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From waves to wildlife, the Blowing Rocks Preserve on Jupiter Island is home to hundreds of unique species, but preserve manager Cristin Krasco says some of them are at risk.
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"We do have over 36 imperiled species that call this preserve home," Krasco said.
She and other conservationists would like to see their population grow, so they're enlisting the community's help.
For the first time, the Nature Conservancy’s staff and experts from conservation nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and academia will guide the public in exploring the unique coastal habitats of Blowing Rocks.
The effort is being called 'BioBlitz.'
"We're inviting partners and the public to help us catalog all the life that we find here on our 73 acres of preserve," Krasco said.
They'll be out at night and during the day exploring this natural habitat where ants, spiders, and butterflies call home.
"As we are seeing continued impacts from issues like climate change and sea level rise, we can observe how these environments are changing," Krasco said.
Krasco added they have 20 experts leading a group of around 60 people. She said, thanks to an app called iNaturalist, you can record different species and it will geotag their location, creating a new, easier way to catalog this piece of paradise.
"We are glad to able to have the BioBlitz and have our partners coming in from outside agencies to help us with this because it is a fair bit of work," Krasco said.
