certain location within a designated time period using an app called iNaturalist. Since 2023, the sanctuary has held multiple BioBlitz events at Charles County’s Mallows Bay Park, the gateway to the sanctuary waters. Members of the public collected hundreds of observations of different species of plants and animals, both on land and in the water. This data helps sanctuary co-managers better understand the biodiversity of the area, as well as the presence of any invasive or endangered species.
Each spring, the sanctuary holds a BioBlitz event as a part of the Washington DC-region City Nature Challenge. The City Nature Challenge is a worldwide event where different cities “compete” to observe and identify the most species, contributing millions of observations to a worldwide biodiversity database. Check out our events page to learn more about our next BioBlitz event!