By April Overall
Did you love exploring outside when you were a kid? Did you collect rocks, catch frogs, or study butterflies as they floated from flower to flower? We’ve got an adventure for the kid in you. It’s called a BioBlitz. A what now, you ask? A BioBlitz is a community event that engages the public and gives youth and adults the opportunity to reconnect with nature. Typically, an event will run for 12 to 24 hours with a group of volunteer experts, naturalists and enthusiasts cataloguing the plant and animal species in a specified area. Want to give it a whirl in your neck of the woods? Organize your very own bioblitz!
You’ll Need a Scientist or an Expert
It’s hard to conduct a BioBlitz when you can’t tell the difference between a Monarch and a Viceroy butterfly. Harder still if you don’t know where to look for the Monarch in your neighbourhood. So let’s be sure that you’ve got either a scientist or an expert for your event! Start with internet searches and discussions with local town/city halls, museums, nature clubs, or university and college environmental programs. The Conservation Data Centre in your province/territory may also help. You can contact former BioBlitz organizers in your area to see if they can provide the names and contact information of their previous attending scientists and experts, or talk to partner organizations listed on BioBlitzCanada.ca for additional resources. Try and make contact before summer since many scientists are busy with similar studies during this time.
You’ll Need a Location
It’s handy to have a scientist or expert chosen before you scout for a location for your BioBlitz. They’ll be able to ensure the spot you choose has the most fascinating species to survey. But if you’re going it alone to start, there are some key questions, you’ll want to ask yourself. For example, are you more interested in surveying terrestrial or aquatic areas and species? Once you’ve got that down pat, you’ll need to figure out some basics like does your site have washrooms close by? Is there parking? Will everyone be able to get involved? If the terrain is rocky, you might be ruling a few participants out. You don’t have to look too far since biodiversity can be found even in the middle of a city, in a park or in your own backyard.
If you’re not conducting your BioBlitz at home, it’s time to make your pitch! Let the park know that you’d like to conduct a BioBlitz on their land. Describe what your chosen location has to offer and the habitats it encompasses ( e.g. are there marshes, forests, are there a diverse number of species, etc.).
You’ll Need Participants
Reach out to people in your community. Trust us, you’re not the only nature enthusiast in your neck of the woods! Look for like-minded people to participate and help you spread the word. A few places you might consider reaching out to get volunteers and citizens:
- Other youth organizations
- Nature Clubs
- Retirement homes
- Community centres
- Artistic community organizations
- New Canadian and Immigrant Associations
- Cultural ethnic community organizations
- Hunting/Fishing organizations
- Sports organizations
- Aboriginal community organizations
- Photography clubs
- Farming community
- Cottage associations
- Offices: private and public sector
You’ll Want to Record Your Sightings
Use iNaturalist.ca to record and share what you find at your bioblitz! This online and smartphone platform lets you take a photo of the species you’re finding and share it with other nature enthusiasts. It also connects you to thousands of experts that can help you identify your photo if you’re not sure what you saw. Connect with us through BioBlitzCanada.ca for help in setting up your iNaturalist Bioblitz Project to contribute to a snapshot of biodiversity for Canada’s 150th.
Can’t Make It?
If you don’t have the ability to join a nearby bioblitz or undertake organizing an entire event, you can still participate. Canadians can head out on their own using iNaturalist.ca to blitz anywhere you like and contribute to the BioBlitz Canada 150 initiative. Check back in at BioBlitzCanada.ca to find out when this is happening.
Learn more about BioBlitz Canada 150 at our website. We hope you join the celebration of our natural heritage and help to ensure a brighter future for wildlife.