Wrapping up the species count (Eric Endrulat and colleagues). Photo by Dave Clayton.

Fungi and lichens galore! (Dave Clayton photo).

A refuge volunteer holds a bullfrog tadpole at Trustom Pond NWR BioBlitz 2007. (Gerry Mateo photo).

During a 24-hour period, beginning at 3pm on June 1, 2007, more than 75 scientists, naturalists, and researchers descended on Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge for the Rhode Island Natural History Survey’s 8^th annual BioBlitz.  The BioBlitz is a national program designed to enhance knowledge of a state’s natural communities as well as to demonstrate to the public the diversity of plant and animal life that occurs in their own backyards.  Refuge staff was pleased to have been selected as the 2007 site and fully embraced this opportunity to learn more about the plants and animals that constitute Trustom Pond’s biota.  In particular, the staff was interested to learn more about the pond itself, a 160-acre coastal pond viewed as the key resource of the refuge.

At the end of the 24-hour period, participants had identified 963 species, even though experts in several areas of insect taxonomy were unable to attend.  In general terms, they identified nearly 300 vascular plants, 100 bird species, and 557 animals in all, including a whopping 199 butterfly and moth species!  The BioBlitz participants also identified 26 species of state listed plants and animals.  While all of these rare animals were well known to refuge staff, five of the plants identified were previously unknown and will now be managed appropriately.  In addition to expanding our knowledge of the refuge’s living resources, we also learned a good deal about Trustom Pond itself through an underwater mapping effort performed by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).  NRCS gave refuge staff a sampling of products such as submerged soils mapping, bathymetry, water chemistry, the location of springs and seeps, and much more.

The general public was invited to the BioBlitz during “day 2” of the event.  Roughly 90 members of the public participated in a series of interpretive hikes led by naturalists and refuge staff, met with species taxonomists, and viewed exhibits presented by several of our partners.