Biodiversity Month - Report 112

Nature Days at Shaw Nature Reserve

Event type: Biodiversity Fair
Number of participants: 24 Scientists, 122 Public, 6 Other

Dr. Yatskievych reports:

A total of 17 events were held over the two days of May 18 and 19, 2002, at the Shaw Nature Reserve, a 2400-acre property west of St. Louis owned by the Missouri Botanical Garden. Lists of birds, mushrooms, butterflies, dragonflies, ants, lichens, and vascular plants were made. Printed checklists to hand out to the public were developed in advance for several different kinds of organisms, and other checklists were developed after the event for us next spring at Shaw Nature Reserve. Publicity was limited because of fears of attracting more participants than the limited number of staff and volunteers could handle. Next year we would start planning earlier, try to involve more taxonomic experts, try to hold Nature Days at more locations, and publicize the events more thoroughly.