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Science matters. Science beckons. Science fulfills.

The California All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (CalATBI) is organizing a 2026 Student Insect Collection BioBlitz, a statewide community science effort to document our state's biodiversity.

Organizers related:

The goal: "To document California’s insect diversity by partnering with entomology professors, student clubs, and other insect enthusiasts across the state and the country. Together, we can help fill major data gaps on insect distributions while engaging students directly in biodiversity science."

Why this matters: "Insects are the foundation of most ecosystems, yet they’re among the least documented groups in California. By building a coordinated collection and data effort, we are creating a long-term, publicly accessible record of California’s insect biodiversity to support conservation, land management, and future research."

How to participate: "Insect collecting can be as simple as a one-day BioBlitz or expanded into a semester or year-round project for classes or clubs — whatever fits your schedule and goals. We are interested in samples collected from all over the state, with particular interest in high biodiversity areas, unique and endangered habitats, and areas historically under-sampled."

If you're ready to learn more, register to attend the free CalATBI Quarterly Webinar,  set for Wednesday, Dec. 10 from 2 to 3:15 p.m., Pacific Standard Time. Click here to register.  "During this webinar, we will discuss our mission, exciting new findings, and upcoming events," a spokesman said.

Speakers will include:

• Colleen Kamoroff, senior biologist at Stillwater Sciences
• Harte Singer, FUNDIS
• Austin Baker, PhD, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
• Daniel Gluesenkamp, PhD, executive director, California Institute for Biodiversity
• Athena Lam, PhD, director, Center for Comparative Genomics, California Academy of Sciences
• Camila Filgueiras, PhD, assistant professor, University of North Carolina, Asheville

Science matters.  Science beckons. Science fulfills.

And in the meantime, mark your calendar to attend the 15th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, a "Super Science Day" on Saturday, Feb. 21, featuring museums and collections throughout the university campus. The event is free and family friendly. As the organizers say: "It's a day to explore, discover and connect."  Attendees can see everything from the hawks at the California Raptor Center to the Madagascar hissing cockroaches in the Bohart Museum of Entomology to the plants in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden--and more.