If you’ve ever wanted to play naturalist for a day, well here’s your chance. This weekend kicks off the National Park Service’s BioBlitz, a country-wide effort that enlists citizen scientists to help gather wildlife data in parks across the states. Over the next few months, the NPS, along with National Geographic, is hosting BioBlitz events in 115 parks, preserves, monuments, forests, and other federally-managed lands. Here’s what you need to know if you want to get involved with this sweeping effort. What’s the point of a BioBlitz? The purpose of these mini nature parties is to identify and record as many species as possible in a single locale. It’s similar to 吃瓜黑料’s Christmas Bird Count, but targeted towards all forms of wildlife, including plants and fungi. In the case of NPS land, that’s a giant endeavor: The U.S. national parks are home to more than 5,300 species of vertebrates alone. “We expect all of the BioBlitzes to be adding new species to the...