Community Science in the summer (UTRCA Weekly, July 22, 2022)
The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) invites you to get outside this summer and take part in the Community Nature Project! This project encourages people to make observations about the animals and plants they see in the Upper Thames River watershed – including in their own backyard – and log them at iNaturalist Canada.
iNaturalist is an on-line platform where anyone can record and share biodiversity information, learn more about the local environment, and connect with other naturalists. iNaturalist is collecting lots of useful information for the UTRCA. For example, it’s providing valuable data on local biodiversity including the ranges of native species and presence of non-native species, which can help shape future projects.
More than 88,000 observations have been made in the watershed and logged on iNaturalist! Since the Community Nature Project launched in May 2021, our watershed has had:
- 1,165 new observers participate
- 824 new species recorded
- 123 invasive species
- 34, 852 observations added
The most observed species as of July 14, 2022 are:
- Spongy Moth – 564
- American Toad – 553
- Mallard – 487
- Monarch – 445
- Canada Goose – 405
- Common Garter Snake – 404
Funding for this UTRCA community science project in 2022 was provided by TD Friends of the Environment Fund.
Check out UTRCA on iNaturalist.ca to see what watershed residents have been observing! The information is sorted into five projects – Upper Thames River Watershed, Invasive Species, Wildwood CA, Fanshawe CA, and Pittock CA.