Denmark Environment Centre Inc.
The Mount Hallowell Bio blitz comprised of many events including a school excursion to Monkey Rock, 3 school incursions at Denmark Primary School, a keynote address from Prof Stephen Hopper and Larry Blight + the Bio blitz itself.
On the 28th of October 2023, 70 participants gathered to be involved in the inaugural Mount Hallowell BioBlitz coordinated by volunteers from the Friends of Mount Hallowell + the Denmark Environment Centre.
The BioBlitz comprised of a series of surveys conducted in a diversity of vegetation types and habitats within the core of the Mount Hallowell Reserve including jarrah-marri forest, karri forest, and granite outcrops.
There was a mix of activities to cater for differing levels of field experience and fitness. Most activities included “off trail” walking through vegetation and on uneven ground with participants walking from approximately 500m to over 2km. Each group was led by an experienced volunteer or specialist who guided the groups to best document the occurrence of flora, fauna species in the area.
We aimed to capture as much information as possible through the online platform of iNaturalist. This application allowed us to take a photo of a specimen, upload it, then a community of naturalists offered suggestions on its identity – it is widely recognised the database with all observations being collated into the Atlas of Living Australia. This allowed a wider range of participants to contribute to the BioBlitz even from their own home or workplace, originating from anywhere in the world.