Third annual KBS BioBlitz connects community through science 

Held over two daytime sessions, the third annual W.K. Kellogg Biological Station BioBlitz event invited participants to observe and record as many plant and animal species as possible across the W.K. Kellogg Bird Sanctuary. Volunteers of all ages used the iNaturalist app to log species sightings, contributing to a growing biodiversity dataset managed by KBS.  

The 2025 BioBlitz

This year’s event generated 1,690 observations and 473 confirmed species, including 248 insect species, according to Stephanie Bristow, 2025 BioBlitz graduate student fellow and a Ph.D. student in the Shah Lab at KBS. 

“Like many other BioBlitz events, we used iNaturalist as a user-friendly and accessible platform to track our observations,” said Bristow. “After participants joined the 2025 KBS BioBlitz project, all of their observations made on June 14 within the Sanctuary property boundaries were automatically included into the project.” 

Bristow said survey groups were structured to balance guidance with exploration. “Participants had the option of choosing which groups to sign up for in two sessions of surveys, with unique survey sites and organisms in the Bird Sanctuary in the morning and afternoon,” Bristow said. “Each team consisted of a maximum of two leads—either graduate students or faculty from KBS or experts from MSU or the local community—and ten participants.” 

Varied teams in the field

The BioBlitz included teams focused on prairie birds, dragonflies, bees, forest plants, aquatic macroinvertebrates, and more. A self-guided option was also offered during both sessions, allowing individuals to roam the Sanctuary at their own pace and submit independent observations.  

Bristow said the event continues to surprise her with its range and reach. 

“There are so many cool species I’ve never seen or heard of until I started helping organize the BioBlitz,” she said. “I think the diversity we see in the Bird Sanctuary is surprising to many people. I think that many others and I appreciate bugs a lot more because of events like the BioBlitz that draw attention to common organisms we usually overlook.” 

She noted one group, Living on the Edge, as a consistent standout in terms of findings. 

“I am always impressed with the sheer number of observations made by the Living on the Edge group,” Bristow said. “It is often the most underestimated team in our registration since it focuses on areas like buildings and parking lots as a setting. Yet they often have hundreds of observations in very small areas, and more than any other group.” 

Organizers say the data gathered is used to monitor long-term biodiversity changes at the Sanctuary and to engage the public in ecological research. 

For a complete list of species observed, visit the KBS BioBlitz 2025 iNaturalist project. 

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Gavin Hutchings is the KBS 2025 external communications intern. He is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from Michigan State University.
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