Citizen Science in the Biosphere: Celebrating Five Years of GBB’s iNaturalist Project

GBB’s iNaturalist project turns five this month! To celebrate the anniversary of our project, we’re taking a look back at how this project started, how it’s been going, and what the future holds.

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. 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. Data within the biosphere region gets automatically added to GBB’s iNaturalist project.

GBB’s iNaturalist project gathers observations submitted by community members across the biosphere region. Observations from community members help us understand where species are found, the threats they face, and help guide research questions, mitigation projects, and other conservation initiatives. Every observation can contribute 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 150,564 observations of 6,090 species.

We have seen a growth in the number of observations reported each year since the project was introduced. We hope these numbers continue to grow and that this project continues to encourage participation in citizen science!

Some amazing species have been added to our project over the years. The common gartersnake (Wenda ginebig [Anishinaabemowin], Thamnophis sirtalis) was the species with the highest number of submissions in 2024, with a total of 617 observations. This was followed by the painted turtle (Miskwaadesi [Anishinaabemowin], Chrysemys picta), with 497 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 inception, there have been 42 species observed in the biosphere region that are listed under COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada). These numbers include 21 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.

Species of note include the eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), the northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), and the elusive red-headed woodpecker (Baapaase [Anishinaabemowin], Melanerpes erythrocephalus).

Get Involved!

GBB will continue to use iNaturalist to encourage citizen science in 2025. By being a citizen scientist and submitting observations to GBB’s iNaturalist project, you are helping us to gather invaluable information about the ecosystem in the biosphere region. The more people out in nature recording what they see, the better! If you haven’t joined yet, here’s how to get started:

1. Log into your iNaturalist account and go to our project’s page on desktop (https://inaturalist.ca/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. Click “Yes” (if you want!) 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 a 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 also plan to 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 upcoming challenges!

Consider challenging your friend group, family, coworkers, neighbours, etc. to see who can make 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 has submitted observations to our iNaturalist project over the last five years 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/

Miigwech! Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Thank you to our partners, sponsors, and many individual donors for your support and investment in a healthy Georgian Bay!