Environment

How Many Species Can Scientists Identify in a 24-hour Period?

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Hank Crook / Producer

Published April 30, 2009 at 6:06 AM PDT

This story was published more than 14 years ago.

How Many Species Can Scientists Identify in a 24-hour Period?

Have you ever wondered how many species of plants and animals live in San Diego? If so, the BioBlitz event going on this weekend will interest you. Teams of volunteers, scientists, and educators will be participating in a 24-hour "rapid biodiversity assessment" at Mission Trails Regional Park this Saturday. The goal of the event is to identify and document the total number of species living in the park. We speak to Dr. Michael Wall, from the San Diego Natural History Museum, about what's been learned from previous BioBlitz events. And, we talk to a ranger to discuss what's unique about Mission Trails Regional Park.

Maureen Cavanaugh: You might think that San Diego is way too citified to interest scientists looking for biodiversity. You'd expect to find those researchers in the Amazon or on some green tropical island.

But as it turns out, San Diego is great place to find different kinds of living things, in fact, it's one of the most bio-diverse locations in the country.

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That's why scientists taking part in this weekend's BioBlitz at Mission Trails Regional Park are expecting big results. For 24 hours, a team of researchers, educators and volunteers will try to count and document every species of animal, bird, plant, bug, even fungi that they find in the park. And, the event will also feature activities for kids and families who want to learn about the vast number of living things who call San Diego home.

Guests

Dr. Michael Wall, curator of Entomology and director of the Biodiversity Research Center of the Californias (BRCC) at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

Tracey Walker, Senior Ranger at Mission Trails Regional Park.

Environment

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

What do you want to hear host Jade Hindmon talk about on Midday?

Hank Crook

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Hank Crook was the producer for "KPBS Midday Edition" as well as Friday's "Roundtable on KPBS Midday Edition" and KPBS TV's "San Diego Week" until 2011. He produced shows about a wide variety of topics. Some of Hank’s favorite topics include: local politics, economics, the environment and anything sports-related. Hank graduated with a degree in journalism from San Diego State University, and has been a professional journalist in San Diego since 2003. As an SDSU student, Hank served as an intern for the KPBS Radio newsroom. Hank grew up in San Diego, and is an alumnus of Point Loma High School. When Hank is not at work, he likes to exercise, listen to music, hang out with friends and manage his fantasy sports teams.

See stories by Hank Crook