As part of the annual National Wildlife Refuge Week Celebration, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is holding a Bioblitz Friday evening, Oct. 14, through Saturday, Oct. 15. The Bioblitz is a scientific effort to find as many species of plants and animals as possible at Quivira over a 24-hour period. The event begins at 5 p.m. on Friday and ends at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Bioblitz is free and open to all ages. The main check-in and headquarters for the event, Bioblitz Central, will be located at the Refuge’s Environmental Education Classroom. "Scoreboard" updates on the numbers of plant and animal species observed will be regularly posted for viewing.

Hosted by the staff of Quivira and members of the Friends of Quivira, Bioblitz will feature researchers and students from Fort Hays State University, Sterling College, and other organizations. Surveys and research will be conducted on mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, flowering plants, fish, insects, and others.

This is an exciting and rewarding family opportunity to learn about Refuge plants and animals. After checking in at Bioblitz Central, visitors can either freely come and go during the Bioblitz period (daylight hours), or attend one of several scheduled interpretive programs beginning Friday night and continuing from early Saturday morning through late afternoon. Those who freely roam can observe the researchers, and even participate and assist in the collection of species. A full program schedule is available by calling the Refuge or on the website at www.fws.gov/quivira. A free lunch will be served. Registration is required only for a Night Bird Survey on Friday night from 7 to 9 p.m. Visitors will not be allowed to collect and keep specimens to take from the Refuge.

The Environmental Education Classroom is located in the center of Quivira at 1313A NE 140th Avenue, or 7 miles north of the Refuge Headquarters. For more information, or to register for the Night Bird Survey, contact the refuge at 620-486-2393.