Bear-Paw Biothons

Bear-Paw will be hosting Biothons at our two new preserves in Deerfield and Strafford. Our goals for these Biothons are to collect a complete list of species that grows, walks, swims, crawls, or flies on the property, and to provide an opportunity for people to explore and learn more about nature.

Participation is open to everyone, regardless of identification skills, but there are no trails on either property; bushwhacking will be required. The Deerfield Biothon will be more accessible for those with difficulty walking on uneven ground.

Data will be collected using iNaturalist (preferred) or old-fashioned paper (slightly more chaotic). There will be an Informational Booth with field guides to help identify organisms, and volunteers will be there to answer questions. Join a group, create a team, or go it solo!

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Early Birders

Experienced birders will lead a group & point out all the birds they see & hear. Binoculars are recommended.

Nature Enthusiasts

Enthusiasts will share knowledge of various taxonomic groups and point out organisms of interest.

Junior Explorers

Grace Bailey, nature education specialist, will lead a group for our younger nature enthusiasts.

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Team Competition

Create a team of up to 6 people, and compete to find & identify the greatest number of unique species! 

Brown's Woods Preserve
Deerfield - Saturday, June 4th

Brown's Woods Preserve is a 107 acre parcel near Pawtuckaway State Park. The land is mostly forested, with a small field and a series of intermittent streams that feed a small brook which empties into a wetland.
Turkeys & porcupine have been encountered "in person," and signs of moose, bobcat, deer, and other mammals were observed during a tracking walk. We hope to identify many more organisms- herbaceous & woody plants, lichen, insects, and others- during the Biothon!

Johnsonboro Road Parcel
Strafford - Saturday, June 11th

The Johnsonboro parcel is approximately 250 acres within a large block of contiguous wildlife habitat. The land is forested, with a large beaver pond and several shrubby or forested wetlands that empty into the Mohawk River as it flows through.
We've identified most of the common tree species as well as deer and beaver here, but otherwise we're less certain of what organisms may be found on this preserve. We can't wait to see what we can find & identify at the Biothon!

What is iNaturalist?

iNaturalist was created by the California Academy of Sciences & the National Geographic Society. It's both a website and an app, available on Android & Apple devices, used by nearly 5 million people.

iNaturalist allows you to keep a record of observations, get help from other users to identify organisms, share data with other users and scientists, and learn about the world around you.

How do you make an observation?
Hit the "Observe" button, and decide whether you want audio or visual evidence added to your record (they aren't necessary, but without them other users can't verify your findings and they won't be considered "research grade"). iNaturalist might suggest a genus or species; if it seems correct, you can add it to your observation, or you can leave that field blank. "Share" your observations, and soon you'll likely have experts commenting to identify your organisms!

Allowing the app to access your location will help other users to identify what you've found based on species range.
Photos are usually time-stamped & geo-tagged, so you can upload old photos to your iNaturalist account and find out what they are.