In honour of Earth Day, the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority and The Kensington Conservancy are inviting everyone to participate in a bioblitz - a science effort to identify plants and animal species, a news release issued today stated.
The Algoma Earth Day BioBlitz will take place April 22 - April 24.
Full text of the release follows:
The natural world impacts everything we do, from providing us with fresh water, fresh air, pollination to ensure food security, medicines and more. The City of Sault Ste. Marie, the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority and The Kensington Conservancy are inviting area residents to bring awareness to the Algoma region’s biodiversity and participate in a bioblitz on Earth Day. A bioblitz is a citizen science effort to record and identify plants and/or animal species within a designated area in a short period of time.
The Algoma Earth Day BioBlitz will take place April 22 – April 24, 2022, and the iNaturalist application will be used to collect data. Get outside and take photos of any wild plant or animal that you encounter and upload it through the app on your smartphone or through the iNaturalist website on your computer. To register for the event, please click here. Participants must submit at least five (5) observations. Those who do, will be eligible to win one of three prizes, each valued at $50, and include: a zero-waste cleaning kit from Hearterra, a $50 gift certificate from Great Lakes Outfitters, and a day hike survival kit valued at $50. In addition, on Earth Day (April 22) a limited supply of reusable water bottles will be available for pick up in person at City Hall, the Sault Ste. Marie Conservation Authority and The Kensington Conservation Centre. Prizes and giveaways were generously provided by the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority and The Kensington Conservancy. To learn more about how to participate in the BioBlitz please click here.
“We are extremely lucky to be surrounded by nature in Sault Ste. Marie,” said Emily Cormier, Sustainability Coordinator with the City of Sault Ste. Marie. “Restoring and protecting the natural world is one of the greatest strategies for tackling climate change. It is our hope that through this fun outdoors activity, community members will both celebrate the biodiversity in our area, and also be encouraged to protect it”.
“This Earth Day event gives residents an opportunity to become citizen scientists and help local groups and organizations identify locally significant, invasive or species at risk. This information can then be used to create plans that address local issues in natural spaces like parks and conservation areas,” said Christine Ropeter, Assistant Manager & Communications for the Sault Ste. Marie Region Conservation Authority. “All you need is a camera or smart phone to make meaningful contributions to local citizen science on iNaturalist.”
“iNaturalist is a very powerful tool for collecting data about nature,” said Carter Dorscht, Executive Director of The Kensington Conservancy. “In the Algoma District alone, there have been almost 80,000 nature observations submitted to iNaturalist for over 4,300 species. The Kensington Conservancy is constantly using this data for developing species inventories and management plans for our nature preserves.”
For more information on the Earth Day BioBlitz, please contact Emily Cormier, Sustainability Coordinator at 705-989-8748 or email e.cormier2@cityssm.on.ca.