Put on your cargo shorts and a wide-brimmed hat, folks across B.C. have some explorin’ to do.
The Canadian Wildlife Federation and the Nature Conservancy Canada are holding the third annual BioBlitz from July 28, to Aug. 1.
The blitz is a Canada-wide citizen science initiative, where people from all walks of life are encouraged to take and submit photos of plants and animals, using the iNaturalist Canada app.
Through the app, species records are compiled and then analyzed by researchers, scientists and policy-makers to help them make informed decisions about wildlife management.
“The information shared does make an impact… it is very helpful,” said Jensen Edwards from the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
He said that past citizen-science initiatives helped to identify a key habitat of Monarch butterflies, which was then registered as a conservation location in order to protect the endangered beauty.
During the 2021 event, participants young and old, new and experienced, recorded more than 35,000 nature observations and made more than 4,200 unique species observations.
The crowd-sourced data collected from the blitz will be helpful for scientists and conservation efforts across Canada.
In the past, participants have documented rare, endangered and invasive plants and animals, said Edwards.
If you would like to look for critters and plants with some pals, the Canadian Wildlife Federation has a catalogue to find a Bioblitz in your area.
Pack some water, a snack and your smart phone or tablet, with the iNaturalist app downloaded, and become a citizen scientist.
@Rangers_mom
Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com
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