FT 9

Urban Bioblitz Along Sites of Baltimore's Upper Middle Branch and Watershed 263.

Join us on a trip along Baltimore's Upper Middle Branch trail and through the Pigtown and Carroll Park sections of Watershed 263.  These areas represent some of the more important and ecologically diverse sections of Baltimore's urban ecosystem. We will be joined by ESA members, community member and naturalists. The Applied Ecology Section has hosted an Urban Bioblitz each year, and we will be partnering with the Human Ecology section and the Baltimore Earth Stewardship Initiative to explore the coastal area of the Upper Middle Branch trail and sections of Watershed 263, a 935 acre watershed that drains into Baltimore Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay. We will be linking species assessment with land planning, management, and maintenance.  We will explore topics on urban ecology including recreational areas, wildlife habitats, and newly proposed restoration sites within the city limits.

Participants will work with community members, wildlife biologists to observe, collect, and identify some of the biodiversity along this watershed.  Teams will focus on plant diversity, birds, insects, and macro-aquatic invertebrates so that participants can get a broad exposure to biodiverstiy of Baltimore's urban environment. A reference collection will be turned over to the local community as part of this endeavor.