The Grassland Environmental Educational Center kicked off summer with the BioBlitz event on June 20 and hosted a dozen guests who walked, waded and learned about the facility and the nature surrounding it during the Walk-N-Wade Tour.
The first of more events planned for the rest of the summer, June’s BioBlitz has set the stage for the education center to continue its tours of the great outdoors.
The BioBlitz is the facility’s way of bridging the gap between Los Banos citizens and the nature of the Central Valley.
Consisting of a series of events that put guests square in the middle of the valley’s natural environments, the BioBlitz utilizes the landscape and changing seasons to show guests the full range of California’s landscape and the creatures that call it home.
After welcoming guests with an overview of the history of the flora and fauna of the area, guests were taken on a tour of the trails and ponds surrounding the facility. The first leg of the journey—the “walk” portion of the event—took attendees along the trails and grasses of the Los Banos area.
Guests were encouraged to identify as many animals and plant species as they could as they walked along, aided by wildlife apps like Merlin (for birds) and iNaturalist (for bugs and flowers), as well as “animal evidence” like footprints or nests.
The second part of the tour—the “wade” portion—took guests right into some of the ponds and wetlands of the area to get a close-up look at the flowers, bugs and small creatures splashing around the wetlands of Los Banos.
The BioBlitz event is a way for the educational center to attract new visitors while fostering an appreciation for nature in returning guests.
Having partnered with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the center has received resources and support from the regional offices to keep hosting BioBlitz events to draw attention to and support for the vast swathes of public land sprawled across the valley.
Candace Sigmon, the educational coordinator at the Grassland facility, is excited to bring nature to so many new faces and sees the event as a way to help folks see how beautiful the world around us really is.
“A lot of (BioBlitz) is based around getting people outside,” said Sigmon. “You don’t realize how many plants and animals are around you until you look.”
This year, the Walk-N-Wade part of BioBlitz was led by a California Conservation Corps intern who arrived at Grassland thanks to a state grant program, and Leiah Johnson acted as the leader of the tour.
Johnson will be leading most of the activities during future events and will be Sigmon’s boots on the ground, helping families navigate the grassy fields and waterways surrounding the educational center.
Johnson will be staying in Los Banos for at least another year, and as such, she and Sigmon plan to host BioBlitzes at least once a month through 2027. This month, the Girl Scouts of Los Banos will be heading to the Grassland facility on July 18 to earn their nature badges.
Though non-scouts are welcome, Sigmon will be planning events designed around nature and conservation to, alongside Johnson, award the scouts their badges after a day of activities.
Later, on the 24th, some of the Grassland team will be leaving their home turf and manning a booth at the unveiling of the bear and bobcat exhibit at the Merced Zoo, and will join zoo staff in celebrating the recent renovations to many of the animal enclosures.
The theme of each upcoming BioBlitz will be determined by the season and the state of the land. The events slated for the middle of summer will likely be focused on dry grassland, while the rainy season will bring much more wading than walking to the tours around the educational center.
Those eager to visit the center can find activities, info and the BioBlitz schedule online at the Grasslands Water District website. Amid the ever-changing weather, the Grassland facility will be there to study the many animals that call the land home.
