The Biodiversity Day committee reports that plans are beginning to take shape.

Although our chapter area covers six cities and towns we feel that to gain meaningful data from this project our focus should be on one town only. We will invite our state's biological scientists and naturalists to participate in an intense 24-hour biological inventory of Madison from 5pm September 8th to 5pm September 9th, 2000. Based on other "Biodiversity Days" held across the country, we can conceivably document close to 2000 species within that timespan. A lab with microscopes will be set up for those that require it for species identification. Checklists will be provided for each team and a master checklist will be posted at the Bauer Park headquarters at midday for teams to list what they have seen and to help determine what has yet to be documented. A summary report of the compiled biological data will be published after the event and distributed to all participants. It will also be sent to Madison's town management and planning commissions, its environmental organizations, and its education facilities (including the public library). A copy will be sent to the State of Connecticut's Natural Diversity Data Base and any other state agencies that would find the data useful. Programs highlighting the event, the resulting biodiversity database, and its usefulness will be offered to the public and town officials.

The documentation of thousands of species in Madison will elicit surprise and awe, reminding people that we share this planet, including our backyards, with many other life forms. We hope that the publication of the biological inventory will empower the citizens of Madison with the data required to protect vital natural habitats in their town. The town planners, land trust and the citizens of Madison will be armed with the necessary information to implement sound open space policies to protect the biodiversity of Madison. Madison can serve as a model for other towns in our chapter area that are struggling with overdevelopment issues.

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Last updated 18 September, 2004 .