Bioblitz 2000 was the first bioblitz in Rhode Island, and took place from 3:00 p.m. on Friday, June 9 to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 10, at Roger Williams Park in Providence, RI. It was cosponsored by the Rhode Island Natural History Survey and the Roger Williams Park and Zoo. The plan was to engage the public’s interest and highlight urban biodiversity. Three main venues were set up, with tally boards at the Zoo, Charles H. Smith Greenhouses, and Museum of Natural History.
The Rhode Island Natural History Survey is pleased to announce the results. Thirty-three biologists and naturalists scoured the grounds and ponds of Roger Williams Park and Zoo to come up with a final tally of 665 species. Rhode Island Natural History Survey scientists including president Rick Enser, beetle-specialist Derek Sikes, and David Gregg were locked inside the zoo overnight to tally night-flying insects and other animals.
Many thanks go to the main organizers of the event for all the hard work they put into it, both before and during the event. In addition to Survey Director Lisa Gould, special thanks go to Roger Williams Park & Zoo staff Russ Bood, Lisa Bousquet, Bruce Clark, Lisa Dabek, Robbie Fearn, Fred Holman, Tracie Keough, Marilyn Massaro, Jim Shepard, Arnold Smith, and Shareen Zaki, and to Rick Enser for coordinating the Rhode Island Natural History Survey participants.
Participants in Bioblitz 2000:
Eric Amador
Jose Amador
Suzanne Ambs Azar
Laurence Blakely
Bill Bradley
Charlie Brown
Virginia Carpenter
Richard Enser
Leigh Finan
Lou Finan
Alan Gettman
Ellie Gettman
Joseph Gorres
Lisa Gould
Meggan Gould
Douglas Greene
David Gregg
Paul Hargraves
Jane Jackson
Keith Killingbeck
Linda Lapin
Hope Leeson
Peter Lockwood
Jeffery Michals-Brown
Chris Nerone
Jim Normann
Rudy Lapin Normann
Sue Oppenheimer
Mary Savin
Derek Sikes
Angelo Simeone
Adrienne van der Beemt
Anne Wagner
Tally Sheet for Bioblitz 2000 Roger Williams Park & Zoo June 9-10, 2000
Final Count 665
Plants (total): 287 43.1%
Trees & shrubs: 114 17.1%
Herbaceous plants: 152 23.0%
Ferns & fern allies: 6 0.9%
Mosses: 15 0.2%
Algae: 44 6.6%
Fungi: 4 0.6%
Lichens: 25 3.8%
Animals (total): 295 44.4%
Mammals: 8 1.2%
Birds: 41 6.2%
Reptiles: 3 0.5%
Amphibians: 1 0.15%
Fish: 2 0.3%
Beetles: 139 21.0%
Moths & butterflies: 48 7.2%
Odonates: 17 2.6%
Other insects: 12 1.8%
Soil invertebrates: 7 1.1%
Aquatic invertebrates: 17 2.6%
Bacteria: 6 0.9%
Viruses: 1 0.15%