BioBlitz and Community Nature Day on the Lafitte Greenway
May 10-12, 2024
Learn more about nature and help your community! The Louisiana Master Naturalists and Friends of Lafitte Greenway are hosting a BioBlitz of the Lafitte Greenway and Community Nature Day on Saturday, May 11th. As a community, we will identify as many of the plants and animals that live on the Greenway as possible. There will be themed nature walks led by local experts throughout the day, as well as a nature-themed art project. All events are free and open to the public. All ages are welcome, and no prior knowledge or experience is necessary.
The Lafitte Greenway
The Lafitte Greenway is a 2.6-mile-long linear urban park that stretches from Mid-City to the French Quarter in New Orleans. The park, which was established in 2015, features sports fields and courts, playgrounds, exercise stations, a swimming pool, and a garden. A former brake tag station on the Greenway has been remodeled into an open-air event staging space with electricity and restroom, and a small, permanent stage has been installed nearby. The park also contains bioswales, bioretention areas, and large stretches of meadow that are marked by signs indicating, “Native meadow planting: Give nature a chance.” The Lafitte Greenway connects to Armstrong Park, Bayou St. John and is, at its most westerly point, less than half a mile from City Park.
What is a BioBlitz?
During a BioBlitz, people work together to find and identify as many species of plants and animals as possible in a specific area over a short period of time.
Purpose of the BioBlitz of the Lafitte Greenway
The purpose of the 2024 BioBlitz of the Lafitte Greenway is to document, for the first time, as many of the species living on the Greenway as possible. The data from the BioBlitz will help the Greenway’s managers plan the park’s natural and developed features, protect important habitats, and advocate for the Greenway’s importance. Submission of observations for the BioBlitz of the Lafitte Greenway will be accepted for three full days: Friday, May 10 through Sunday, May 12.
BioBlitz Session Schedule
| Start | End | Topic | Leader(s) | Meeting point |
| 9 AM | 4 PM | Aquatic macroinverte-brates (throughout the day) | LMNGNO volunteers | Greenway station |
| 10 AM | 12 PM | Fungi | Tres Fisher and Ann Plique | Greenway station |
| 10 AM | 11:30 AM | Tree session #1 | Byron Almquist and Bill Van der Meer | French Truck |
| 10:30 AM | 11:30 AM | Native landscapes | Emily Pontiff | Greenway station |
| 10:30 AM | 12 PM | Mosquitoes | Rachel Denny | French Truck |
| 12 PM | 2 PM | Art project: Sun prints | Courtney Egan | Greenway station |
| 12:30 PM | 2 PM | Plants | Matt Herron | Lemann Pool |
| 2 PM | 3:30 PM | Tree session #2 | Byron Almquist and Susie Allen | Flour Moon |
| 3 PM | 4:30 PM | Butterflies and other day insects | Janna Wisniewski | Lemann Pool |
| 5 PM | 6:30 PM | French nature walk | Maxime Bailleux and Marc Witham | Flour Moon |
| 5:30 PM | 7 PM | Mammals | Rachel Denny | Flour Moon |
| 6 PM | 8 PM | Reptiles and amphibians | Steve Stevens | Greenway Station |
| 7 PM | 9 PM | Bats | Craig Hood | Flour Moon |
| 9 PM | 10:30 PM | Moths and other night insects | Janna Wisniewski | Flour Moon |
*More sessions to be added. Check back for updates!
Who can participate?
All activities are free and open to the public. All ages are welcome (children should be accompanied by a guardian). No prior knowledge or experience is necessary. You do not need to pre-register for the nature walks or art project, just come to the designated meeting point at the start time.
What should participants bring?
We recommend wearing closed-toed shoes and sun protection and bringing water and a smartphone. It is a good idea to download iNaturalist in advance (see instructions below).
iNaturalist
Data will be tabulated using iNaturalist. Participants will be encouraged to download iNaturalist on their smartphones and post photos of the species that they observe to the project entitled “Lafitte Greenway BioBlitz 2024.”
You can learn how to download the app and create an account here: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/getting+started
And learn how to make an observation here: https://vimeo.com/162581545
Those who opt not to use a smartphone will record their observations on paper data sheets.
Species identification
Participants will canvas the Greenway to find as many unique species of life as possible during the72-hour period. Although the emphasis will be on observing species and taking their photos (if possible), the LMNGNO will provide resources for identification including the iNaturalist and Seek apps, on-site experts, and a library of field guides during the main session on Saturday.
Participants will be welcome to search in any part of the Greenway, at any time, and for any types of life that they choose. However, participants can also join scheduled searches for specific types of life which will be led by local experts.
Have questions? Want to volunteer?
Contact Janna Wisniewski at janna@louisianamasternaturalistgno.org.