On June 25-26, 2004, hundreds of volunteers undertook a Grasslands BioBlitz to:

• Identify within 24 hours as many species of plants & animals as possible in our study area;
• Inform the community about the techniques used and what we learned as a result of the event regarding the area's diversity of living things and ecological systems; and
• Provide opportunities for interested members of the public to learn first-hand about the ways scientists study the natural world and about the number of different species found in the BioBlitz area.

Where was the BioBlitz?

The Grasslands BioBlitz was held on approximately 6,000 acres (about 10 square miles) of publicly owned and managed grasslands near the border of Jefferson and Boulder counties, Colorado. The map shows the area and the four zones we examined.

The hub of activity for the BioBlitz was the U.S. Department of Energy's Rocky Flats Visitor Center - where scientific teams checked in and examined some of their finds under microscopes, the opening ceremonies were held, and an array of agencies and organizations offered hundreds of visitors educational information, demonstrations, and exhibits about grasslands plants and animals. In addition, interpretive walks and field demonstrations were conducted at Boulder City and Jefferson County Open Space trailheads. The entire program is available on our Programs page.

What did you find?

From 12 noon on June 25 to 12 noon, June 26, Scientific Teams searched the area and found over 1,397 different species! Check out our list of the Lead Scientists and what their teams looked for.

To check your understanding of grasslands and the plants and animals living there, give this a try: Guess which team found the most and the least different kinds (species) of living things.

Compare your prediction with the total number of species identified from each team's observations and collections.

With thanks to...
Dave Sutherland, City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, for designing our website; Mark Richert, BioBlitz Coordinator, for preparing and maintaining our website in 2004; John McComb, BioBlitz volunteer, for archiving all the media coverage; and Tara Hess, CU Museum, for updating and maintaining our website in 2005.