BioBlitz at New Brunswick's Grand Lake draws biologists from all over
Count of slime moulds, snails, frogs, fish and other species planned
Dozens of biologists and researchers will be working in the Grand Lake area of Central New Brunswick later this week, counting as many species as they can, in what is called a "BioBlitz."
It's the second year for a BioBlitz in the area, and the third natural area scientists have studied since 2009 in New Brunswick.
Grand Lake BioBlitz supervisor Don McAlpine, chair of the natural science department at the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John, said biologists have come from all over for the event.
"The bulk of them are from the Maritimes and Eastern Canada," he said.
"But this year we have people coming from Maine," he added. "We have a lady who's a slime mould expert coming from Maine. We have a herpetologist coming from California. We have a terrestrial snail expert coming from B.C. We have a mammal person coming from Kansas. So they're coming some considerable distances, some of them."
McAlpine said BioBlitzes tend to be focused on protected natural areas, which have been set aside through legislation.
The legislation requires that management plans are developed for the sites, so officials need to know which species they are protecting.