The Binghamton University Natural Global Environmental Change Center hosted the Kickoff Event for EcoBlitz, a two-week-long biodiversity initiative.
Held on April 25, the event featured tabling from 14 different clubs and organizations. According to the BU EcoBlitz website, the initiative aims to observe biodiversity in the area to create “records of biodiversity on campus and how it is changing.”
Anyone associated with the University, including students, can participate in the project by downloading the iNaturalist app and joining the project titled “2026 EcoBlitz Binghamton University.” Uploading a picture to the app will help track campus and global biodiversity.
Some featured clubs included biodiversity and conservation research groups like the Marine Science Club, the Insect Conservation Lab Group, the BU Bee Club, the Plant Ecosystem Lab Group and the Plant Chemical Ecology Lab Group. Sustainability efforts and education groups include Zero Hour, the Student Volunteer Center, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, the Binghamton Upcycle Project and the Sustainability Hub. The biodiversity education and community conservation groups include the BU Audubon Society, the Waterman Conservation Center, the Broome County Pollinator Pathway and the BU Animal Behavior Group.
Jordan Moncho, president of the Bee Club and a senior majoring in nursing, tabled at the kickoff event, where attendees could try samples of raw honey that the club harvested as well as interact with a beehive box kit. The BU Sustainability Hub, which is known for its seed library, a section of the Science Library where students can access various seeds, also tabled at EcoBlitz, giving out free seed samples and displaying books from their sustainability book collection.
The Sustainability Hub is also hosting its five-year anniversary on May 5. This will be their final event of the semester and will feature crafts, seed-planting and snacks.
“So today is the kickoff event and we’re trying to promote as much as possible,” said Angie DiDomenico, the vice president of Zero Hour Binghamton and a junior double-majoring in environmental science and Italian. “And then on people’s own time, some classes participate, you can participate through iNaturalist just by recording observations on Binghamton’s campus.”
The EcoBlitz Binghamton University Umbrella Project, available on the iNaturalist app and website, contains all observations from the four annual BU EcoBlitz events. As of Wednesday evening, the project had 6,660 observations, 1,015 identified species, 806 identifiers and 296 observers.
The most frequently identified species include the Canada goose, with 108 observations; the azure bluet flower, with 101 observations and the red-winged blackbird, with 90 observations as of publication. Many species currently only have one observation, including the common raccoon and coyote.
The annual kickoff event also featured several tours, most of which were cancelled or postponed until May 2 due to rainy weather. Two tours, including the Bird Walk through the Nature Preserve hosted by the BU Audubon Society and the herpetofauna tour hosted by Dr. Mariah Donohue, a visiting researcher of biological sciences, still took place during their scheduled times.
“By encouraging the community to observe nature, we hope to increase awareness about the vulnerability of biodiversity and the important functions and services biodiversity provides to ecosystems and society,” read the 2026 EcoBlitz website. “The EcoBlitz is open to everyone, allowing novice to expert naturalists to engage in community science. “