Keen eyes and a heart for nature have culminated in the success of Chatham-Kent’s inaugural City Nature Challenge BioBlitz.
Held from April 24 to May 10, the initiative saw more than 200 participants make 875 observations to identify 412 different species across the municipality. Among the most common identified were the American robin, the yellow trout lily, the mute swan and the white trillium.
According to a municipal media release, the City Nature Challenge is a yearly global effort organized by the California Academy of Sciences and the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History.
To explore C-K’s statistics and see local photos, visit the link https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2026-municipality-of-chatham-kent.
Despite it being the first time, Chatham-Kent performed well compared to other municipalities of comparable size, according to the media release.
The project was a collaborative effort between the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority; the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority; NatureCK and the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.
Anyone interested in a similar venture is invited to take part in the Nature Conservancy of Canada Big Backyard BioBlitz running from July 27 to Aug. 3.
The Canadian Wildlife Federation’s Great Canadian BioBlitz takes place Sept. 18 to Oct. 4.
