iNaturalist - A Great Way to Contribute to Science

What is iNaturalist?

iNaturalist.ca

iNaturalist is an online platform where all users can record and share what they see in nature, connect with other nature watchers, and learn about Canada’s wildlife. Through this platform, everyday people turned into citizen scientists to explore every corner of our country. All observations can contribute to a growing wealth of knowledge about Canadian species and help conserve our natural world. These discoveries end up in the hands of researchers who can use this vital information to further the cause of conserving our wildlife. (source: cwf-fcf.org)

Why iNaturalist?

As mentioned above, all observations uploaded can help scientists and environmental managers track biodiversity. The more people that record their observations in iNaturalist.ca, the bigger impact we can have on Canada’s wildlife. You will also have a chance to connect with experts whom you can talk with to learn more about nature. (source: cwf-fcf.org)

How can I join?

There are many ways to participate. Firstly, you must sign up. Then, get outside and observe. Remember to take photos and upload them on iNaturalist to become a citizen scientist. You can also find a project that interests you and upload your observations to help it thrive. Besides, you can run an event or a competition that encourages people to find as many species as possible.

iNaturalist is available on both laptop and mobile phone.

Here are the steps you can follow to sign up:

Laptop

Type iNaturalist.ca and choose the first result.

Sign up by entering your email, username, and password.

Upload your observations

Fill in the details such as location, name, date, ...

Your observation will reach research grade when someone suggests ID for it.

Mobile Phone

iNaturalist mobile app allows users to take photos and upload them immediately.

1. Download iNaturalist app 2. Create an account or log in with Google/Facebook 3. Choose "Observe" to upload

Fill in the details & share.

You will get notifications when your observations reach research grade

What has the Moncton team done?

WILD Outside Moncton team has done a lot of activities to contribute to iNaturalist. From December 15th to January 3rd, we individually headed to local parks to find ten items, which were Birch Polypore, Winterberry Holly, Pinecone, White-tailed Deer, Common Milkweed, Paper Birch, Cattail, Black-capped Chickadee, Mourning Dove, and Eastern Cabbage Skunk. Finally, we got together virtually to share our findings.

Furthermore, on May 2nd, we went on a hike together at Irishtown Nature Park to document what we see and upload the photos on iNaturalist as we were competing with the Halifax team. The hike lasted for three hours and we went off the common trails to explore the wooded area in hopes that we could observe more species, which we did. You can find all of our observations here: https://inaturalist.ca/projects/cnc-2021-wild-outside-westmorland

iNaturalist is obviously a fun, convenient, and useful way to contribute to science. Soooooo, let's enjoy the summer by heading outside!