Christine Whelan, FEO, May 15, 2025, VOL. 6 ISSUE 18

The people of the world have been challenged to connect with their own natural surroundings by combining the primitive activity of exploring wildlife with today’s modern technology. While enjoying a learning experience, anybody can now contribute to natural science by gathering data from their own backyards.

The City Nature Challenge (CNC), which began as a competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2016, has since then become an annual event that has swept across the world, motivating people to find and document wildlife in their own cities.

“Run by the Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM), the CNC is an annual four-day global bioblitz at the end of April, where cities are in a collaboration-meets-friendly-competition to see what can be accomplished when we all work toward a common goal,” as explained on the CNC website:

The Town of Fort Erie picked up on that challenge and posted a media release in March, announcing Fort Erie’s participation and inviting anyone to join in.

A group of seven, led by members of the Bert Miller Nature Club (BMNC), met at Shagbark Nature Trails in Ridgeway, a rehabilitated natural area that the BMNC maintains stewardship in conjunction with the Town of Fort Erie. Marcie Jacklin and Tim Seburn, both naturalists and members of the Club, walked through how to use iNaturalist.

Tim shared the first lesson that arose immediately for the entire group: “We found out that different people in our group had different versions of the app. So, that came as a bit of an eye-opener.” Tim says it’s worth noting to those who are thinking about learning to use the app that there are different versions.

Combining Nature with Technology

“It’s using extremely powerful technology to increase the opportunity to really enjoy nature.”

Seburn, who says he has been a naturalist since he was seven years old, says he has learned a lot on his own regarding the natural world. “But I had to buy a lot of books. Some of these books were quite expensive. And then I had to study. So, it took a long time to build up the knowledge.”

Tim has now been using the iNaturalist app for about three years. Although he can identify a lot of what he comes across, “When I see something I don’t know, I use iNaturalist. Usually within a day or so, someone has come online and told me what I’ve looked at.”

I spoke with Marcie Jacklin, a local avid birder, over the phone a few days after the Challenge. Not surprisingly, she was spending some time in Pelee, an Ontario location most famous for bird migration in spring and fall.

“These apps have been around for years,” Marcie commented, calling the incorporation of the iNaturalist and eBird apps with a day of birding a learning experience.

It’s also about connecting with others during that learning process. “You may not know who they are but there are experts who can guide you in identifying something in nature or help if they think you may have misidentified something.”

The Citizen Science Approach

Jacklin calls the citizen science approach “a collaborative effort.”

Citizen science involves the public in scientific research, assisting in gathering data and contributing to scientific knowledge.

“The apps provide valuable information regarding changes such as reactions to climate change, the result of heavy development in the area. It allows us to make connections.” Cause and effect, bringing things together.

She says scientists can use data to, for example, map out the snakes of Ontario and, ” more importantly, where the endangered species are.”

How to Use the Apps

To use the apps, they need to be downloaded and accounts to be created.

iNaturalist – After going into the app, a photograph of an item in nature is taken, showing the different parts — the leaves and buds, if it’s a plant, for example. Or if it’s a butterfly, the wings need to be open for the photograph, if possible.

The photo is then uploaded into the app, and the name can be included. Most often, people won’t know the name of what they are observing. But the nice thing about iNaturalist is that experts worldwide have the opportunity to pipe in on your observation.

eBird—Tim says eBird makes learning about birds much easier and faster. “Things have really changed. You no longer need a truckload of guidebooks to tell you what you’re seeing and hearing.”

Merlin – “A third app that people like is Merlin because you can listen to the bird song, and the app will try to identify the bird.” Tim says a lot of new birders find this one helpful.

According to Marcie, these nature apps are great for getting younger kids interested in nature. “It’s like collecting for Pokémon Go. School groups and social clubs could also participate in the collective gathering of the data.”

Your Own Backyard

Marcie encourages people to step out into their backyards. “It’s surprising for people to see what’s going on out there, especially if they don’t use a lot of chemicals. Wildflowers that get into your garden. And not just the pretty, in-your-face things, but the tinier, living things. Even bees. There are so many kinds of bees.”

Jacklin says that whenever anyone goes into their backyard and uses one of these apps, their results can be used for scientific testing. “Everything goes into a big database, and some of the apps are linked.” For instance, Merlin is linked to eBird.

“It becomes valuable data when enough people in one area provide their data. Then it all becomes collective and a contribution to bigger research.”

Tim said, “We want people to get out there and enjoy nature, learn about nature, become more educated, and discover a deeper appreciation of nature.

The Bert Miller Nature Club is a charitable organization formed in 1995 by people interested in sharing their enthusiasm for nature. Since its inception, the Club has been committed to preserving, protecting, restoring and improving the natural environment of the Niagara Peninsula.

They are always looking for members. Tim invited anyone interested to join the Club. “There are lots of opportunities.”

To learn more, you can check out their website: www.bertmillernatureclub.org

The results for the City Nature Challenge were posted on May 6.

Total observations from around the world for 2025 – 3,310,131; species – 73,765; participants – 102, 945, an increase from 2024

Total observations from around the world for 2024 – 2,436,844; species – 65,682+; participants – 83,528

Niagara Region for 2024: observations – 215; species – 173; participants – 19.

Watch for the breakdown of areas for 2025, as well as further information, on the event’s website www.citynaturechallenge.org