Discover Life in America

Cades Cove Firefly Survey
2024-06-24 19:00 - 23:00 (America/New_York)
Join us to survey fireflies in Cades Cove on June 24th from 7pm to 11pm EST, meeting at the Cades Cove Ranger Station. There are 19 species of fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Volunteers will assist DLiA staff document firefly species in Cades Cove for the Smokies All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory.

This event will require volunteers to walk/hike through the fields in Cades Cove, after dark. No flashlights will be used when documenting and recording activity. No prior experience is required and families are welcome, although this volunteer activity is not recommended for children under the age of 14.

Questions? Email our volunteer coordinator, Jaimie Matzko, jaimie@dlia.org

Registration is now full!

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BioBlitz at Seven Islands State Birding Park
2024-09-20 09:00 - 12:00
Join us for a BioBlitz on Friday, September 20 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. organized by Discover Life in America and Seven Islands State Birding Park. This is a free and family-friendly event to participate in community science and learn about nature!

🤳Learn how to use the free community science iNaturalist app, to document and identify life—anywhere in the world!

🔍Join guided hikes with expert naturalists from Discover Life in America and Seven Islands State Birding Park!

🌳Meet others in your community who also love to learn about nature!

Register Here

What’s a bioblitz?

During a bioblitz, volunteers help document as many kinds of animals, plants, and other organisms as we can find in a specific area. It’s also an opportunity for you to be a community scientist, gathering real scientific data, while also learning about the local flora and fauna living around you. We will be walking the trails, looking for bugs, flowers, salamanders, and other living organisms. We’ll photograph them with our phones and post pictures to our iNaturalist project. We’ll have experts on hand to guide small groups point out interesting facts about the organisms we see, and teach you how to use the iNaturalist app.

What will we be doing?

Walking the trails, looking for bugs, flowers, salamanders, and anything else we can find. We’ll photograph them with our phones and post pictures to our iNaturalist project. It’ll be a fun morning of outdoor time in a gorgeous natural space and we’ll have experts on hand to guide small groups around the trail and point out interesting facts about the organisms we see.

Afterward you can see what kind of organisms we found by visiting the project on iNaturalist, which will be left up indefinitely. We encourage you to revisit the Loyston Point trails and post what you find! Making iNaturalist observations helps TVA know what’s out there so they can better manage and protect these public lands.

Before the event

Download iNaturalist to your phone (it’s free!)

Follow prompts in the app to create an iNaturalist account

Bring water and some snacks (we’ll also provide water)

Wear weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy shoes for hiking

Get the iNaturalist app.

Download the app. Log in. Try it out.

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iOS

Free

Continental MycoBlitz
2024-10-16 10:00 - 15:00 | Information Kiosk Parking
Want to learn more about mushrooms and fungi in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and participate in community science?

Join us on Wednesday, October 16 to participate in a “MycoBlitz” to document and collect fungi for DNA sequencing for the Smokies All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory and the Fall North America Continental MycoBlitz!

Register on our website: dlia.org/volunteering

Questions? Email our volunteer coordinator, Jaimie Matzko, jaimie@dlia.org

Register Here

Where? 1316 Cherokee Orchard Road, Gatlinburg TN 37738

Discover Life in America office at Twin Creeks (see google map directions below)

Pollinator 'Blitz
2025-04-17 10:00 - 14:00
Pollinator ‘Blitz

Join us to document pollinators and the host plants and wildflowers they are visiting! There is so much more to learn about pollinators and their vital role in the ecosystems of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

We will be using the iNaturalist app, to take photos and share to the community science platform. No prior experience necessary!

Register

When? Thursday, April 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where? Discover Life in America office 1316 Cherokee Orchard Rd Gatlinburg, TN 37738

Directions: from Cherokee Orchard Road, turn right into the Twin Creeks complex and continue on the road past the Twin Creeks Science Center and the road that goes to the pavilion until you see our little cabin and the Discover Life in America sign.

Fern Foray
2025-05-09 10:00 - 14:00
Fern Foray

When? Friday, May 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where? Little River Trailhead, GSMNP

Description: Join us for an exciting journey into the world of ferns in Great Smoky Mountains National Park! UTK Ecology and Evolutionary Biology lecturer and renowned botany expert, Dr. Pat Cox, will share her in-depth knowledge of the park’s diverse fern species. Discover the art of identifying and documenting these fascinating plants as she recounts her experience leading an ambitious team in a park-wide fern foray for the ATBI, covering every trail in the park! We will be using the iNaturalist app, to take photos and share to the community science platform. No prior experience necessary!

Register

Volunteer with DLiA

Volunteers have contributed significantly to the success of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) since we began, through field work, education and outreach, and financial support. DLiA could not continue to function without the help of our dedicated volunteers and supporters. Thank you!

Firefly ‘Blitz
2025-06-23 18:30 - 23:00
Join us in Cades Cove for a Firefly ‘Blitz on Monday, June 23! We’ll be going out to the cove before dusk to record firefly activity and identify species.

No experience necessary. We will be doing field studies, in the dark until 11 pm or later. We will be only be using flashlights covered with red cellophane or a red setting. Because of the extended time in the dark and data collection, this activity is not recommended for children under 14 years old.

Join us in Cades Cove for a Firefly ‘Blitz on Monday, June 23! We’ll be going out to the cove before dusk to record firefly activity and identify species.

No experience necessary. We will be doing field studies, in the dark until 11 pm or later. We will be only be using flashlights covered with red cellophane or a red setting. Because of the extended time in the dark and data collection, this activity is not recommended for children under 14 years old.

*This event is not affiliated with synchronous fireflies.

Registration is currently full, but check back for possible cancellations!

Black Lighting for "Bugs"
2025-07-18 20:00 - 23:00
Black Lighting for “Bugs”…and other nocturnal insects!

When? July 18 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Where? Bradley Fork Trailhead at Smokemont Campground

Description: Join us to help document nocturnal life in Great Smoky Mountains National Park! We will also spend time at dusk using a bat detector to monitor for bat activity in the area! We will also spend time at dusk using a bat detector to monitor for bat activity in the area!

Why use black lights?

Many insects can see ultraviolet light, which has shorter wavelengths than light visible to the human eye. For this reason, a black light will attract different insects than a regular incandescent light.

We will be using the iNaturalist app, to take photos and share to the community science platform. No prior experience necessary!

Location:

Volunteer with DLiA

Volunteers have contributed significantly to the success of the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) since we began, through field work, education and outreach, and financial support. DLiA could not continue to function without the help of our dedicated volunteers and supporters. Thank you!
