friends of CSNM Board Member Peter Schroeder (left) is the 2015 bioblitz coordinator. Citizen scientists* will work will help scientists and naturalists gather data on butterfly diversity and abundance at the Monument on june 6, 2015.
Dr. Peter Schroeder, Associate Professor of Biology at Southern Oregon University and a Board Member of the Friends of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument tells about our June 6, 2015 BioBlitz:
"The Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is home to one of the richest communities of butterflies in North America. Our 2015 Butterfly BioBlitz will give our citizens an opportunity to learn about butterflies in the Monument while helping scientists and naturalists gather data on butterfly diversity and abundance. We are fortunate to welcome leaders from Eugene, Klamath Falls and southern Oregon, who were at the Crater Lake 2014 BioBlitz.
Currently, the number and diversity of many organisms, including some butterflies such as the Monarch, are declining worldwide. Stable ecosystems rely on a healthy, sustainable biodiversity.
Efforts to understand why organisms are declining, including the role humans play in this decline, are urgently important in finding ways to stabilize and manage ecosystems. The data collected from the Butterfly BioBlitz, along with past data on butterfly abundance and diversity, will help scientists follow changes in organism biodiversity within the Monument and possibly relate them with those in climate and/or management efforts. These data will assist BLM in developing the best strategies for managing the Monument.
The mission of Friends of Cascade Siskiyou National Monument is to engage in projects that protect, preserve, and restore our Monument for all to enjoy. One way of achieving this mission is to assist the general public in learning about the unique biological, geological, anthropological, and sociological values of the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument and how they can participate in these efforts."
Listen at JPR (7:34 min.)
Peter Schroeder, BioBlitz Coordinator talks about the 2015 BioBlitz of Butterflies at the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument.
Listen at JRP Radio (24:51 min.)
Peter Schroeder, Friends of CSNM Board member and Scott Hoffman Black, Xerces Society Executive Director talk about pollinators, the need for habitat, biodiversity and federal strategy.
*Citizen scientists and crowd-sourced science are contemporary terms for centuries-old efforts and practice of independent naturalists and scientists.