GBB’s iNaturalist project had another great year in 2025! From rarely seen species like eastern musk turtles, to common ones like chipmunks, our project gained many more observations over the past year.
Since 2020, GBB has used iNaturalist to collect information about the plants and animals in the biosphere region. iNaturalist is a free app that can be used on a computer or installed on a mobile device to record observations of everything from the smallest fungi to the largest mammals. Anyone can submit observations, regardless of their level of experience! All you need to do is take a picture and upload it to iNaturalist through the app or website. Once submitted, experts from around the world help identify and confirm observations.
iNaturalist shares findings with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility; these networks help scientists find and use data. Any observation made within the biosphere region automatically gets added to GBB’s iNaturalist project!
GBB’s iNaturalist project gathers observations submitted by community members across the biosphere region. These observations help us understand where species are found, the threats they face, and help guide research questions, mitigation projects, and other conservation initiatives. Every observation contributes to biodiversity science—from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed, they all provide valuable information about the species in our area!
Since the beginning of GBB’s project in 2020, there have been a total of 193,830 observations of 6,585 distinct species.
We have seen a growth in the number of observations reported each year since the project was introduced, with 2025 being our biggest year yet! We hope these numbers continue to grow and that this project continues to encourage participation in citizen science.
The green frog was the species with the highest number of submissions in 2025, with a total of 512 observations. This was followed by the painted turtle (Miskwaadesi), with 384 observations. A lot of observations in this region are of reptiles and amphibians, which may indicate their abundance as well as people’s interest in finding these species!
Species at Risk
One of the benefits of GBB’s iNaturalist project is the data it provides on species at risk in the region. Since the project’s inception, there have been 44 species at risk observed in the biosphere region. By federal designation, these numbers include 13 species of special concern, 12 threatened, and 9 endangered species. Observations of at-risk species allow GBB and other conservation organizations to better track populations, distributions, threats, and trends.
In 2025 alone, 1,840 observations of 31 different species at risk were submitted. The most observed species at risk in 2025 was the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Zhiishiigwe) with 323 observations, followed closely by the eastern musk turtle with 316 observations.
Get Involved!
GBB will continue to use iNaturalist to encourage citizen science in 2026. By being a citizen scientist and submitting observations to GBB’s iNaturalist project, you help us gather valuable information about species in the biosphere region. The more people out in nature recording what they see, the better!
If you have not joined yet, here’s how to get started:
1. Create or log into your iNaturalist account and go to our project’s page on desktop (inaturalist.org/projects/georgian-bay-biosphere).
2. Select “Join” (found in the top right hand corner of the “About” section).
3. Click on “Your Membership” beside the gear icon.
4. (Optional) Click “Yes” to receiving journal notifications.
5. Click “Yes, for any of my observations” under “Trust this project with hidden coordinates.”
6. Click Save!
Note: These setting features are not available on the mobile app and must be done on desktop.
Trusting us with your hidden coordinates is essential, as observations with obscured or private coordinates are not visible to researchers. While selecting the option to trust us allows us to view true coordinates, it does not make this information available to the public.
We will also continue to utilize iNaturalist for community bioblitzes and iNaturalist challenges—stay tuned to our events page for any bioblitzes that may be happening near you and our social media (Facebook and Instagram) for updates and challenges!
Consider challenging your friends, family, coworkers, or neighbours to see who can submit the most observations to iNaturalist! This is a fun way to get a bit competitive, while contributing meaningful data about the species in our area. You could even run your own bioblitz, following the tips and tricks we have in our Bioblitz Guide!
GBB would like to thank everyone who submitted observations to our iNaturalist project this year and to communities across the biosphere for their continued passion for caring for our shared environment! Thank you! Miigwech!
For more about GBB’s iNaturalist project and how you can submit your observations, visit georgianbaybiosphere.com/citizen-science/.
