Perceptions of Bioblitz Organizers and Participants on Event-Related Goals, Interactions, and Motivations: A Way To Understand How a Bioblitz Contributes to Environmental Education

Bioblitz events are a type of citizen science project where volunteers create a biological inventory of a specific area in a short period of time. They can also provide learning opportunities. Understanding volunteers at these events can help improve project design and reach more participants. My research focused on understanding participants' and organizers' perceptions of bioblitz events through interviews, surveys, and observations. It encompassed study subjects from four bioblitz events in the Northeast U.S. and data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Organizers' and participants' perceptions of the events were similar. Exploring the site and sharing information were important to participants and learning was the most important in influencing satisfaction, perceptions of event success, and intentions to participate in a future event. Bioblitz events can be used as a tool for environmental education and these data provide information about perceptions of bioblitzes that can be utilized for future research.