Future nature preserve in Rockwall – help needed for a biosurvey!

Thank you Sam. New protected land and donated is always a plus for wild life. We need more of them.

Wish I could come! Sounds great. :)

Unless out of town, I'm totally IN! That isn't far from me so I'm excited to have a new preserve to explore

Got it on my calendar!

Sounds fun and cooler!

I'll have to see if my gang is going...

That may be doable depending on my annual leave balance - I'll put in on the calendar and see what happens!

if I were going to be there I would, but won't be back until October. Sounds great.

It's on my calendar.

Doubt if I can make the day, but will certainly try to attend. It would be another area of Texas to investigate! And gives me hope... Perhaps my little plot of 35 acres can also make a difference.

It's on my calendar- both work and home.

How exciting! I've got it on my calendar. Thanks, Sam!

Very cool! Not far from where I live. I hope to be there.

Putting it on the calendar.

Am calendaring and hope to make it. Will need instructions since I have not participated in such a survey and have only an iPhone camera.

I've got it on my calendar! I will be there.

Will definitely be there if I'm around and about town.......

Oops were back in school at that time. Sorry but I won't be able to go even though that does sound cool. Drat!

Tempting...

Just took the day off. My goal is to attend!

I would love to come but I will be in Wyoming.

Hey all,

Just wanted to give the update on this -- I went out to the property on Wednesday with the landowner and the parks and recs folks. The land is still private property, and will stay so until all of the details are ironed out with the landowner and the city. So, this will be a pretty special occasion on Sept 15 that we get to explore the place!

The land is a mix of forested areas, overgrown prairies, a pond and a creek, some shorter grass prairie, and a small pecan grove. Lots of mixed habitats here. LOTS of poison ivy in the forested areas, just FYI. I tossed out 6 flat boards so that some snakes/lizards/mice/snails can become comfortable until we lift them up on Sept 15.

Parking is all roadside -- the cemetery is private, so we won't likely be able to park there.

So, here's the general plan: I'll get there at around 9 AM, but you don't have to arrive at that time -- show up whenever you can. We'll try to document as much as possible. Try to be fairly exact on the GPS locations as you upload stuff to iNat. I've created a place on iNat (but not yet a project), so all observations will be aggregated at the 'place.' I'm likely going to stay most of the day -- probably won't leave until after 3 or 4. I'll bring some nets, but if you have other collecting equipment you want to bring, cool. Good to wear long pants, and water boots if you're planning on surveying stuff in the creek or pond. Tick and chigger spray would be smart too.

Thanks big time if you can make it. If not, totally ok! There will be another bioblitz event in Rockwall on Saturday Nov 4 at Harry Myers Park. Would LOVE for anyone/everyone to come to that! It will kick off a county-wide initiative to document all species within the smallest county in TX. :)

As the date gets closer, I'll toss up another journal entry and tag all of the folks that have commented with "yes" on being there.

FYI - the high is supposed to be around 94, so the earlier the better. And bring water. :)

Hey friends,

Just giving another update here. The 'biosurvey' is still a-go for Friday! I'll be out there at 9:00 am, but if you aren't able to make it right at that time, that's ok. I'll likely be out there most of the day -- documenting EVERYTHING. There's not much parking at all, and it'll mostly be right next to the road -- it's a narrow road, so you can drive to the cul-de-sac and then just point back east on W Quail Run. https://www.google.com/maps/place/32%C2%B057'12.6%22N+96%C2%B028'14.2%22W/@32.9538085,-96.47194,754m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d32.95349!4d-96.470618

The main objective: we want to document as much as possible on these 25 acres. I'll bring some bug nets, petri dishes, and some other collecting material. We will just make photovouchers of what we see (unless there is something that needs to be collected for proper identification).

I'll ask that if you do come, please do try to document stuff and upload it to iNaturalist. There isn't a project, but there is a place, and all observations are automatically added to the place. Later on, as the land is developed into a nature preserve/park, I'll work on creating a project. But in the meantime, we just want to document all the living things and try our best to get fairly accurate locations as we upload them.

As to what to bring: a camera or smartphone with iNaturalist to document stuff. Bring some water! If you want to bring mud boots, that's cool -- there's a pond and a creek on the property. There is quite a bit of poison ivy, so I'd wear long pants. I'll bring some food for lunch -- pb&j and chips. If you want to bring a lunch, cool -- there are lots of places to eat in Rockwall as well. I'll bring some aerial maps of the location for us to use as we explore different areas.

It's going to be somewhat of a 'free for all' -- you can venture off anywhere in the 25 acres as you'd like. Or, if you want to come with me and do as I do, that's ok too! As soon as my jokes get lame, you can definitely venture off. I'm not too offended.

If you have any questions or concerns, toss me a text or something: 817 771 8793

There IS nature in Rockwall -- let's show everyone just how much. And let's also show how important these kind of preserves/parks/refuges are for wildlife -- an area like Rockwall is developing fast, so wildlife needs a place to persist. We'll use iNaturalist to show just how many critters and plants appreciate land like this! Thanks big time if you can make it!

I would like to do some seine sampling on the pond. Does anyone want to hold the other end of the net?

Awesome!

So excited that I took a vacation day from work to come lol

Will be there and my adult son is coming along. More eyes!

I didn't have time to bake, so I'm bringing Oreos to share at lunch.

I plan to be there early with bug repellent, a hat, several cameras and enough water to keep me going a little while - probably not enough to keep me going long enough to get terribly lost or in big trouble.

Just wanted to let you know...I'm not going to make it today. Moved mother yesterday and need to unpack her today. ;-( Have fun, everyone!