Native Plant Society to host bioblitz May 17

Join the Redbud Chapter of the California Native Plant Society and Auburn State Recreation Area (ASRA) staff for a citizen-science bioblitz in the American River Canyon on Sunday, May 17 beginning at 8 a.m. A bioblitz is an intense period of biological surveying. In this bioblitz, citizen scientists will be surveying for three newly emergent invasive weeds that threaten all we love in the Canyon. Invasive weeds disrupt native vegetation and ecosystems. They displace healthy native plant communities and ultimately have a significant negative impact on the well being of the entire ecosystem. Globally, invasive weeds are the greatest single threat to native plants and wildlife. "For our bioblitz, we are targeting three newly emergent species, Eggleaf Spurge, Italian Thistle and Barbed Goatgrass," explained Leslie Warren, Redbud Chapter President. "These infestations are relatively small in the ASRA right now, and if we work together to detect, contain and remove them before they become problematic, we'll be saving native plant species and the wildlife that depends on them. Auburn State Recreation Area staff and Redbud volunteers have selected 17 trailheads in Auburn State Recreation Area for bioblitz surveying. Citizen scientist volunteers will select a trailhead for the bioblitz, by registering on the CNPS Redbud website. At each trailhead, a botanist leader will meet volunteers who will survey the trail, using their iNaturalist app to geomark locations of the three target invasive weeds. On May 30, citizen-scientist volunteers and Auburn State Recreation Area staff will come back into the Canyon to remove the weeds that are tagged on May 17. Trails range from easy to difficult to easy, short to long, and volunteers can pick whichever trail suits them best. All ages are welcome! It'll be a fun day being out of doors and in our beautiful Canyon identifying wildflowers, marking these noxious weeds and concluding at Moonraker Brewery in the afternoon to download our INat data and share stories about our experiences on the trail. Everyone's welcome! For more information on how to join the bioblitz contact Emily Sobelman at emily.sobelman@sierranevadaalliance.org or go to the California Native Plant Society Redbud Chapter website and register for your trail of choice there. Let's protect our canyon from invasive weed invasions and support the species that are native to our beautiful and beloved Auburn State Recreation Area. The California Native Plant Society Redbud Chapter brings together community members, science, education, conservation and gardening to power the native plant movement. When we plant native plants, we save everything else; because locally native plants provide shelter and food to local insects and wildlife. The bioblitz is part of a broader campaign of CNPS Redsbud to increase public awareness of invasive weeds. When we head out to enjoy our parks and nature areas, it is important that we first remove and properly dispose of all weed seeds from our clothing, pets and gear so that we do not inadvertently start an epidemic.