BioBlitz

View our 2021 Bioblitz Report!

Each year since 2017, Gowanus Canal Conservancy has held a bioblitz, working with experts, volunteers, and students to survey and document the biodiversity thriving in and around the Gowanus Canal. On foot and canoe, the team traverses the area for a set period of time (typically from 4 to 24 hours), documenting their findings using iNaturalist, a citizen science mapping application. The bioblitzes provide yearly species inventories at a time when the canal and its banks are rapidly changing with the Superfund clean-up and new development.

Over 3,000 wildlife observations of more than 500 species have been made in the survey area, including over 300 plant species, over 40 bird species and over 40 marine life species. Visit iNaturalist to view all of our observations.

On September 7^th and 8^th 2019, GCC held its largest bioblitz. A collaboration with Macaulay Honors College and Greenwood Cemetery, the 2019 BioBlitz involved an entire weekend of intensive and collaborative cataloguing of the life in both Gowanus and Greenwood. Hundreds of Macaulay students were guided by scientific experts and other knowledgeable volunteers. Stay tuned for a full report of our findings.

Partners

Gowanus Dredgers
Brooklyn Bird Club
New York Botanical Garden
Macaulay Honors College
Greenwood Cemetery