Goodbye BioBlitz

Here we are, the end of BioBlitz 2008...and the purpose of our 3,000 mile jaunt. We leave tomorrow night, so I imagine tonight will be rather festive--full of Mexican fare, beers, surfing, and, hopefully, a campsite in Ventura or Oxnard. (What denial? You mean there isn't an open camping spot within two-hundred square miles?)

Here is a quick recap of the last few hours of the Blitz, which ended officially at noon. (Post-event activities run well into the evening.)

FINAL SPECIES TALLY: 1,364 (from the official BioBlitz blog)

Algae - 22
Amphibian - 4
Arthropod - 628
Bird - 86
Fish - 6
Lichen - 3
Mammal - 12
Marine Invertebrate - 91
Other Invertebrate - 2
Plant - 495
Reptile - 15

The biggest of the aforementioned tents at BioBase camp was the "Inventory Tent" where all the field data was processed, recorded, and displayed. Think of it equal parts computers, HD TVs, dead insects, and plants. On the right side of the covering were tables full of biologists and other science geeks labeling and pinning captured specimens onto white foam boards. One dude was wrist deep in dead critters and informed those watching him that over 200 bug species had been counted in Malibu Creek State Park alone.

Gary and Julie Hevel were working a few strides further at the next table. Gary is a Public Information Officer with the Department of Entomology at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. (Our neighbors, really, when met this far from home.) Wife Julie, well, she's just an interesting lady who possesses and unquantifiable depth of insect knowledge. The Hevel's had 18 display cases in front of them with approximately 4,000 documented insect species. Some had yet to be identified and were going to be sent to other biologists to review and name.

Regardless, their collection is fascinating, and the time investment to acquire each subject all but incomprehensible. But here's the most remarkable statistic about the bug stash: every one of them was found in the Hevel's backyard in Silver Spring, MD from which--I shit you not--they drove to California. And that explains the presence of one pin stuck bug that was particularly noticeable. The Marmorated Stink Bug is an invasive species that originated in Asia that devours veggies and other green growth. And they are regularly found inhabiting the moldy corners of my bathroom ceiling in DC."They're white, black, white, black on their abdoman," Gary explained. "That might explain where the name came from." Neither Gary nor Julie mentioned how the crawlers got to the U.S.

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The Mounties patrolled the premises of the Paramount again this morning. Their horses were young and powerful and firmly harnessed in snug saddles. Kay was the most unique--a 13 year-old female whose color, jockey Rebecca Florio informed, is an uneven mixture of white with tan freckles known by equestrians as "flea-bitten gray." The shiny red apple in my right hand did not go unnoticed and Kay shuffled in my direction.

"How much does she weigh?"

"Right now she's about 875 pounds," Rebecca answered.

"So, she likes to eat apples, I presume."

"Yes she does. You can feed it to her," said Rebecca.

Chomp.

Damn, Kay! Those are fingers, not apple. Kay's slobbering gnawing immediately attracted the nine-year old stallion with a forgettable name to her left. Horses like fruits and veggies, which might explain why they can age up to 40 years. Kay's handlers are special people who care deeply for these animals. She will be treated well...so long as she doesn't find herself on a race track with any broken legs.

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On a personal note, this was a great event--although accompanied by exhaustion from lousy sleep, three-hour longboarding sessions at Dana Point and Malibu, and tragic, perspective-altering auto collisions. I met some great people that will hopefully stay in touch for years to come. Lee Kats, Ph.D., a Pepperdine University biology professor is one of the two coolest cats I met this weekend. He was looking for a spot to grub at the welcome barbecue at Gillette on Thursday night and landed on the faded-red ledge next to me. Conversation spawned from there. Lee recently returned from Costa Rica and is heading off to Argentina with some bio students in June. Sounds like a bad ass trip. Here's to the Cubs making a run for the NL Pennant, Lee...and then losing to the Phils!!

Joel Robinson was the other dude with whom I shared an accidental hike and a campsite. Joel is a self-employed naturalist from Orange County I met when he stopped his mid-90s Honda Civic in front of our spot. He was looking for a place to crash. I offered him some space and a foam sleeping pad. We later met up on a trail and hoofed it to Century Lake, where our only other company were three mallards and an obtrusive concrete dam. Joel gives guided trail hikes and tours to all sorts of groups--like overworked, corporate lawyers on retreat from San Francisco. He left me his contact information. I'll pass it on below in case anyone reading this cares to employ Joel's services. He is personable and articulate and well-versed in the biodiversity of Southern California, and eerily resembles a patchy-bearded Keanu Reeves.

Joel Robinson
jrobinsonl@naturalist-for-you.org ... check him out.

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Thanks for the good time all. Tomorrow it's back to the right coast grind; I return under protest. It's incredible here. Sunny skies, good waves, fresh enchiladas, and plenty of natural wonder. The east coast doesn't have a thing on SoCal. One of these days I'll be back for good.

Until then, be well everyone.

peace~

-j/d

Midnight walk or, Running into a Net is the Last Thing You Want to Do While Pregnant

There was a five second pause before I finally mustered the courage to ask.

"And, um, well stupid quesiton but, how exactly do you know that it's pregnant?"

Before I could snicker at my sudden mental image of the nervous little she-bat peeing over a mini Rite-Aid pregnancy stick, Pepperdine's Rodney Hancock gently flipped her over with his gloved hand and pointed. Still on the tree, the Big Brown Bat was now it's back.

"See those big bulbs there?"

I squinted. If I hadn't know any better, which I don't, I would have assumed this was a male with two large spectacularly large cojones.

"Those are embryos."

Well I'll be damned. Here before me was America's bat, laying there looking exceedingly pissed off with two batbuns in the oven. Rodney plopped down another smaller species next to it. No sooner than my had camera focused on this one, it hopped off the tree and scampered towards the creek. He replaced this one with a non-pregnant Big Brown relative. Its coat was shiny and its movements were quick. It wanted to get the hell out of there. As soon as Rodney lifted his finger that was pinning the bat, it jumped off and out of the light. I panicked and instinctively checked my crotch. ,Thankfully finding no bat attached to it, I shined my flashlight into the creek, unable to find it. It had flown off.

Rodney wandered off to retrieve his remaining nets that had been strewn across the creek, capturing unsuspecting creatures of the night. I shut off my flashlight as my let my eyes adjust to the darkness. The sounds of cool water and hundreds of croaking frogs filled my ears.

-RD