The Macaulay BioBlitz is one of NYC's great citizen-science traditions: each year a different park gets swarmed by student teams with nets, scopes and field guides, building a real species inventory that park managers actually use. This year it's Willowbrook Park, whose pond, woods and Greenbelt edges hide more biodiversity than most people credit Staten Island with. Park visitors get the rare fun of watching a park be scientifically read in real time.
What to expect
Teams fanning out from a base camp through the day and into the night — insect sweeps, bird counts, pond sampling — with finds logged as they come in. Visitors can watch the fieldwork; the park stays open as usual.
Good to know
- Willowbrook Park's main entrance is off Victory Blvd at Morani St
- S62/S93 buses along Victory Blvd serve the park
- The BioBlitz is a Macaulay academic program — spectators can observe, not enroll on the spot
- The park's carousel, pond and archery range are open to regular visitors during it
- Nighttime survey shifts mean activity runs unusually late
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Common questions
What is a BioBlitz?
A rapid, time-boxed biological survey where teams try to identify every species they can in one park — part science, part scavenger hunt.
Can the public join the survey?
The fieldwork is done by Macaulay students and partner scientists, but visitors are free to watch teams at work around the park.
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