BioBlitz! Oklahoma

Happy New Year Everyone! 
Priscilla Crawford, conservation biologist with the Oklahoma Biological Survey, and Angelina Stancampiano, Oklahoma State Park Senior Naturalist, co-host this podcast, an extension of our BioBlitz! Oklahoma events.  Now we can celebrate Oklahoma's biodiversity with you all year round!  

In this "Meet the Expert" Episode, Priscilla chats with Amy Buthod, our Plant Team Leader for BioBlitz! OK.   She is our go-to botanist when we have plant identification questions or need an expert botanist in the field.  She tallies the plant list for our fall BioBlitzes and verifies the identification of all of our iNaturalist plant observations.   Join us as we talk about what it is like to be a professional botanist and what excites her about working in Oklahoma!  

We are working on new episodes of "Meet the Experts," "Ask the Experts," and "Join the Experts."  We are also going to start highlighting Oklahoma State Parks to inspire you to visit and explore these amazing natural areas.    

You can stay up to date on our
Facebook page – BioBlitz! Oklahoma
Twitter @okbioblitz
Website: https://biosurvey.ou.edu/bioblitzok/

We would love to have your feedback about the podcast.  You can leave a review where you subscribe.  You can also send us Facebook messages, tweet at us, or simply email your feedback to: [email protected].   

This podcast is a project of BioBlitz! Oklahoma, an outreach program of the Oklahoma Biological Survey at the University of Oklahoma. 

This is our second JOIN THE EXPERT episode of our BioBlitz! Oklahoma podcast.  These episodes highlight activities that you can join to explore biodiversity.   

This week, Angelina Stancampiano, BioBlitz! Co-coordinator, chats with Nick Conner, Oklahoma State Park Captain about visiting our parks this winter and joining the First Day Hikes – a great way to begin the new year. 

We hope this episode inspires you to join a First Day Hike at one of our State Parks.  Find the schedule at: https://www.travelok.com/article_page/first-day-hikes-at-oklahoma-state-parks

We have new episodes lined up for the new year.  And we would love to explore your questions on future ASK the Experts episodes!  You can send your questions to us as a Facebook message, a tweet, or simply email to: [email protected].  

BioBlitz! Oklahoma Links are:
Facebook page – BioBlitz! Oklahoma
Twitter @okbioblitz
Website: https://biosurvey.ou.edu/bioblitzok/ 

This podcast is a project of BioBlitz! Oklahoma, an outreach program of the Oklahoma Biological Survey at the University of Oklahoma. 

This is our first "JOIN THE EXPERTS" episode of our BioBlitz! Oklahoma podcast.  In these episodes, we will highlight citizen science projects that you can join.  

In this episode, Angelina talks with OSU ornithologist Tim O'Connell. They highlight several winter bird projects – in particular the Christmas Bird Count.   Learn how researchers use citizen science data to understand bird populations and learn how you can participate! 

They talk about several programs, projects, and information sources during the episode here are links to all of those:

Dr. O’Connell's website https://timoconnell.wordpress.com/
Facebook groups: 

• Oklahoma Ornithological Society
• Payne County Audubon Society

YouTube videos

• How to find specific CBC circles:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M38H4v32dtA&t=336s
• How to find out what birds are around using eBird:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPuW6M3jLi8&t=2s

National Audubon Society 
Christmas Bird Count
Great Backyard Bird Count
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Wilson Ornithological Society
eBird

BioBlitz! Oklahoma Links are:
Facebook page – BioBlitz! Oklahoma
Twitter @okbioblitz
Website: https://biosurvey.ou.edu/bioblitzok/ 

This podcast is a project of BioBlitz! Oklahoma, an outreach program of the Oklahoma Biological Survey at the University of Oklahoma. 

Happy Holidays! We hope you celebrate with time outside exploring Oklahoma's amazing biodiversity.  Remember, you can find biodiversity right outside your door.   

This is our first "ASK THE EXPERT" episode of our BioBlitz! Oklahoma podcast.  Priscilla Crawford and Angelina Stancampiano, BioBlitz! Oklahoma Co-coordinators, chat with botanist Adam Ryburn, professor at Oklahoma City University. 

How does mistletoe get up into trees?  Are all evergreens conifers?  What do plants have to do with the three wise men?  We talk about holiday traditions around some of our native and non-native plants and  discuss the biology, ecology, and cultural history of a wide variety of flowering and cone-bearing plants.

We encourage you to learn more about Oklahoma's trees with the Forest Trees of Oklahoma book from Oklahoma Forestry services - only $8!  https://forestry.ok.gov/store 

We would love to explore your questions on future ASK the Experts episodes!  You can send your questions to us as a Facebook message, a tweet, or simply email to: [email protected]. 

Facebook page – BioBlitz! Oklahoma
Twitter @okbioblitz
Website: https://biosurvey.ou.edu/bioblitzok/ 

This podcast is a project of BioBlitz! Oklahoma, an outreach program of the Oklahoma Biological Survey at the University of Oklahoma. 

Happy Holidays! We hope you celebrate with time outside exploring Oklahoma's amazing biodiversity.  Remember, you can find biodiversity right outside your door.   

In this "Meet the Expert" Episode, BioBlitz! OK co-coordinator, Priscilla Crawford, chats with Zach DuFran who has been our moth expert for the past couple years at BioBlitz! OK.  Zach is our first podcast guest that is one of our amateur experts – meaning his day job is something totally different from biology!  The term amateur in no way negatively reflects his expertise.  In fact, he has become one of the most knowledgeable moth biologists in the state.  Join us as we talk about his self-taught journey to learning all about moths and seeing nearly 1000 moth species in Oklahoma.  

You can follow Zach @zdufran on Instagram, iNaturalist, or Flickr.  We highly encourage you to attend one of his public moth nights when it warms up again! 

You can stay up to date on BioBlitz! OK and our podcast at:
Facebook page – BioBlitz! Oklahoma
Twitter @okbioblitz
Website: https://biosurvey.ou.edu/bioblitzok/ 

In this "Meet the Expert" Episode, BioBlitz! OK co-coordinator, Priscilla Crawford, chats with Mark Howery, one of our BioBlitz! OK ornithologists who leads bird walks during our events.  Mark is a bird expert, but also covers a variety of fauna for his job as the senior wildlife diversity biologist at the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation - which sounds like a dream job to many BioBlitzers!  Learn what that job is like day to day and hear about Mark's background that led him to being one of the state's most knowledgeable wildlife biologists.  

Mark mentions a new dragonfly book by BioBlitz! experts Brenda Smith and Michael Patten: Dragonflies at a Biogeographical Crossroads: The Odonata of Oklahoma and Complexities Beyond Its Borders.  You can get your own copy at this LINK!

You can also stay up to date on our
Facebook page – BioBlitz! Oklahoma
Twitter @okbioblitz
Website: https://biosurvey.ou.edu/bioblitzok/

We are also working on "Ask the Expert" episodes.  Do you have a burning questions about Oklahoma's biota?  Curious about some natural history phenomena you have observed?  Send us your questions and we will work on answering them in future "Ask the Expert" episodes.  You can send Facebook messages, tweet at us, or simply email your questions to: [email protected].   

We will also be happy to receive suggestions for future expert interviews and projects to highlight! 

In this "Meet the Expert" Episode, BioBlitz! OK co-coordinator, Priscilla Crawford, chats with Rusty Grimpe who leads the Discovery Walks during our fall BioBlitz! Events.  Rusty is a wonderful all around naturalist, but he also had a fascinating career in zoo keeping.  Join us as Rusty tells us some fun stories about caring for alligators and turtles and listen for his love of natural history from his descriptions of trips to the Galapagos to his explorations around his home near Skiatook, OK. 

Please forgive the audio quality of Rusty's connection – we recorded his part of the conversation on his cell phone from rural Osage County. 

You can also stay up to date on our
Facebook page – BioBlitz! Oklahoma
Twitter @okbioblitz
Website: https://biosurvey.ou.edu/bioblitzok/

We are also working on "Ask the Expert" episodes.  Do you have a burning questions about Oklahoma's biota?  Curious about some natural history phenomena you have observed?  Send us your questions and we will work on answering them in future "Ask the Expert" episodes.  You can send Facebook messages, tweet at us, or simply email your questions to: [email protected].   

We will also be happy to receive suggestions for future expert interviews and projects to highlight! 

You can stay up to date on our
Facebook page – BioBlitz! Oklahoma
Twitter @okbioblitz
Website: https://biosurvey.ou.edu/bioblitzok/

We are putting together "Ask the Expert" episodes.  Do you have a burning questions about Oklahoma's biota?  Curious about some natural history phenomena you have observed?  Send us your questions and we will work on answering them in future "Ask the Expert" episodes.  [email protected]

In this "Meet the Expert" Episode, BioBlitz! OK co-coordinator, Priscilla Crawford, chats with her friend and colleague Jessa Watters who is a herpetologist and collection manager at the Sam Noble Museum at the University of Oklahoma.  Jessa has been our herpetology team leader at BioBlitz! OK for several years.  She loves to dive for turtles, dash after lizards, and grab a hold of snakes.  Hear about how her love of turtles as a child led her to a career in herpetology and listen to her describe some exciting times in the field.

You can also stay up to date on our
Facebook page – BioBlitz! Oklahoma
Twitter @okbioblitz
Website: https://biosurvey.ou.edu/bioblitzok/

Angelina Stancampiano, my BioBlitz! Co-coordinator and Sequoyah State Park naturalist, and I are also working together on "Ask the Expert" episodes.  Do you have a burning questions about Oklahoma's biota?  Curious about some natural history phenomena you have observed?  Send us your questions and we will work on answering them in future "Ask the Expert" episodes.  You can send Facebook messages, tweet at us, or simply email your questions to: [email protected].   

We will also be happy to receive suggestions for future expert interviews and projects to highlight!