Nature Conservancy of Canada asking 'citizen scientists' to submit photos during 'bio blitz'

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is holding its 4th annual Big Backyard Bio Blitz from Aug. 1 to 5, and they are asking Nova Scotians to participate.

Mark Frank is a development officer with the Nature Conservancy. He joined CTV News Atlantic in studio to teach Nova Scotians about the bio blitz and to explain how they can be a part of the community science project taking place across the country.

“If you go out into nature, and whether that’s in your backyard or out on big hike, I think you’d be amazed at how many plants and animals are around you at any time,” Frank said.

The bio blitz asks Canadians to participate as citizen scientists by cataloguing and sharing photographs of the species in their environments through the iNaturalist app.

The bio blitz began during the pandemic. There have been more than 8,000 submissions from the Maritime region. People have submitted more than 150,000 images from across the country.

Frank said the bio blitz is popular and fun, but it also asks people to be a part of the data collection process the Nature Conservancy uses to make policy decisions. Frank said enthusiasts who are not experts can take photos and share them, while experts can participate by identifying the species appearing in the uploaded images.

“Are we seeing an invasive species encroach? Are we learning that there is an important or rare species that you’ve seen? That sort of information will help us make conservation decisions going forward.” Frank said.

During his interview, Frank said he has a passion for documenting birds in nature, but this year he will focus on bees because they are underreported.

“There are so many bee species in the country,” Frank said. “We don’t know a lot about where they’re living or how many of them there are.”

For newcomers, Frank recommends picking a “slow-moving” target.

“Pick some flowers this year,” Frank said, noting there are so many species just in the backyard, all ages can take part in citizen science, which can be a year-round activity.

“You can absolutely use the iNaturalist app any time to upload photos and be part of this community science project,” Frank said. “We’re focusing on this weekend to try and make a push to see just how many things we can see across the country.”

Frank said all the information to participate in the bio blitz is available on the website, where people can sign up, download the app and get tips for better photography.

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