What's blooming, flying, hopping, or maybe just growing under and around the solar panels at Mauston’s Lemonweir solar farm? Lace up your boots and join the Wisconsin Energy Institute, the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education, Wisconsin Sea Grant, and OneEnergy Renewables for a morning of exploration in the array. We’ll meet at Mauston High School for a brief orientation and then head into the 18-acre 3 MW solar array to document all the species we can observe.
All are welcome to join this unique community science opportunity! Registration is required.
Children 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult. All participants must wear long pants, closed-toed shoes and the provided hard hats and safety vests while in the solar array.
Registration closes when capacity is reached or by July 24th.
Agenda
- 8:30-9:30 am - Orientation at Mauston High School, 800 Grayside Ave, Mauston, WI 53948
- Coffee and light breakfast provided
- 9:30-9:45 - Travel to Lemonweir Solar Farm
- 9:45-11:30 - Bioblitz in the Array, Educator breakout session
- 11:30-12:00 - Sub sandwiches and celebration!
What's a bioblitz?
A bioblitz is a group project to record as many species within a specific location and time period as possible. Bioblitzs are fun ways to connect with our community while generating useful data for science and conservation. We'll be using iNaturalist to log our observations in the array. We recommend folks interested in using the app, download iNaturalist ahead of the event.
Who should participate?
Everyone! Educators, youth groups, individuals, and families. Folks who know about solar or biology, and those who are just curious. No experience is necessary. We will have "expert" identifiers to help log observations. This is a special opportunity to go "behind the fence" of an active solar farm and contribute to our understanding of the connections between solar arrays and biodiversity.
I'm an educator. How can I use this experience?
During the bioblitz we'll hold an "educator breakout" to preview ready-to-use lessons for integrating solar and agrivoltaics into your teaching space. You'll also get some tips and tricks for how to run a bioblitz with your students.
What if it rains?
In the event of inclement weather, our rain date is Saturday, Aug 22. An email will be sent to all registrants on Friday afternoon, July 31st.
Will this be accessible for me?
The Bioblitz will take place outside and will involve walking over uneven ground. The array is exposed to the elements, with little shade/cover. Please dress for current / expected weather conditions and bring water and sun protection. A porta potty will be available at the array. Water and lemonade will be provided.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services, and activities. If you need an accommodation for this event please let us know in your registration form or by emailing outreach@energy.wisc.edu or calling 608-890-0946 (voice only). Requests should be made by Fri, July 17, 2026, though reasonable effort will be made to support late accommodation requests.
Special thanks to our co-hosts and partners!
