End Pavement

Via Emerald City comes the news of BioBlitz 2008: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area:

The Santa Monica Mountains BioBlitz, presented and sponsored by National Geographic and the National Park Service in collaboration with Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and California State Parks, takes place from noon to noon on May 30-31, 2008. During the 24-hour species inventory, teams of scientists, naturalists, and volunteers will comb more than 150,000 acres (60,700 hectares), observing and recording as many species as possible.

You have a half-hour to get going. ;) The team has a BioBlitz blog where you can keep up on the action. A cool idea.

Students from Monroe High in North Hills have just rolled in, the first of more than 1,400 children and teens slated to join the ‘Blitz with their teachers on school fieldtrips. Some 1,200 more intrepid adults and kids have pre-registered for more than 180 planned field expeditions, with room for hundreds more who show up eager to join a team. Thousands are expected to come check the scene at Base Camp, take in a short nature hike, and make the rounds of the 40+ exhibitors’ tables. Hope to see you here!

Update: from The Homeroom education blog, “Students document nature”,

“We give them cameras and teach them how to see a little bit differently,” Karine Aigner said this afternoon from Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu. Aigner, senior photo editor at National Geographic Kids magazine and coordinator of the photo camp, interrupted our telephone conversation a few times to call out to the students such things as: “Look at that! Try to get it in the frame!” [...]

More than 1,400 students as well as scientists, naturalists, community leaders and volunteers will observe and document as many plant and animal species as possible in 24 hours, from noon today to noon Saturday, in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Update 2: Followup article in the Times, “Every critter counts when BioBlitz goes to the Santa Monica Mountains”.

Cyclelicious has a post today pointing to The annual car vs bike vs transit challenge. I wonder if anybody’s done the equivalent in LA recently. Of course, this was on a nice, sunny day in NYC — their strange weather season named, if I recall correctly, “winter,” might make the outcome a bit different. ;)

“Transportation Alternatives in New York City held its 7th annual Commuter Challenge yesterday. Streetfilms had cameras on each of the car driver, cyclist and public transit user and Elizabeth Press stayed up all night to create the video of the challenge in less than 24 hours!

More here.”

(Via Cyclelicious.)