Environmental center hosts BioBlitz for scientists and naturalists

WOLF LAKE, Ind. – What do you get when 30 scientists and naturalists gather for one day to document the presence of as many species as possible on a property of 1,189 acres? A BioBlitz at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College on Saturday, July 12.

A BioBlitz brings together specialists from diverse disciplines who might not normally interact and allows the public to interact with the scientific community in ways that might not otherwise be possible. These events celebrate the biodiversity present in local communities.

Like most BioBlitzes, Merry Lea’s event will bring together people from a variety of backgrounds. Attendees include an expert on painted turtles from Aurora, Ill.; a curator of bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) from the Field Museum in Chicago; an aquatic biologist who will use electrosampling equipment to inventory fish; a tribal plant specialist for the Miami Nation of Indiana; an entomologist; a botanist; a rich assortment of birders and others with a passion for a particular group of organisms.

Merry Lea’s BioBlitz will run from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with hikes open to the public offered at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Children and adults are invited to visit the different teams at work in the field and ask questions. Environmental educators will be on hand to share the most interesting findings and explain collection methods. For a morning hike, arrive at Merry Lea’s Learning Center at 9:30 a.m. For an afternoon hike, arrive at the Learning Center at 2:30 p.m. Hikes will last about one and a half hours.

Merry Lea also welcomes additional naturalists who would like to identify species on July 12 or assist with other tasks. For a registration form, e-mail jenniferhs@goshen.edu or call (260) 799-5869. For directions, visit www.goshen.edu/merrylea/about/directions.php.

Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College is a 1,189-acre nature preserve located in central Noble County, midway between Fort Wayne and Goshen. Merry Lea’s landscape includes a diversity of forest, prairie and wetland ecosystems. The center provides environmental education to people of all ages, including over 7,000 school children each year. Merry Lea was created with the assistance of the Nature Conservancy and the generosity of Lee A. and Mary Jane Rieth.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.