The Great Southern Bioblitz is upon us once again, running from Friday 20th September to Monday 23rd September, and Maroondah is once again taking part!
Get your smartphone out, download the iNaturalist app, and explore your backyard, your street or any of your local nature reserves and parklands within Maroondah and join in the 2024 Great Southern Bioblitz by making observations of the wild plants, animals and fungi you can find.
The Great Southern Bioblitz is an annual citizen science event for the southern hemisphere and is a spin-off from the City Nature Challenge, where nature enthusiasts worldwide will be observing and recording wild flora and fauna living in their local area and uploading it to the iNaturalist app (see attached).
Over the four-day period, Maroondah City Council is running seven free Nature Discovery Activities, suitable for those experienced and new to exploring the natural environment. Our experts will guide participants in observing local examples of plants, frogs, fish, water bugs, birds, moths and spiders. Numbers are limited however, so get in while you can by registering via either of the links below.
This year, Maroondah is again teaming up with other metropolitan Melbourne councils to represent “Greater Melbourne” on the global stage. By joining in and making observations of plants, animals and fungi over the four days you can help boost Maroondah’s and Greater Melbourne’s statistics in the Bioblitz and contribute to broader scientific data that can help improve biodiversity conservation.
You can also track how Maroondah is going against other councils from across metropolitan Melbourne here.
You are invited to register for any and all of the free Nature Discovery Activities being held within Maroondah during the four days, where you can learn about different species from expert guides. Make sure to register for the activities, as spots are limited.
Nature Discovery activity – focus on plants
- Date: Friday 20th September 2024
- Time: 1:00pm to 3:00pm
- Location: Loughie’s Bushland, Ringwood North.
- Facilitator: Julia Franco – Professional botanist and local resident
Nature Discovery activity – focus on frogs
- Date: Friday 20th September 2024
- Time: 6:00pm to 8:00pm
- Location: Candlebark Walk Reserve, Croydon Hills
- Facilitator: David De Angelis – Professional ecologist
Nature Discovery activity – focus on fish
- Date: Saturday 21st September 2024
- Time: 10:00am to 12:00pm
- Location: Mullum Mullum Creek, Ringwood
- Facilitator: ARI aquatic scientists
Nature Discovery activity – focus on water bugs
- Date: Saturday 21st September 2024
- Time: 1:00pm – 3:00pm
- Location: Tarralla Creek, Croydon
- Facilitator: Mel Klamt – Aquatic ecologist
Nature Discovery activity – focus on birds
- Date: Saturday 21st September 2024
- Time: 3:30pm – 5:30pm
- Location: Wombolano Park, Ringwood East
- Facilitator: Will Mitchell – Birdlife Australia and local resident
Nature Discovery activity – focus on moths
- Date: Saturday 21st September 2024
- Time: 7.00pm to 10:00pm
- Location: Hochkins Ridge Flora Reserve, Warranwood
- Facilitator: Peter Marriott – Entomologist
Nature Discovery activity – focus on spiders
- Date: Monday 23rd September 2024
- Time: 2:00pm to 4:00pm
- Location: H.E. Parker Reserve/Dexters Bush, Heathmont
- Facilitator: Ben Kurek – Arachnologist
Coinciding with the Great Southern Bioblitz are two other events running during September (Biodiversity Month). The 2024 Melbourne Biodiversity Blitzwill run all month long and Birrarung Riverfest 2024 will run from the 1st to the 21st of September. We encourage you to make as many observations through iNaturalist throughout September and participate in Nature Discovery Activities during the 2024 Great Southern Bioblitz.
Making an observation in iNaturalist is easy! Making an observation valuable to science requires a little more care – try to make sure what you are recording is “wild”, ie not captive, domesticated, planted or cultivated, and take note of the advice provided in the attached guide to ensure you record the characteristics that are needed for others to independently identify what you have seen.
And you can be making valuable observations in iNaturalist for Maroondah at any time, Great Southern Bioblitz or not! All observations ever made in iNaturalist within Maroondah can be explored here “Nature in Maroondah”.
Cheers and have fun!
Doug
Doug Evans
Strategic Environment Planner
Maroondah City Council
Realm | 179 Maroondah Highway, Ringwood
T 03 9298 4261
Doug.Evans@maroondah.vic.gov.au
HEATHMONT BUSHCARE 