DLiA & Crane Hollow Preserve @ Entomology 2026
Columbus, Ohio · November 8–11, 2026 · Booth #608
We’re exhibiting for Entomology 2026 with our friends at Crane Hollow Preserve. Come find us at the Entomological Society of America annual meeting in the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Say hello, geek out about biodiversity, and find out how you can help us find every species in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Crane Hollow Preserve.
On this page: Five ways to help · iNaturalist links by group · The ATBI by the numbers · About DLiA
Check out our session: 1:30pm on Wednesday in room A114
Five ways to help
Calling all entomologists! Here’s how you can help Discover Life in America find every species in the park.
1
Identify iNaturalist observations
Visitors have logged 320,000 iNaturalist observations in the Smokies, adding 410 new species records for the park. Many arthropods still need an expert eye: add IDs (even above species), flag ones you disagree with, and annotate life stage, sex, and interactions.
Links by group
Each link opens observations from the park that are still at “Needs ID” (not yet Research Grade).
2
Identify material from our backlog
Over 25+ years, we’ve accumulated roughly 500,000 arthropods from Malaise, pitfall, and Lindgren funnel traps. Most are in alcohol and sorted to order. We can send material to you, and we may be able to pay you for your time and effort.
Questions? Email will@dlia.org.
3
Survey your taxon in the Smokies
Despite 28 years of research, there’s so much more to learn about life in this ancient, biologically fascinating park. We can help you get a research permit and get started, and funding may be available through our mini-grants.
Understudied groups
- Microbes & small invertebrates: bacteria, archaea & protozoa · Nematoda · Nemertea · Rotifera
- Arachnids & myriapods: Acari (especially soil, water & plant mites) · Pseudoscorpiones · Diplopoda · Symphyla
- Smaller insect orders: Zoraptera (none recorded yet!) · Embioptera (webs first found in 2025) · Strepsiptera · Dermaptera
- Hemiptera: Anthocoridae · Coccoidea · Fulgoroidea · Miridae · Nabidae · Psyllidae · Tingidae
- Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea · Cynipoidea · Ichneumonoidea · Platygastroidea
- Diptera: “Acalyptratae” · Asiloidea · Muscoidea · Oestroidea
- Leafminers & gallformers
Questions? Email will@dlia.org.
4
Apply for our summer internship
Undergraduates spend 9 weeks (June–July) in the park near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, doing biodiversity field research, DNA barcoding, and more. Stipend and housing provided. Applications open January 2027. Please share with your students!
Questions? Email julie@dlia.org.
5
Donate to conserve biodiversity
Discover Life in America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Your gift helps us run the ATBI, train the next generation of scientists through internships, and share discoveries with the public.
EIN 62-1770910
How much of the park’s life have we found?
Who we are / What we do
Discover Life in America
Discover Life in America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our mission: Connecting communities and scientists in discovering, understanding, and conserving the natural world. Since 1998, we’ve managed the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) in the park, a massive effort to catalog and better understand every single species that lives in the Smokies. We work with the National Park Service, regional and international researchers, and community scientists to conduct research in the Smokies, helping park managers make informed decisions to protect the Smokies’ precious natural resources. We also strive to educate our community about the importance of biodiversity in our lives.
Crane Hollow Preserve
Crane Hollow Nature Preserve is a dedicated state nature preserve in Hocking County, Ohio. The Preserve is owned and managed by Crane Hollow, Inc., a private, nonprofit whose mission is to foster “preservation, understanding, and appreciation of the plants, animals, and ecology of the hollow and surrounding area.”
Scientific research is an important part of Crane Hollow’s program. The Preserve strives to develop and implement a high-quality scientific research program that: (1) informs and guides preserve management decisions; (2) sets clear priorities that focus on protecting and sustaining the Crane Hollow Preserve’s native plants, animals, and natural communities; (3) generates and shares knowledge about the Preserve’s ecosystem with a number of interested audiences; and (4) involves the regional scientific community and educational institutions of higher learning. Crane Hollow Preserve has undertaken an All-Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) that is ongoing.
Cover photo credit: Luca Pfeiffer