San Jose’s Alum Rock Park hit by ‘BioBlitz’
Editor s Note This article was written for Mosaic an independent journalism training activity for high school students who review and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists Camera in hand Kim Smith was capturing a bird in flight appreciating the vibrant contrast between the blue and black feathers Soon after she was filming another bird she had never encountered before I ve got a Steller s jay just now and then another one whose name I don t know she noted But then the answer suddenly came to her Oh it was a grosbeak which I ve never seen before I m looking forward to seeing those pictures up close Smith was one of the participants engaging in a BioBlitz held June at Alum Rock Park in San Jose Sponsored by Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful the BioBlitz encourages participants to find and identify as multiple species as achievable in a specific area at their own speed Silas McDermott was there with his daughter Mia McDermott He listed several of their sightings We have several good bugs down here like a few sort of butterfly or moth he noted Also within the bug kingdom Various ants we discovered earlier were intriguing Inquired if they d encountered anything surprising he mentioned a few sort of holly-leaf cherry tree and that s cool I didn t know there were any cherries around here Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful is a nonprofit that works with area groups general agencies and students in an effort to restore the creek It sponsors cleanups plantings recreational and cultural sessions and educational partnerships The group s website describes the creek as an essential element of the South Bay habitat It is over miles long and is the largest watershed in Santa Clara County Its headwaters are in Henry Coe Park and it runs through Morgan Hill Gilroy downtown San Jose and into San Francisco Bay The biodiversity of Coyote Creek is an indicator of the medical of the atmosphere and a BioBlitz is a way for us to document and observe what biodiversity looks like announced Jessica Ruppert the organization s event coordinator So when we return to these various parks year over year we can see trends that occur and changes that might happen such as seeing an invasive species pop up The group tries to make the event a family affair It s a great opportunity for families to get their kids out of the house noted N stor De la O Vargas an organization event assistant Parents naturally want their kids to be out and about People walking around having a little nature walk is better than just scrolling on TikTok The BioBlitz is aided by naturalists who help guide participants through the variety of plants and wildlife The variety can be impressive Ruppert noted Just recognizing that there s so much diversity here There was a woman that came by and we had these little pamphlets that have examples of different things you can find here and she was like You can find all of those here and I was like Yes Yes you can and more This is just a very small sample That small sample was literally true for Smith The insects that I ascertained on one leaf I tilted the leaf up and in one little cluster we saw two or three different insects chosen egg casings particular larvae she explained In this one-inch area there s all of this life going on It makes you realize how much is happening that s not visible to us Agamjot Aulakh is a member of the class of at James Logan High School in Union City
