ELIZABETH, NJ – Beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 11, Union County will be offering residents an opportunity to get up-close and personal with wildlife in their own "backyard" during Bio-Blitz 2010. The event will have teams of wildlife specialists and scientists scouring a three-park study site in search of plants and animals over a 24-hour period.

Expert and amateur scientists and naturalists are being sought to participate as team members. To register or to receive a brochure and application, call 908-789-3209. When calling, please specify your level of experience and team preference.

Plant, fungi, insect, fish, bird, mammal, amphibian and reptile, and water monitoring experts (along with amateur naturalists) will collect and identify species from in and around the Clark Reservoir and Esposito Park in the Township of Clark and Milton Lake Park in the City of Rahway. Teams will return to Bio-Blitz Central, an outdoor field lab and exhibit space, to sort and count what they find. Sampling methods will differ depending on the team and the organisms being sought.

The primary purpose of the Bio-Blitz is to gain a "snapshot" of the biodiversity (or richness of species) in the 232+ - acre Union County parkland. Another important goal of the event is to raise public awareness of the importance of these urban wildlife areas and parks. Although the study site is surrounded by urban/suburban development, it is home to many plants and animals. While Milton Lake Park was acquired by the County in 1936, Clark Reservoir and Esposito Park were both acquired in 2007. Originally called the Middlesex Reservoir, the reservoir was sold to the Township of Clark in 1997 and then sold to the County for $1 in 2007. The purchases of the Reservoir and Esposito Park were made possible through the County’s Open Space Trust Fund and are in keeping with the historic Olmsted vision of a connected greenway park system. Greenways provide valuable habitat, and act as a stopover and wildlife corridor for resident and migratory wildlife, including red tail hawks, great egrets, great blue herons, screech and great horned owls, coyotes, red foxes, and much more.

Nature-related programming will be offered throughout the event free to all and will include evening programs from 6:00 to 11:00 p.m. on Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.

The Bio-Blitz 2010 event is sponsored by the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Union County Department of Parks and Community Renewal, Kean University, the Newark Museum, and the Rahway River Association, with partial funding provided by PSE&G.

Team volunteers will be fed and "watered" thanks to generous donations from Whole Foods, Starbucks, Panera Bread, New Jersey American Water and ShopRite. Additional donations will be provided by Target, MC727 Organics, Ducky Life, Jenkinson’s Aquarium, the National Gardening Association and Wild Birds Unlimited.

Other partner organizations include the Arthur Kill Watershed Association, Auburn University of Texas, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Columbia University, Colonia High School Fishing Club, Friends of Lenape Park, Inc., New Jersey Mycological Association, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Fish & Wildlife, the NJ DEP AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassador Program, Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, and Turtle Back Zoo.

For more information or to receive a brochure, call 908-789-3209 and leave your email address, or pick up a brochure at Trailside Nature & Science Center at 452 New Providence Road in Mountainside.