The Big Hill Creek Preservation Society (BCPS) is holding what they’re calling their first ‘Bio Blitz’ on Saturday, June 10, and they’re looking for a few environmentally inclined volunteers to make it a success.
As representatives from the preservation society describe it, the public education event will double as an opportunity for people to take part in a significant research project aimed at creating baseline biodiversity data for the Bighill Creek area.
Although BCPS has some wildlife surveillance cameras set up in the valley, they are missing information on the biodiversity of the area.
“We've got old studies, but what would be nice is to have a snapshot of what's here right now,” said BCPS’ vice-president, Vivian Pharis.
“If the community sees value in it and we continue with it, we might have a year-to-year comparison of basically different species that live in the natural area of the of the creek and the coulee sites.”
She has a special affinity for the land surrounding Bighill Creek.
“A lot of land in that area is pretty much intact from the way it's been for hundreds or maybe thousands of years,” she said.
“It's quite a unique little valley and it would really be nice to have a picture of what lives here along with us, so the bio blitz is designed to build links between the community and science. And hopefully that will have benefits for understanding the ecosystem and build more appreciation for it.”
She said they are looking for people to download (and become a bit more familiar) with the iNaturalist app, which she describes as an invaluable research tool that people can use for their personal enjoyment down the road.
The free app, available at iNaturalist.ca, is an online platform where users record and share what they see in nature, connect with other nature watchers, and learn about Canada’s wildlife.
“With the help of iNaturalist, we want to gather data and photos of all living species in the area. It will give us a snapshot of animals, insects, plants; the biodiversity of this area at this point in time,” she said.
“If you take a photo, click it into the program, it will give you the location and interested people from around the world come on and see your photo and offer you identifications.”
The iNaturalist website explains the benefits of the nature-recording tool.
“You might not realize it, but there is extremely valuable biodiversity information within each of those sightings of wildlife,” the site reads. “The more people that record their observations in iNaturalist.ca, the bigger impact we can have for Canada’s wildlife. Using the iNaturalist.ca platform, we can build a living record of life in Canada that scientists and environmental managers can use to monitor changes in biodiversity, and that anyone can use to learn more about Canada’s amazing natural history.
“iNaturalist is a tool that makes it easy to learn: image and sound recognition software will instantly provide suggestions of what you just took a photo of, and it’s amazingly accurate. Observations are then reviewed by experts in the iNaturalist community to help confirm the identification. You can look up what species have been seen nearby and keep track of all your sightings with your personal species list.”
Budding naturalists will find lots to like about the app, Pharis promised.
Pharis said she hopes some birders will come out and take part as well, as they are often able to get positive identifications on bird species by listening to their songs alone.
The bio blitz will be staged at two locations in Cochrane on Saturday: Riverfront Park, where Bighill Creek meets the Bow River, and the Fourth Ave. bridge trailhead, a couple of minutes north of Cochrane High School.
The event runs from 10 am to 4 pm on June 10, but BCPS said they will be glad to accept volunteers for whatever length of time they can spare.
To register email: [email protected].
