Call for citizen scientists to survey local wildlife

City Nature Challenge requires a camera, some exploration and curiosity

WATERLOO REGION — Grab your smartphone and seek out nature this weekend as Waterloo Region joins the first international City Nature Challenge.

The challenge kicks off Friday at 12:01 a.m. and continues until Monday at 11:59 p.m.

Novice naturalists of all ages and science backgrounds are asked to observe and submit pictures of wild plants, animals and fungi using the free app iNaturalist.

“We want everyone out and exploring their neighbourhoods and making nature sightings,” said Jenna Quinn, program scientist at the Rare Charitable Research Reserve.

The Cambridge reserve is putting out the call to action for fledgling and active citizen scientists. Waterloo Region is one of just two Canadian communities, along with Vancouver, joining the global effort.

“We definitely want to show off a little bit,” Quinn said.

The challenge started in a few California cities, then expanded across the United States last year. This year, more than 65 cities are participating across the planet. Organizers estimate that 500,000 observations will be made by more than 10,000 people. It’s simple for anyone to get involved: Step 1: Find wildlife anywhere in the region, including the cities and townships.

Step 2: Take a picture of what you find, noting the location.

Step 3: Share your observations by uploading them to iNaturalist.

Identification of the photographed species will be crowdsourced through the online community from May 1 to 3 and results will be announced on May 4.

Quinn said iNaturalist is a great tool to learn about the natural world around you.

“There’s a great community of people to help you learn,” she said. “For me, it’s like having a library of field guides out with me.”

Data collected goes into a database for scientists to use in their research. Quinn said enlisting citizen scientists puts lots of “eyes on the ground.”

“This way we can tap into a huge resource of people,” Quinn said.

The challenge is a good fit for Rare, which is focused on conservation, research and education. Of the 3,700 species identified on the Rare reserve, a third of that list was generated through events like its regular bioblitz when both citizens and scientists span out to survey the property.

“You can really get a lot done,” Quinn said.

Find out more about the app at inaturalist.ca.