The Municipality of Chatham-Kent says more than 200 residents participated in this year’s City Nature Challenge BioBlitz, documenting hundreds of wild plants, animals and fungi across the municipality.
The initiative, held from April 24 to May 10 in partnership with the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority, St. Clair Region Conservation Authority and NatureCK, encouraged residents to submit observations through the iNaturalist platform.
Organizers said participants made 875 observations and identified 412 different species throughout Chatham-Kent. Among the most commonly observed species were the American Robin, Yellow Trout Lily, Mute Swan and White Trillium.
Residents can explore project statistics, uploaded photos and additional information through the City Nature Challenge 2026 Chatham-Kent project page.
The City Nature Challenge is an annual global initiative organized by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Municipal officials said Chatham-Kent outperformed many Canadian regions of similar population size during its first year participating in the challenge. Organizers noted Barrie recorded 278 observations and 162 identified species, while Cambridge and Cape Breton each logged about 500 observations and just over 200 species.
The municipality and its partners thanked residents for supporting community-led science initiatives through social media engagement, uploaded observations and participation in in-person events.
Officials are also encouraging residents to take part in upcoming citizen science events, including the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Big Backyard BioBlitz from July 27 to Aug. 3 and the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s Great Canadian BioBlitz from Sept. 18 to Oct. 4.
