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Researchers to race the clock to study Potomac Gorge

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Scientists and researchers will have 30 hours to find as many species as possible in the Potomac River Gorge this weekend during what amounts to a huge, ecological scavenger hunt.

The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service will hold a ‘‘BioBlitz” on Saturday and Sunday on national park land throughout the Potomac River Gorge — the 15-mile corridor from Great Falls in Potomac to Georgetown. The area also includes parts of the C&O Canal.

The event combines scientific fieldwork with educational nature activities and an outdoor festival.

Over the course of the weekend, nearly 160 biologists and naturalists will volunteer to see how many species they can find between 9 a.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday.

The Potomac Gorge is one of the most biologically significant natural areas in the eastern United States, said Stephanie Flack, Potomac Gorge Project director with The Nature Conservancy.

‘‘The Potomac Gorge is a crossroads for species,” she said. ‘‘There is tremendous diversity of life, especially plants, that are concentrated in a small area.”

The unique geographical and topographical features of the area create a setting where rare, natural species and communities flourish, she said.

‘‘There are more than 200 rare species and communities found only here,” she said.

The researchers come from universities, museums and natural resource organizations throughout the country.

The information they find will help the park service and The Nature Conservancy determine how best to protect the plants, animals and insects that live in the Potomac Gorge.

Researchers will focus on invertebrates, which are less studied than other types of animals, Flack said.

Some of the types of creatures that researchers will look for include land snails, flatworms, flies, bees, wasps, spiders, fungi, algae, mosses, dragonflies and butterflies.

‘‘They are under-appreciated,” Flack said, ‘‘but still contribute to the ecological web of life.”

Field biologists will also try to find reptiles and amphibians, as well as some rare animals, such as the Allegheny woodrat and Eastern small-footed bat, both of which have not been seen in the Potomac River Gorge since the 1920s.

The volunteers will document what types of species they find and also note any possible threats, such as run-off from a nearby road.

Families can participate in the BioBlitz through a variety of activities including guided nature walks, storytelling, scavenger hunts and bug safaris from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday at Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd.

Researchers will announce the final tally of all of the species they discovered and other noteworthy findings at a closing ceremony at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Glen Echo Park. The Kratt Brothers, who host ‘‘Be the Creature” on National Geographic Channel and ‘‘Kratt’s Creatures” on PBS, will also make a special appearance during the closing ceremony.

For a full list of BioBlitz activities or more information visit www.nature.org⁄BioBlitz.