Second BioBlitz and Nature Fest planned

Katrina Lefever, sustainable landscape coordinator with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), vividly remembers the first BioBlitz held at MCC in 2022. "Last year, we had it in September, and we held a pawpaw fest as well," she recalled. "We planted pawpaws in the woods and had some fruit tasting."

While the first blitz, organized by Lefever along with naturalists Lydia Martin, Cameala Freed, and Rita Tomassetti was held in the fall. Lefever believed a summer date would attract a wider age group. The second MCC BioBlitz and Nature Fest will be held on the MCC grounds at 21 S. 12th St., Akron, on Saturday, July 8, from 9 a.m. to noon. Those wishing to join a BioBlitz team, which will count insects and plant life using the iNaturalist app or pen and paper, should register at https://mcc.org/forms/2023-mcc-bioblitz-nature-fest by Friday, July 7. The Nature Fest is open to the public, and it will include live music, art, and plant giveaways. Children are welcome with adult supervision.

Each BioBlitz team will work with a naturalist to explore the MCC campus. "There's a stream back in the woods, and there's a micro meadow in the Welcoming Place, which hosts many butterflies," said Lefever.

At the Nature Fest, there will be information tables, and visitors will have the opportunity to work at an art table overseen by Tomassetti. There will be a plant and plug giveaway of native plants. Lefever explained that a plug is a very small plant. "There is soil, but it's mostly root," she said. A musical group called Nodding Onion will also play. "(Nodding Onion) uses PlantWave technology, which is technology that attaches electrodes to a plant," explained Lefever, who noted that every plant creates its own music.

Lefever has been at work to change the landscape at MCC since early 2021. "We made the move to ecological landscaping, which is trying to live with rather than against nature," said Lefever, who noted that the effort is based on the work of Doug Tallamy, a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, who has been studying the relationship between plant life and insects for decades. "Right now, our insect and bird numbers are plummeting," said Lefever. "We have to make changes so we are not fighting nature but living with nature." To that end, Lefever has identified and removed invasive plants on the property and replaced them with native plants. "It has made a difference already," she said.

Now, Lefever would like to share the changes with area residents via the BioBlitz. "We are aware of the amazing bounty here," she said. "There's a wonderful number of native plants (on the property). We want to share that with the public and make them aware."

Readers who would like to learn more may visit https://mcc.org/get-involved/events/mcc-bioblitz-nature-fest.