Inter-island Bioblitz:

Friday, July 24, 2026 through Friday, August 7, 2026.

Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket islands have a lot in common. They’re related by their glacial origins and the sandy geology that resulted. They share a long history of settlement by Europeans, and a longer, much longer, history of habitation by Indigenous peoples. Both feature immense biodiversity and a wealth of rare or highly specialized species. Conservationists on both islands face similar challenges and opportunities, and they often work together closely, sharing expertise or addressing regional problems. Meanwhile, residents of both islands have a strong sense of community and local pride — and a firm conviction that THEIR island is best!

Tapping into the good-natured rivalry that exists between these islands, BiodiversityWorks and the Martha’s Vineyard Atlas of Life have teamed up with the Linda Loring Nature Foundation, one of Nantucket’s leading conservation organizations, to launch the first-ever Inter-Island BioBlitz. At stake are bragging rights for most observations and species entered into iNaturalist from either island during the time frame of the two-week event.

Competition aside, there is a serious angle to this event. Like any bioblitz, it’s an opportunity to engage and educate the public about local biodiversity, its value, and its conservation. The event will also generate a data set allowing easy comparison of the species mix found on each island, and likely on whether or how the islands differ in their seasonality.

Anyone can participate; there is no fee, although we do encourage you to register for the event to make it easier for us to communicate with you. We also urge you to join the Vineyard project for the BioBlitz, where observations from Martha’s Vineyard will appear. All that’s needed to contribute is a free iNaturalist account; observations uploaded from either island during the BioBlitz will be added automatically to a project gathering that island’s results.