      Chadron State Park hosts its annual Bioblitz tonight and tomorrow.
It’s a chance for the public to work with natural resource experts and community volunteers in discovering the biodiversity of the park.Â
Scheduled activities and sessions start at 6:30 tonight run through around noon tomorrow at locations throughout the park. It’s free, but a valid state park pass is required.
Bioblitz is a 24-hour effort to identify as many plants and animal species as possible to get an accurate snapshot of the flora and fauna present in Chadron State Park at this time of year.
Event organizer Amanda Filipi, a Nebraska Game and Parks outdoor education specialist, calls it “a great way for folks of all ages and backgrounds to become engaged in nature and learn about the many species in this region.”
Educational sessions over the two-day event cover bats, small animals, insects, pond life, plants, and bird banding.
Presenters include several Chadron State College faculty and staff members. Rangeland Professor Dr Teresa Frink will work with Game and Parks biologist Shelly Steffl to set up and bait small mammal live traps tonight.
The pair and volunteers will collect the traps in the morning to identify all captured species before releasing the animals back at the trap sites.
    CSC Biological Sciences Professor Dr Mathew Brust will lead the insect survey while High Plains Herbarium Director Steven Rolfsmeier will lead the plant session tomorrow morning.
    Bioblitz effectively starts tonight with a team trivia game at 6:30 in the park’s community building, followed at 8:00 by a program on Bats and the Night Sky at the Lagoon.
The morning begins with Bird Banding at 7:30, the post-collection portion of the Small Mammal Survey at 8:30, Plant Identification at 9:30, the Insect Survey at 10:30, and at 11:300 is a session on the tiny life found in and at the bottom of ponds.
Bioblitz is presented by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in collaboration with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, Chadron State College, and the Community Scientists of Nebraska Network.
Friday, Sept. 8
5:30 p.m. Small Mammal set up
6 p.m. Dinner
6:30 p.m. Nature Trivia (teams up to 5)
8 p.m. Bats and the Night Sky
Saturday, Sept. 9
7:30 a.m. Bird Banding
8:30 a.m. Small Mammal Survey
9:30 a.m. Plants
10:30 a.m. Insects Survey
11:30 a.m. Pond Exploration