The Whistler Naturalists’ 8th annual Whistler BioBlitz was a huge success, thanks to the great weather and the quality and quantity of scientists and volunteers. This year’s BioBlitz attracted 65 of BC’s top scientists and nature educators and included a large contingent from the Royal BC Museum and UBC Biodiversity Museum.

 

The highlight this year was the addition of Pemberton to our list of survey sites, hence the name “SuperBioBlitz.” After a full day of surveying Whistler on Saturday, the scientists were all herded into a Whistler-Blackcomb bus or car pools, then taken north to the Riverside Wetlands in Pemberton. A fantastic morning of combing the wetlands, dry bluffs, and Bathtub Trail was followed by a delicious lunch at which we were graciously welcomed to Lil’wat Traditional Territory by Lois Joseph and Lex Joseph.

Thanks to everyone who dropped by Alpha Lake Park for the BioBlitz Nature Festival to see all the amphibians, reptiles, spiders, insects, plants, and fungi at our interpretive displays. And thanks also to those who dropped by on Saturday night to learn directly from the scientists about fossils, moths, owls, and bats.
Preliminary results show about 600 species in total counted over the 24-hour event. We expect about 50 new records for Whistler and over 100 new records for Pemberton. The results will be collated by the Whistler Biodiversity Project and available here within the next few weeks.

The Whistler Naturalists would thank all the scientists and local volunteers, plus our key sponsors: the Community Foundation of Whistler, AWARE, Whistler Blackcomb, RMOW, SLRD and Stewardship Pemberton.
We would also like to thank all the businesses and organizations who contributed to the event: Whistler Museum, Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council, Get Bear Smart, South Coast Conservation Program, Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative, Legends Hotel, Creekside Market, Nesters Market, The Adventure Group, Whistler Eco-Tours, Riverside Café, Helly Hanson, Avalanche Pizza, Nicklaus North Golf Club, Starbucks Creekside, The Fix at Nita Lake Lodge, Riverside Café and Whistler Brewing.

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