California Biodiversity Week

Friends of the Arcata Marsh (FOAM) joins a statewide effort to celebrate California’s biodiversity during the week of September 5-13. This year marks the sixth statewide California Biodiversity Day, a time to celebrate our state’s unique biodiversity and encourage actions to protect it. All events meet at Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center.

Here are FOAM’s schedule of events:

Saturday, September 5, 2 to 4 pm — Paul Wilson, “Species richness” (this fills the weekly Saturday tour slot)

Sunday, September 6, starting at 10 am – Lynn Jones & Paul Johnson will guide attendees’ participation in the statewide “Find 30 Species Challenge.” It’s helpful if you’ve downloaded the iNaturalist app at this link Find 30 Species for CA Biodiversity Day 2026 Project before you arrive, but we can help you if you haven’t. The group will be photographing and logging 30 or more marsh plants, animals, or fungi. (If you can’t make this mentored event, you still can participate on your own between September 5 and September 13.)

Monday, September 7, 9 to 11 am – Paul Johnson, “The mysterious and seldom-seen parts of biodiversity” (Interpretive Center will be closed)

Tuesday, September 8, 10 am to noon – Lynn Jones, “How do we increase and steward greater biodiversity?”

Wednesday, September 9, 11 am to 1 pm – Elliott Dabill, “How to identify eight common Arcata Marsh plant families”

Thursday, September 10, 10 am to noon – Barbara Reisman, “Introduction to lichens at the Marsh”