Groundwork Hudson Valley BioBlitz 2009

BioBlitz Research

Welcome to our research section. Here we've collected information about our speakers and scientists. As BioBlitz progresses we will also update this page with the latest findings.

• Scientists
• Speakers
• Findings

Scientist Bios

Here is a sample of scientists who will be collecting samples during the Biolitz:

Charlie Stains

Charlie Staines has been studying insects since the middle of his college career. He is an entomologist, one who studies insects. He began doing field and lab research investigating environmentally sound and effective ways to reduce and prevent the negative effects of pests like the European corn borer and mosquitoes. This kind of approach, called biological control, reduces the use of toxic pesticides. Read More

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Speakers

Fred Koontz, Executive Director, Teatown Lake Reservation

Joining Teatown in June 2005, Dr. Fred Koontz brought a wide range of experience working with wildlife and environmental education, including 21 years in the nature conservation and environmental protection fields. A native of Baltimore, Fred received his Ph.D. in Zoology in 1984 from the University of Maryland. While in graduate school, he worked at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoological Park, specializing in animal communication and the social behavior of mammals. 

Fred’s vast experiences include a 15-year career at the Wildlife Conservation Society, where he was a former Curator of Mammalogy at the Bronx Zoo. He was also the founder and first director of the Society’s Science Resource Center, which was created to train conservation professionals to incorporate cutting-edge methodologies and technologies into their work. As Program Director and Executive Vice President at the Wildlife Trust, he founded the New York Bioscape Initiative, a program that takes a multidisciplinary approach to studying biodiversity and health in the tri-state metropolitan region.

A highly regarded leader in the field of nature conservation, environmental protection and education, Fred has spoken extensively on both animal behavior and wildlife conservation, including television and radio programs. He has authored more than 50 articles, and has held adjunct positions at three universities. He has served on committees for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s Hudson River Estuary Program, American Zoos and Aquariums Association and other organizations. Locally, he serves on the Town of Philipstown Natural Resources Committee and is a member of the board of the Hudson Highlands Land Trust.

Laura Heady, Biodiversity Outreach Coordinator, New York State, Department of Environmental Conservation, Hudson River Estuary Program.

Laura works with municipalities to provide them with a summary of documented significant ecological communities, rare plants and animals, and other available data on biological resources.

Dr. William Schlesinger, President, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

Before coming to the Institute, he served in a dual capacity at Duke University, as both the James B. Duke Professor of Biogeochemistry and Dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. A graduate of Dartmouth College (A.B.) and Cornell University (PhD.), he has been investigating the link between environmental chemistry and global climate change for over 30 years.

His recent work focuses on understanding how trees and soil influence atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Dr. Schlesinger is the author or coauthor of over 180 scientific papers. His textbook Biogeochemistry: An analysis of climate change is widely taught at the university level. Findings from his research have been featured on NOVA, CNN, NPR, and in the pages of Discover, National Geographic, The New York Times, and Scientific American.

His distinctions include elected membership in both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a past president of the Ecological Society of America (2003-2004) and an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow (1999). Dr. Schlesinger is committed to bridging the divide between science and policy. He has testified before U.S. House and Senate Committees on a range of environmental issues, including desert habitat preservation, global climate change, and, most recently, carbon sequestration. Currently, he serves on the boards of The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and Terrapass LLC.

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Findings

We are pleased to announce that BioBlitz scientists found over 650 different species in the Saw Mill River Watershed!

Preliminary Species Count:
Total: 650 and counting!
Aquatic Invertebrates: 24
Bees & Wasps: 32
Beetles: 42
Birds: 67
Dragonflies: 13
Fish: 5
Fungi: 74
Herps (Reptiles & Amphibians): 5
Insects (Other): 100+
Mammals: 12
Plants: 208
Spiders: 60

We are still working on data entry and will post more detailed results as soon as possible.

Prior to this year’s BioBlitz, there have been sporadic assessments completed of plants and birds in the watershed. Here’s a little preview of what we’ll find:

* Breeding confirmed or designated probable using the New York State Breeding Bird Atlas criteria, i.e. food for young, recently fledge young, nest found etc.

Fish species identified by 2008/2009 Saunders High School study
Students trained by Professors Joe Rachlin and Barbara Warkentine, Lehman College

Blacknose dace
White sucker
Bass
Tesselated darter
Red Breast sunfish
Pumpkinseed fish
Sunfish species
ShinnerS

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