Earth Day and BioBlitz

Sant Bani School’s Earth Day celebration took the entire school out into the 200 acre woods, the property of the School and Ashram, to perform our first data collection or “BioBlitz.”

Our Earth Day Special Guest naturalist Rick Van de Poll spoke to the entire body of staff and students to prepare for the event. He worked outdoors with three science classes in preliminary study of pond and vernal pool life by a careful “capture, identify, and release” method. Two days later Sant Bani staff and students supplied with species guides, cameras, plastic containers, and note books fanned out in twenty groups and logged all the emerging flora and fauna spring species on the Ashram and school property.

The purpose of the BioBlitz is to establish a benchmark for future surveys to determine the health and diversity of local plant and animal species. Thousands of photos were taken during the Bioblitz. Science Department Head Robert Schongalla led groups to collate the data for further study. Return to see some of the more beautiful photos will be posted on this site.

The June Night Time Moth Survey

Rick Van de Poll, PhD, head of Ecosystem Consultants from Center Sandwich, led a small group of Sant Bani School teachers and students recently who made a survey of moths on the school property. Robert Schongalla, science teacher, reported that more than 100 species of moths were seen from darkness to sunrise.

“I had no idea that we had so many very different, interesting, and beautiful moths in our area,” said Schongalla.

The moths were photographed to create a database for future reference and study.

The moth survey was part of a BioBlitz, which the school conducted during its Earth Day celebration in April. For the BioBlitz, students fanned out across 200 acres of land and were able to identify more than 200 species of plants, animals, birds, amphibians, birds, insects, aquatic invertebrates, and fungi. The purpose of the BioBlitz was to heighten everyone’s awareness of the richness of biodiversity in our local environment.

Fellow science teacher, Barry Draper summed it up this way, “Through experiencing the diversity and interconnectedness of nature’s organisms, we hope to better understand our need to protect the environment and local ecosystems that sustain us all.”