2019 EcoBlitz CA- Documenting Plastic and Wildlife

March 18-24 EcoBlitz CA with National Geographic- a statewide urban to ocean plastics and species data collection with youth.

This is a project engaging educators & classrooms to gather data, shared with National Geographic Explorers in a project to better understand the interconnected nature of the human & natural world.

Overview
The 2019 California EcoBlitz is a fun and meaningful opportunity for educators and students to develop and practice the attitudes, skills, and knowledge of an explorer while taking on the role of scientists and connecting with National Geographic Explorers and other classes throughout California.

What is an EcoBlitz? EcoBlitz CA is a project designed to engage classrooms in collaborative scientific research in order to understand and solve problems facing communities. Community-based groups, in this case classrooms, will gather data that will be shared with National Geographic Explorers in a project to better understand the interconnected nature of the human and natural world.

The project starts with a BioBlitz, where the students focus on finding as many species as possible in a specific local area over the week of March 18-24, 2019 and record their findings with the iNaturalist app. This activity will ask students to become scientists, using the NGSS scientific practices and the National Geographic Geo-Inquiry process of planning and carrying out investigations and analyzing and interpreting data while deepening their curiosity of their local environment and the plants and animals that live there.The next component of the project asks the students to take second look at the same environment, but this time focus on discarded plastics and other trash. Students again take on the role of scientists, observing and using a survey to collect data around the trash found in the school yard and/or local community.

The data collected by the students will then be compiled and your students will connect with a National Geographic Explorer, either virtually or in person, to analyze and reflect on the findings for your area.

The final component of the 2019 California EcoBlitz will be your invitation to participate in a final event.