Bio Blitz at Riddell Preserve

Riddell Preserve, Healdsburg 

Sunday, September 22^nd 9am-2pm

Please scroll down to register

LandPaths and The California Native Plant Society invite you to participate in a citizen science project at Riddell Preserve, a 400 acre piece of land forever protected by the Ag+Open space district. Located in the hills west of Healdsburg's Dry Creek valley, Riddell is home to regenerating stands of oak and madrone, along with lowly Fescue bunch grasses, open meadows, fourth generation redwood “fairy rings,” perennial streams and headwaters. We will gather data on plant species while utilizing the mobile application, iNaturalist. Botanists of all levels are encouraged to see and learn about native flora, while helping us gather data for the Vegetation Mapping effort by the Sonoma County Agricultural and Open Space Preservation District. 

iNaturalist  defines A bioblitz as 'a communal citizen-science effort to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible.' For this Bio-blitz, we will be using a mobile application to gather photos of native flora of the preserve. Once these photos are uploaded, we will do our best to identify what we are seeing with the help of the application and our collective knowledge. The data we gather can then be utilized and reviewed by scientists and taxonomic experts both locally and globally. Bio-blitzs are great for encouraging public participation, creating high quality data, and make tallying a species count much simpler.

Where: Due to limited parking at the preserve, we will all meet at the City Corporation Yard in Healdsburg, park our cars, and carpool to the Preserve. The City Corporation Yard is found at 550 Westside Rd, Healdsburg, CA 95448.  

Directions to the Corporation Yard parking lot:

• From Highway 101 North, take the Central Healdsburg Exit. and make a slight left on Healdsburg Avenue.  Turn left onto Mill Street.  Continue under the highway overpass as Mill Street turns into Westside Road.  The Corporation Yard parking lot will be on the left immediately before the bridge crossing at the intersection of Westside Rd and Lucius Way.  There is a "Corporation Yard" sign at the entrance to the parking lot.           

• From Highway 101 South, take the Westside Exit and turn right on Westside Rd.  The Corporation Yard parking lot will be on the left immediately before the bridge crossing at the intersection of Westside Rd and Lucius Way.        

What to bring:

• Your own water bottle 

• Clothing for warm weather (sun hat, glasses, sunscreen)

• Lunch and snacks for the day 

• Your favorite regional tree, shrub, or flower guide

• Mobile phone to access iNaturalist (or not- you can always share with someone)

• Something to write with/on

• Binoculars

What to expect: 

• We will break into groups and wander along the preserve, meeting periodically to review our data

• There are bathrooms and potable water on site 

• No smoking, and no pets please

• You will be asked to sign a liability waiver upon arrival.

• This outing is free thanks to the Ag+ Open Space, and donations are always welcome.

Contact 

• For questions or concerns, please contact Jesica Rodriguez by calling (707)544-7284 ext. 107 or by emailing jrodriguez@landpaths.org

Click here to register! 

Ag + Open Space protects land in Sonoma County and LandPaths connects you with that land. This program is made possible through a partnership between the District and non-profit partner LandPaths. It is sponsored by the voters of Sonoma County who funded the District's work with a quarter-cent sales tax, and is coordinated & guided by LandPaths.