City of Peterborough Participating in Upcoming City Nature Challenge

The City of Peterborough has joined the City Nature Challenge (CNC), a global bioblitz competition to record nature sightings within Peterborough municipal boundaries from April 28 to May 1.

photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.

Tracking nature observations is valuable to help understand the biodiversity of local species and assists in identifying population changes over time. Many wildlife populations are at risk of declining with habitat loss being the most significant hazard impacting Ontario species.

On Saturday, April 29, an in-person bio-blitz is scheduled at Jackson Park (610 Parkhill Rd.) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The City is partnering with the Peterborough Field Naturalists to lead the Jackson Park bio-blitz. Specific wildlife-themed searches will occur, including bird, plants, mushrooms and insect counts.

To aid in recording wildlife observations during the bio-blitz, the iNaturalist app will be used to upload sightings of species spotted through the use of a unique Peterborough project event page. In addition, any nature observations recorded from April 28 to May 1 in Peterborough are eligible for the CNC competition and can be posted to the Peterborough iNaturalist page.

“The City Nature Challenge is citizen science in action. I invite residents to join us on April 29 for the BioBlitz. This event is a great opportunity for residents to connect with each other and with nature at Jackson Park, a well-loved urban park that is home to many forms of wildlife. Information gathered during the BioBlitz will support scientific research and contribute to our understanding of how climate change impacts biodiversity,” said Councillor Joy Lachica, Chair of the City’s Environment and Climate Change portfolio.

All observations will be verified by volunteers to confirm the correct species identification uploaded to iNaturalist. The CNC will tally the total confirmed observations from participating communities world-wide and announce the winners for the most sightings per community’s population size and area. A detailed schedule of the event will be posted online.

To learn more about how to participate, visit Peterborough City Nature Challenge web page.

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