2025 AVI KWA AME NATIONAL MONUMENT SPRING BIOBLITZ // DAY TWO

We’re celebrating Avi Kwa Ame National Monument’s second anniversary with a three day Spring BioBlitz! Have fun and help us document the monument’s biodiversity as we embark on plant and animal surveys, go on hikes, take workshops, learn about the monument and more from Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27.

PLEASE NOTE:

There are several events on each day, many with overlapping times. Please only RSVP for the events that you will be attending to make sure that the limited spaces remain available. There will be a few walk-in slots available for all events, so if the event you are interested in is booked up, know that you may be able to join in day-of.
Each day of the bioblitz has its own event page. This is the event page for DAY TWO of the Bioblitz. Please refer to BIOBLITZ DAY ONE and BIOBLITZ DAY THREE to RSVP for those day's events.
All events begin and end at Walking Box Ranch. If your activity takes place in another monument location, you will be meeting with your group and caravanning there from Walking Box Ranch.

-------------------------

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

For more information about these events, and for details that will help you plan your trip, please refer to our information page HERE.

SATURDAY MORNING SESSION 1

TIME	EVENT NAME	DESCRIPTION	LOCATION & MORE INFO
6AM-9AM	THRASHERQUEST!	Participants will help Great Basin Bird Observatory biologists and volunteers by revisiting some of the territories identified on 2024 surveys to document thrashers (and everything else we can find)! Binoculars are useful. (40 total participants for 5 groups)	Meet at Walking Box Ranch & carpool/caravan to locations throughout monument. Hiking off-trail on uneven ground required, no restrooms.
8AM-10AM	INTRO TO BIRD OBSERVATION @ WEE THUMP WILDERNESS	Join naturalists from Red Rock Audubon in observing and identifying local birds. Binoculars are useful. Kids can join with adult supervision. (15 participants)	Meet at Walking Box Ranch information booth & carpool/caravan to location. On and off-trail walking, no restrooms.
9AM-12PM	RARE PLANTS & INTERESTING HABITATS	Avi Kwa Ame is a hotspot for Nevada's plant biodiversity. Within the monument, you can see more than 1 in 5 of all plant species known in Nevada. Join a Nevada Division of Natural heritage botanist to check out some interesting habitats and hunt for rare plants in the McCullough Range and the Newberry Mountains. We will learn to use iNaturalist to log our plant observations.	Meet at Walking Box Ranch information booth & carpool/caravan to location. Moderate hike. On and off-trail walking, no restrooms.

SATURDAY MORNING SESSION 2

TIME	EVENT NAME	DESCRIPTION	LOCATION & MORE INFO
9AM-12PM	NATIVE PLANT GIVEAWAY	Learn about local plants from plant restoration specialist Emily Willard and adopt one of your own to take home with you, while supplies last.	At Walking Box Ranch Drop in anytime Wheelchair accessible
9:30AM-12PM	REPTILE VISUAL ENCOUNTERS	Join naturalists on foot to observe and survey lizards and other reptiles active during daylight hours at locations throughout the monument. Kids can join with adult supervision. Binoculars are useful. (10 participants per location)	Meet at Walking Box Ranch & carpool/caravan to locations within monument On and off-trail walking.
9:30AM-12PM	BIOBLITZ OBSERVATIONS MEET UP	Join naturalists and other participants to caravan to monument locations and help record bioblitz observations of plants and animals. Kids can join with adult supervision. Binoculars are useful. (12 participants per location)	Meet at Walking Box Ranch & carpool/caravan to locations within monument. On and off-trail walking.
10AM-12PM	KIDS ACTIVITIES	Join naturalist Paula Jacoby-Garrett for fun and games with science, nature and creativity. (Participants can drop in anytime.)	Walking Box Ranch garage & surrounding area. Wheelchair accessible.
10AM-12PM	JOSHUA TREE SEED CLEANING	Learn about the fascinating biology of the Joshua tree and its relationship to the Yucca moth while helping to extract seeds from their pods and prepare them for use in studies and reforesting efforts. Kids can join. (Participants can drop in anytime.)	Walking Box Ranch garage & surrounding area. Wheelchair accessible.
10AM-10:45AM	TOUR OF WALKING BOX RANCH HOUSE	Join our board president Ron Safran for a tour of this historic house, with some new surprises! Kids can join with adult supervision. (15 participants)	Wheelchair accessible in most downstairs rooms.
11AM-11:45AM	STEWARDSHIP 101 PRESENTATION	Learn how you can help preserve Nevada’s heritage through the Nevada Site Stewardship Program. (30 participants	Wheelchair accessible.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON SESSION

TIME	EVENT NAME	DESCRIPTION	LOCATION & OTHER INFO
12PM-1:45PM	SATURDAY LUNCH & GROUP TALK	Bring your own picnic lunch. Drinks and snacks are also available by donation through Friends of Avi Kwa Ame.	Outside the Walking Box Ranch main house. Wheelchair accessible.
2PM-5PM	SPECIAL STATUS PLANT SURVEY	Join BLM Botanists in conducting botanical surveys via transects for Rosy and Yellow Two-Toned Beardtongues (Penstemon bicolor ssp. roseus & Penstemon bicolor ssp. bicolor). Plant paramours will be visiting historically documented populations found within the Monument to collect updated population and occurrence data then perform surveys in suitable habitat to identify additional occurrences of these species. Flora fans will be walking back and forth in nature, but make no mistake, this is no walk in the park, no nature walk. It’s for science. (5 participants)	Meet at Walking Box Ranch & carpool/caravan to locations within the monument. On and off-trail walking, no restrooms.
2PM-5PM	BIOBLITZ OBSERVATIONS MEET UP	Join naturalists and other participants to caravan to monument locations and help record bioblitz observations of plants and animals. Kids can join with adult supervision. Binoculars are useful. (12 participants per location)	Meet at Walking Box Ranch & carpool/caravan to locations within the monument. On and off-trail walking, no restrooms.
2PM-3PM	DESERT THRASHERS PRESENTATION	Learn about these shy and interesting birds, and how you can help Great Basin Bird Observatory study them in Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. Kids can join with adult supervision. (30 participants)	Walking Box Ranch bunkhouse. Wheelchair accessible.
2PM-5PM	JOSHUA TREE SEED CLEANING	Learn about the fascinating biology of the Joshua tree and its relationship to the Yucca moth while helping to extract seeds from their pods and prepare them for use in studies and reforesting efforts. Wheelchair accessible. Kids can join. (Participants can drop in anytime.)	Walking Box Ranch garage & surrounding area. Wheelchair accessible.
2PM-4PM	KIDS ACTIVITIES	Join naturalist Paula Jacoby-Garrett for fun and games with science, nature and creativity. (Participants can drop in anytime.)	Walking Box Ranch garage & surrounding area. Wheelchair accessible.
3PM-4PM	TALK: MOJAVE TIES TO LANDSCAPE	Join Paul Jackson Jr., AhaMacav Cultural Artist and Fort Mojave Tribal Elder (Neolge Clan) along with colleagues from the culture society as they talk about the Mojave relationship to plants, animals and the landscape of Avi Kwa Ame National Monument and its surroundings.	Walking Box Ranch bunkhouse. Wheelchair accessible.
4:15PM-5:00PM	TOUR OF WALKING BOX RANCH HOUSE	Join our board president Ron Safran for a tour of this historic house, with some new surprises! Kids can join with adult supervision. (20 participants)	Wheelchair accessible in most downstairs rooms.
5PM-6:15PM	SATURDAY DINNER & GROUP TALK	Bring your own meal (or reserve a catered meal during checkout by selecting a meal ticket by 4/18)). Drinks and snacks are also available by donation through Friends of Avi Kwa Ame.	Outside the Walking Box Ranch main house Wheelchair accessible

SATURDAY EVENING SESSION

TIME	EVENT NAME	DESCRIPTION	LOCATION & MORE INFO
6:30PM-11PM	REPTILE ROAD CRUISING	Caravan in cars along designated routes for evening time surveys that focus on encountering nocturnal snakes and other animals while driving slowly, using vehicle headlights and flashlights. Kids can join with adult supervision. (multiple routes with up to 80 participants total)	Meet at Walking Box Ranch and carpool/caravan to along routes within monument. Light walking, standing, bending, no restrooms.
6:30PM-10PM	BAT SURVEY AT PINE SPRINGS	Observe and assist biologists as they record bat species through acoustic monitoring and careful netting at a local water source. (12 participants)	Meet at Walking Box Ranch info booth and carpool/caravan to location. Light walking, standing, bending, no restrooms.
6:30PM-7PM	WHY PLANTS AND ANIMALS NEED DARK NIGHT SKIES	Presentation on how biology and astronomy are connected, with an introduction to Avi Kwa Ame’s Dark Sky Park designation process. (30 participants)	Walking Box Ranch garage. Wheelchair accessible.
8PM-9:30PM	TELESCOPE VIEWING WITH THE LAS VEGAS ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY	Celebrate International Dark Skies Week with a peek up at the heavens on a moonless night. Kids can join with adult supervision.	Walking Box Ranch grounds Wheelchair accessible Drop in anytime.
8PM-10PM	DARK SKY LIGHT MEASURING	Join in on the monitoring of dark sky places within the monument to help make observations towards our Dark Sky Park application. Kids can join with adult supervision. (10 participants per team).	Meet at Walking Box Ranch and carpool/caravan to locations in monument. Light walking, standing, bending, no restrooms
7:30PM-12AM	BLACKLIGHT SCORPION SURVEY	Join in on the hunt for glow in the dark scorpions around Christmas Tree Pass. (12 participants).	Meet at Walking Box Ranch and carpool/caravan to areas near Christmas Tree Pass. On and off-trail walking, no restrooms.

Click below to go to the event pages for each day:

You can also support the Spring Bioblitz by making a donation during checkout.

THE 2025 AVI KWA AME NATIONAL MONUMENT SPRING BIOBLITZ is hosted and supported by the following organizations:

Contact the host of 2025 AVI KWA AME SPRING BIOBLITZ - DAY TWO