Number of Species Found (../files/species_updated.pdf) The Nature Conservancy in Maryland/District of Columbia Press Releases Search All Press Releases Dave Dadurka 240-731-1606 ddadurka@tnc.org The Nature Conservancy in Maryland/DC Bill Line/Toni Braxton 202-619-7400 NPS

National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy Complete Potomac Gorge BioBlitz; Effort Reveals More than 1,000 Species

30-hour race against the clock involved 135 scientists and volunteers from across region; Kratt Brothers, hosts of PBS show “Zoboomafoo,” make special appearance at closing ceremony

GLEN ECHO, MD – This weekend, The Nature Conservancy in Maryland/DC and the National Park Service conducted a “BioBlitz” on national park land throughout the Potomac River Gorge—the 15-mile river corridor from Great Falls to Key Bridge that includes parts of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park and George Washington Memorial Parkway. The Potomac Gorge is one of the most biologically significant natural areas, both within the National Park System and in the eastern United States.

Part scientific endeavor, part festival, and part outdoor classroom, the Conservancy and NPS held the BioBlitz to identify historically under-surveyed species, such as fungi, algae, mosses, and many invertebrate groups, especially insects.

Eighteen teams of 135 biologists and experienced naturalists volunteered their expertise for the Potomac Gorge BioBlitz, inventorying more than 30 groups of organisms during a round-the-clock 30-hour survey period, from 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 24 through 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 25.

Their surveys revealed more than 1,000 species, including:

• A beetle (Strongylium crenatum), new to Virginia, found in Turkey Run and Great Falls for the first time;
  
• The first record of a fly (Scatophila carinata), which has never  before been found east of Iowa;


• Two plants (black birch and Deschampsia flexuosa) in Great Falls Park that had not been collected since around 1880, both of which are montane species and usually found west in the Appalachians;


• Two rare land snails – a tiny snail (Punctum smithi) and a semi-aquatic snail (Potomapsis lapideria);
  And two new seeps in the Gorge with two globally rare species, Pizzini’s amphipod (a crustacean) and Appalachian spring snail (a mollusk).

“Many scientists and researchers went without sleep this weekend in order to explore and discover the biological diversity of this important natural area,” said Nat Williams, vice president and state director, The Nature Conservancy in Maryland/DC. “Their generous efforts help us understand more about the lands and waters of the Potomac Gorge, one of the region’s natural treasures important to both people and nature.”

Added Jim Sherald, chief of natural resources and science with the National Park Service’s National Capital Region, “The BioBlitz findings shed light on a number of species that have previously gone unstudied in these parks.  This information helps us to fill information gaps and better inform park management.” 

In 2001, the Conservancy and the Park Service completed a comprehensive conservation plan for the Gorge. This plan drew heavily on existing Maryland and Virginia Natural Heritage Program data for the area, but it was limited by a lack of information on traditionally under-surveyed taxonomic groups, such as invertebrates and non-vascular plants. 

“Invertebrates compose the majority of the world’s animal species, yet they are among the least examined. Thanks to this weekend’s BioBlitz, the Conservancy and NPS have learned more about these critically important species,” said Art Evans, a beetle expert and coordinator of the Potomac Gorge BioBlitz research teams.  Evans added, “A BioBlitz is just a snapshot at one moment in time, though, and doesn’t replace the need for more in-depth biological inventory and monitoring of natural areas.”

Many of the 18 BioBlitz field research teams focused their survey efforts on a number of historically under-surveyed species groups, such as land snails, flatworms, flies, bees, wasps, spiders, fungi, green algae and mosses. Researchers also looked for some of the better-studied animal groups, such as dragonflies, butterflies, reptiles and amphibians. The field biologists also worked to rediscover a globally rare mammal species, the Allegheny woodrat, which has not been observed in the Potomac Gorge since the 1920s. Their efforts, unfortunately, were not successful. 

In total, 1,012 species were found by the 135 researchers that were divided into 18 teams. This initial number represents a preliminary count, and the total number of species found may increase as researchers return to their laboratories and libraries to conduct further identifications. The species breakdown includes: 169 beetles, 157 flies, 125 butterflies and moths, 72 true bugs, 69 fungi, 26 green algae, 31 land snails, 30 spiders, 29 caddisflies, 26 dragonflies, 15 reptiles, 14 mosses and four crayfish. For a more detailed list, visit www.nature.org/bioblitz or see the attached list.

Surprising developments included a green algae genus (Sirogonium) that is likely a new record for Virginia and the first record in Virginia for a dinoflagellate, Cystodinium bataviense. Researchers were also heartened by an abundance of a plant species relatively new to science (first described six years ago) in Great Falls Park.

Also of interest was the incidence of non-native invaders sighted. Researchers found an aggressive non-native crayfish that attacks and kills native species, or flushes them out of their hiding places and out into the open where they are attacked and eaten by fishes. Gypsy moths also were seen in large numbers on Plummers Island, which suggests the population could be on the rise.

The weekend’s species discovery tally and other noteworthy findings were announced in a closing ceremony, which included a special appearance by The Kratt Brothers, who host the television shows “Zoboomafoo” and “Kratts’ Creatures” on PBS and “Be the Creature” on National Geographic Channel. For more information on the Kratt Brothers, visit www.krattbrothers.com. 

The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the United States Government.  Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the United States Government.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States—including more than 64,000 acres in Maryland and Washington, DC and more than 225,000 acres in Virginia—and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific.  Visit us on the Web at www.nature.org/marylanddc.

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