Bismarck Parks and Recreation District (BPRD) is hosting a BioBlitz to be held September 20-30 in support of a national Parks for Pollinators campaign.

What’s a BioBlitz?

It’s an event where the community creates a snapshot of the variety of wildlife that can be found throughout Bismarck, whether it’s in a park, an open space or in your own backyard.

Using a phone app called iNaturalist, you simply take/upload pictures of plants, insects and animals to see what’s in Bismarck. This provides more information about pollinators and other wildlife in the community during this time period and how we can better protect this valuable natural resource. We want these species to bee healthy!

• Download the iNaturalist app on your phone and register.
• Join the project titled: Parks for Pollinators 2020: Bismarck Parks and Recreation District.
• Take/upload photos of bugs, bees, insects, and plants and upload them to the project between Sept. 20-30.
• Feel free to share your photos on social media, too, using the hashtag #Parks4Pollinators.

Install the iNaturalist mobile apps so you can always observe, even without cell reception or wifi.

There’s green space all around, including your own yard and all of Bismarck’s 60 parks.  These spaces provide all kinds of habitat for plants, insects and animals. If you need some suggestions on where to go, here are some natural areas as well as pollinator gardens in the BPRD system and in Bismarck:

• Atkinson Nature Park – 555 London Ave. This is located just past the Walt Neuens Memorial Horse Arena on Riverwood Dr. The plantings here are sponsored by Dakota Audubon.
• Bill Mills Nature Trail – You can access this trail off of Sertoma Park, 300 Riverside Park Rd. It’s just off of shelter number 10.
• Bismarck Community Ochard – Clem Kelley Softball Complex, 517 W. Arbor Ave. Check out the hard work of pollinators by visiting the Community Orchard. Successful pollination is needed for fruit or berry production.
• Bismarck Rotary Arboretum – 1329 Ward Rd. This space is tucked in just off the recreational trail around Tom O’Leary Golf Course.
• Chief Looking’s Village – 2023 Burnt Boat Dr. You may find all kinds of wildlife on this bluff and in Sonali’s Garden, located on this site.
• East Sibley Nature Park – 7801 Dogwood Dr. This densely wooded space has a scenic view of the Missouri River.
• Johnny Gisi Memorial Park – 2547 E. Calgary Ave. This park has pollinator gardens, supported by the Lewis and Clark Wildlife Club.
• McDowell Dam Recreation Area – The water and green space provide good habitat. You’ll find McDowell Dam Recreation Area five miles east of Bismarck on Old Highway 10, and then one mile north.
• New Generations Park – 1021 Mustang Dr. You’ll find a garden on the northeast corner that includes many pollinator plants.
• Pollinator’s Planting Project – Downtown Bismarck. Four planters were filled with pollinator plants, including grasses and flowering prairie plants.  Two planters are located at 6^th & Broadway, one at 5^th and Broadway, and one at 5^th & Thayer.  Sponsored by a grant from ND Game and Fish, and designed and planted by a group of volunteers from local organizations.

The Parks for Pollinators campaign is hosted through a partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association and The Scotts Miracle-Grow Foundation. BioBlitz events are taking place all around the country in the month of September. Data gathered during your BioBlitzes can generate biological records. These records can be used for scientific research, as well as inform conservation practices, local planning and land management on a multitude of levels.