Value of Child in the Field During Survey - Nature Conservancy Report

The Nature Conservancy co-organized an “Expert BioBlitz”, similar to the public BioBlitzs, but using professional biologists, to explore a 26-mile stretch of the Amargosa River, located in the Mojave Desert.  One of the researchers brought their child.  The organizers of the event found the child to be such a valuable addition to the effort, that they included the following paragraph in the official report.

Section VII. e. Inclusion of Children "BioBlitz events are sometimes organized to involve children and families, with the goal of increasing science literacy and public engagement. In contrast, the Amargosa River BioBlitz included primarily adult experts, and the invitation list was restricted to small group of well-trusted individuals. However, one of the participants during the Amargosa River BioBlitz was a seven-year old child. While our event was not geared towards children, we discovered that judicious inclusion of this one, very well- behaved and field-ready child allowed for survey work to occur unimpeded while providing a set of eyes closer to the ground. This facilitated discoveries that otherwise would not have been made."

https://www.scienceforconservation.org/products/amargosa-bioblitz-2017