Note: Minnesota BioBlitz 2010 will take place rain or shine. For recorded weather and activity updates, call 612-626-7133.

5 p.m. Friday, June 11th to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 12th
Vermillion Highlands and Vermillion River, Dakota County

This year's Minnesota BioBlitz will take place at the Vermillion Highlands Research, Recreation and Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and Vermillion River (WMA). Our base-camp and main check-in will be at the UMore Park Administration Building at 1605 160th Street W., Rosemount, MN 55068.

Every year Minnesota BioBlitz attracts hundreds of families and scientists from around the state who use sonar detectors, bug lights, live traps and laptops to count and chronicle an area's floral and fauna. Volunteers of all ages work alongside biologists to collect plants and insects and live-trap animals, which are identified before being released back into the wild. Collection stations and inventory "leader boards" will be set up inside at the UMore Park Administration Building.

The event aims to increase the public's awareness of an area's biological diversity (locations change every year), offers a chance for citizens to work with scientists, and provides an environmental benchmark for natural resources managers of Minnesota parks. Minnesota BioBlitz is co-sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. For more information and volunteer opportunities, contact Jennifer Menken at menke004@umn.edu.

Participant information

This year's BioBlitz will take place over an area of about four miles and will require driving from the check-in point to various parking and staging area. Participants should check in the UMore Park Administration Building for a map to the activity sites. There will also be limited shuttled service from the main building throughout the day.

The site has no paved trails so be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces. Participants should bring their own sunscreen, insect repellant and drinking water and wear clothese and shoes that are comfortable for walking in tall grass. If you plan to participate in aquatic activities, wear clothing (or a swimsuit) and shoes that can get wet. For safety reasons, we cannot allow bare feet.

Minnesota BioBlitz 2010 Schedule of Events

Please check back as events will be added up to the kick-off time. All events are free of charge and open to the public until otherwise noted. Participants should check-in at the main building at UMore Park.

Questions and Answers from
Minnesota BioBlitz Coordinator Jennifer Menken

Q. What is the Minnesota BioBlitz?
A. BioBlitz is an intensive 24-hour survey to find all the plants and animals at a specific location and a 24-hour survey in which the public helps scientists find different plants and animals. Designed as part contest, part festival, part educational event, part scientific endeavor, Minnesota BioBlitz brings together scientists from across the state in a race against time.

Q. What's the goal of Minnesota BioBlitz?
A. The goal is to count as many species of plants and animals in a particular area within a 24-hour time frame. But BioBlitz is also designed to increase the public's awareness of the variety of life in their immediate neighborhood.

Q. What can a participant expect to see?
A. We usually hear the word "biodiversity" in regard to rainforests with their vast number of species. Yet the diversity of life in our own backyards is phenomenal. We take for granted clean water, fertile soil, and air to breathe. Yet these are all the result of working ecosystems filled with species that perform these tasks. While species range greatly depending on the location, expect to see everything from lake trout to red fox at this year's site.

Q. What happens to the data collected at Minnesota BioBlitz?
A. BioBlitz generates a list of species found at a chosen location, a first step in successful natural resource management. Minnesota BioBlitz has the potential to identify species that should be monitored or controlled. It may identify unique aspects of the area that might otherwise not have been known. This information along with recommendations from the scientists is supplied to the host site.

Previous Minnesota BioBlitz Sites

2009 Crosby Farm Park, St. Paul - 564 species
2008 Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Bloomington - 748 species
2007 Warner Nature Center, Marine on the St. Croix - 1,128 species
2006 New Bell Museum Site, Falcon Heights - 850 species
2005 Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, Bloomington - 989 species
2004 Tamarac Nature Center, White Bear Lake - 750 species

Minnesota BioBlitz Partners

University of Minnesota
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota Naturalist Association
Minnesota Native Plant Society
Minnesota Mycological Society
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service