The event, part rapid biology survey and part nature festival, is called "Bioblitz." Region 3's Minnesota Valley NWR in Bloomington, Minn., was the site for the 2nd Annual Minnesota Bioblitz, co-sponsored by the refuge, Friends of the Minnesota Valley, Bell Museum of Natural History at the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Non-game Wildlife Program.

This year, state organizers chose Minnesota Valley NWR as the site for the Minnesota event. ?They liked the combination of the refuge's natural areas and our close proximity to the metro area, which made it accessible to the general public,? said Refuge Biologist Vicki Sherry who together with Kevin Bigalke of the Friends of the Minnesota Valley, helped organize the event.

Bioblitz provided a unique opportunity for biologists from several natural resource agencies and local colleges and universities to work together to document the flora and fauna of the refuge. ?Experts ranging from spider identification to fungi specialists worked in cooperation with Refuge volunteers and the public to showcase what lives in their own backyard.? Sherry said.

?With over 14,000 Refuge acres and various research projects, I don?t have enough time to concentrate on specialized groups of organisms such as spiders, fungi, or beetles,? Sherry said. ?It was great to have the local experts around to ask questions and learn survey techniques and species identification from them. At one point over 30 scientists were working in visitor center classrooms to identify insects, fungi and plants and entering all the data into databases?it was great to see science at work.?

Advance publicity in local newspapers and television stories helped create a public ?buzz? about the refuge event. ?Friday evening people were coming into the visitor center saying ?we saw this on the news this afternoon and we know this is a big job---how can we help?? Sherry explained, adding that the event helped increase visibility of the refuge visitor center, which is located a few blocks east of the Mall of America.

Scientists including local spider, insect, mammal and bird experts, herpetologists and mycologists assisted during the event. Fish were not sampled by boat due to the high water conditions of the Minnesota River. About 150 others attended the scheduled bird hikes, evening wildlife walks, and wetland and woodland hikes. One of the most popular events was a bird banding demonstration, where visitors got a chance to get a close up view of many bird species and learn about banding and how to determine the age and sex of the bird.

The Bioblitz confirmed what refuge staff and regular visitors have known for years: that despite its urban location, the refuge still has wild places that are home to everything from prickly pear cactus to bald eagles, to river otters. Although some groups are still verifying specimens, 913 species were identified in 24 hours including 314 insects, 329 plants, 6 mollusks, 3 land snails and slugs, 105 fungi, 7 fish (incomplete sample due to dangerous water levels), 15 mammals, 92 birds, 5 reptiles, 7 amphibians, 5 invertebrates and 25 species of spiders. The survey also yielded a few surprises to refuge staff.

?The plant group found a clustered broomrape (Orobanche fasciulata), a parasitic non-green plant which is a species of special concern in Minnesota,? Sherry said. ?Birding volunteers also documented a Henslow's sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) using an area of the refuge. The Henslow's sparrow is a state-listed endangered species in Minnesota, and a Region 3 Conservation Priority.?

Despite al the work involved with running a 24-hour event, Sherry said the event paid big dividends for the refuge.

?The Bioblitz taught us a lot,? Sherry explained. ?We now have current records of more than 913 organisms that live on the refuge. We had outside experts both confirm things from our previous species list and find new species to add to the lists. The experience may lead us in new research/monitoring directions.

In addition to learning about the diversity of species that inhabit the Refuge, Sherry said she was amazed by the interest the public had in learning about the flora and fauna.

?There seemed to be a passion for the Refuge that came with the people that attended the Boblitz. They wanted to learn, but they really wanted to help us. You could see that the people truly appreciated the Refuge and understood what an important place this was for wildlife and plants, especially in an area that is surrounded by development. I know as a wildlife biologist, this was one of those times it was obvious that people truly appreciated National Wildlife Refuges.?