Join us for the inaugural Team-Challenge Bioblitz at The Elling Eide Center, a 72-acre preserve and research library on Little Sarasota Bay. This is an exciting opportunity to discover the natural beauty of the Elling Eide Preserve and support our long-term land management and conservation goals.

Bioblitzes are a type of citizen science activity when the community joins together to document as many types of living things within a specific area, during an intensive, usually 24-hour, time period. The Elling Eide Center Team‑Challenge Bioblitz is a community-driven biodiversity survey where individuals or teams of up to six people will use the citizen science platform iNaturalist to document their observations.

Observations will be aggregated together for the Preserve, creating research-grade data that will help us track species richness, abundance, and phenology over time. Ultimately, this information will guide land management decisions at the Eide Preserve and conservation decisions more widely.

Participants of all ages are invited to attend. Please note, those under 16 must have an adult guardian present and with them for the duration of the event. Each team needs at least one device with the iNaturalist app installed in order to participate. The Center especially encourages participation from naturalists, photographers, and those with expertise in plants, insects, arachnids, and other taxa.

Following the BioBlitz, prizes will be awarded in four categories, including Most Significant Discovery, Most Species Observed Overall, Most Invertebrate Species Observed, and Best iNaturalist Observation.

Participants are invited to arrive or return any time between 6:30 AM and 7:00 PM. Entry will close at 7:00 PM with the BioBlitz ending after sunset. This free event includes lunch at noon and a late‑afternoon happy hour.

Learn more and register at eidecenter.org/visit-the-preserve.