A two-week showdown between Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket is underway as the two Islands launched their first annual Inter-Island BioBlitz.
The competition is a race to document as many species as possible from July 24 to August 7.
Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket have each conducted individual bioblitz’s in summers past, but when Sarah Bois of the Linda Loring Nature Foundation on Nantucket proposed an inter-Island event, members of the Vineyard’s BiodiversityWorks agreed that some healthy competition could go a long way.
“This is a great opportunity to get some good scientific information,” said Matt Pelikan, community naturalist at BiodiversityWorks. “We’re getting really intensive snapshots taken simultaneously of both islands.”
Anyone can participate in the bioblitz by creating a free account on iNaturalist, a platform where everyone can share information and contribute to a global database. By entering observations, participants help each biodiversity catalog grow, bringing their own island one step closer to beating out their rival.
Mr. Pelikan said that naturalists on both Islands are hoping the competition will engage even those without a passion for biodiversity.
“Anyone who wants to see the Vineyard beat Nantucket in the annual football game, maybe they’re also going to want to demonstrate our innate superiority in the biodiversity sphere by crushing Nantucket in a bioblitz,” he said.
Community members have already made significant discoveries through simple observation, Mr. Pelikan added. Chris Baer, a photography teacher at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, found a new species of cricket on the Vineyard. It’s breakthroughs like these that Mr. Pelikan is most excited about analyzing after the bioblitz is over and representatives from the two Islands compile their findings and compare the data.
Glory and science are the main motivations for the bioblitz, Mr. Pelikan said, but the winning Island will also be awarded a Golden Antler, gilded and decorated with items from nature. Each subsequent year, the victor will get to add another token to the trophy, declaring their superiority with perhaps a seashell or stick.
Mr. Pelikan hopes the bioblitz will inspire new appreciation for the beautiful, natural features that make the Vineyard unique.
“I think it’s important to celebrate biodiversity in every way you can think of,” he said. “Biodiversity is what keeps the world running.”
This article appears in July 31, 2026.