Student Experience
Over 5,000 biodiversity observations across more than 1,300 species equals first place in national competition
The campus chapter of the Ecological Society of America’s flagship education program SEEDS blew away all other competing chapters around the country, thanks to Santa Cruz’s thriving natural habitats
Undergraduate Emily Halim holds up a Southern Alligator Lizard, which defensively bit her three times as she logged its observation for the Ecological Society of America's annual SEEDS Bioblitz competition.
Photo by Emily Halim
It’s not hard to find a nature lover or researcher among UC Santa Cruz students, but one group recently took the interest to new heights. In late April, over 100 students and supporters logged exactly 5,715 observations of biodiversity across 1,374 species—all within a 24-hour window.
Those numbers made the UC Santa Cruz chapter of SEEDS (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability) the overall winner of the the Ecological Society of America’s annual Bioblitz competition, which 26 student chapters competed in for national bragging rights. The UC Santa Cruz chapter of ESA’s flagship educational program sent observers on forest hikes for fungi, out to coastal bluffs for reptiles, and into the night for nocturnal amphibians and marine life around the Santa Cruz Harbor.
The home team began making observations with the iNaturalist app at noon on April 25 and kept at it until mid-morning the next day. Starting at the Coastal Science Campus, participants cataloged all those types of organisms and more—no life form was left out. After all was said and seen, plants comprised 53.82% of species observed, followed by insects at 10.75%, and fungi at 9.12%.
“I’m most excited how much of a team effort this was, engaging over a hundred observers and multiple campus and community partners,” said ecology and evolutionary biology faculty member Abraham Borker, who took part in the around-the-clock observations. Evergreen State College in Washington took second place in the competition with 3,661 biodiversity observations, and UC Santa Barbara came in third with 3,288 observations.
The mission of SEEDS is to diversify and advance the field of ecology through opportunities that stimulate and nurture the interest of all students to participate, and to lead in ecology. Focused mainly on undergraduates, the program promotes an ecology profession to ensure environmental understanding and a sustainable future for all.
“The biggest thing that BioBlitz has given me is the lens that life truly is everywhere. In every weed on the sidewalks, every spider in your house, every sparrow or turkey that I see scrounging around campus, nature is unavoidable,” said student Emily Halim (Rachel Carson ’27, marine biology), one of the UC Santa Cruz chapter’s leaders and event organizer. “Biodiversity is everywhere you look, and we’re living in it—not separate from nature.”
The chapter’s third-place ranking in 2025 prompted the leadership team to ramp up preparations for this year’s competition. They formed alliances with as many organismal-biology groups on campus as possible, including the Herpetology Club, the Norris Center for Natural History, Submerged Slugs, Ornithology Club, and Plant Sciences Club.
One of the outings organized by the chapter during the 24-hour window was a late-night trip to observe marine life under the Santa Cruz Harbor’s docks. Participation exceeded expectations, with over 30 undergraduates carpooling at 10 p.m. that Saturday to marvel at charismatic sea slugs, crabs, and other ocean life. “We were able to introduce people to a whole new way of looking for life, and it can even be right under your feet at the docks,” Halim said. “It was wonderful to see so many people get excited about marine life. It’s a fulfilling feeling that people are having this much fun and contributing to science.”
UC Santa Cruz’s SEEDS chapter hosts nature-based outings and ecology-related events that help students pursue their love of nature. The chapter is planning a celebratory party on May 22 and can be found on Instagram @ucscseeds.