ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Blue Ridge Naturalist Network and Friends of the Blue Ridge Balsam Chapter are seeking volunteer citizen scientists to help monitor butterfly populations along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Buncombe and Haywood counties.
Volunteers will receive free training and will collect observational data for long-term monitoring of the parkway’s natural resources. Participants will walk designated routes and trails in North Carolina and Virginia, recording sightings of butterflies in accordance with the Carolinas or Blue Ridge Butterfly Monitoring Program. Locations include Doughton Park, Moses Cone Estate, Julian Price Park, Blue Ridge Music Center, Rocky Knob, Peaks of Otter and others.
Duties include:
- Walking designated routes between 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. under suitable weather conditions and recording butterfly sightings within a 5-meter radius.
- Assisting with trail designation by photographing start/stop points, noting habitat transitions, and describing the route.
- Using binoculars and cameras to aid identification.
- Recording data on printed sheets and submitting it online using a smartphone, tablet or computer.
Volunteer requirements:
- Ability to follow instructions and communicate effectively.
- Interest in natural history and monitoring butterfly populations.
- Willingness to walk the same trail multiple times during warm months.
- Comfort with technology for data entry.
- Some knowledge of eastern butterfly species or willingness to learn.
- Ability to spend time outdoors in sun, tall vegetation and areas with insects.
Available routes include Bass Lake, Doughton Park Grassy Gap, Doughton Park Picnic Area, Linville Maintenance Meadow, Linville Spur, MP 311, MP 314, Pisgah Picnic Area, Humpback Rocks and Rocky Knob.
Volunteers can register and find more information here.
