Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area - Nature & Science (U.S. National Park Service)

Scientific Studies
The Boston Harbor Islands Partnership invites you to explore the rich biodiversity of the Boston Harbor Islands. The islands are both a recreational haven and a laboratory in which to learn about natural change, cultural history, and stewardship.

The biodiversity inventory (described below) is a major research effort underway in the park to help understand the diversity of invertebrate life on the islands. Social science projects help us understand the human component of park ecosystems.

"Island Research" explains how to conduct research in the park, and related topics:

"Volunteer Stewardship" shows how citizens of all ages can assist with scientific research.

All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI)
Researchers at the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) at Harvard University are collaborating with the National Park Service (NPS) and Boston Harbor Islands Partnership to inventory insects and other invertebrates in Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The project aims to integrate three main themes:

The Boston Harbor Islands Invertebrate Database at Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology contains records for all park specimens in the entomology collections.

ATBI field collection with beating sheet

Scientists from the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology collect insects from the islands as part of the park's All-taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI).

Our project joins other similar efforts in parks and natural areas worldwide that are documenting local biodiversity. In order to educate and excite the public about the amazing diversity of animals that live on the islands we involve the public, and make the data we collect accessible to students, teachers, and entomologists. A few highlights of events for the public over the last three years include:

On June 6, 2005 Dr. Brian Farrell and Dr. E.O. Wilson were joined by students from Odyssey High School and from Boston Environmental Ambassadors to National Parks (BEAN) for a "bioblitz" on Lovells Island. See the video of what they found (requires QuickTime software).
Between June 10-11, 2006 another bio-blitz—this time focused on beetles—was held on Thompson and Lovells Islands. Despite cold and rainy weather, over 30 students, amateurs and professionals gathered to collect over 70 beetle species within 24 hours.
In July, 2006 and again in 2007, teachers from the Boston area gathered for one day to learn about the biodiversity of Boston Harbor Islands, and to become familiar with an insect "teaching kit" we have developed for teachers to take out to the islands with their classes. The kit guides teachers and their students through simple activities, including: catching insects, learning to identify and sort them, and then, preparing samples to donate to the ATBI project.
In August, 2008, citizen scientists (students and adults) joined scientists and professional naturalists in an Intertidal Bioblitz to discover all the life found in that area. They compared species diversity in different intertidal habitats including permanent rocky outcrops, cobble beaches, salt marshes, and mudflats on several of the islands. Stay tuned for updates on the results of the study.

Sciences
A major social science research project in the park looked at visitor carrying capacity.

The University of Idaho Cooperative Park Studies Unit is assisting units of the national park system to measure visitor satisfaction and visitor understanding. Boston Harbor Islands has participated in the Visitor Survey Card project annually since 1999. Visit the NPS social science program for more details.