BioBlitz: Species Count on the Mill Creek
Exploring nature is a great way to pass the time. You don’t need to be an expert to find out what is living in our watershed. Mill Creek Alliance is asking the community to be citizen scientists and catalog the species in the watershed using an app called iNaturalist. Using your smart phone, you can make observations and other “experts” can help identify species. Together, we can create a catalog of the species found in the Mill Creek Watershed, one citizen scientist at a time.
Mill Creek Birds
Citizen scientists are collecting data on Mill Creek birds.
Mill Creek Fish
Citizen scientists are collecting data on Mill Creek fish.
Mill Creek Plants
Citizen scientists are collecting data on Mill Creek plants.
Why a BioBlitz?
Mill Creek Alliance has been working for over 25 years to support the resurgence of diversity in the Mill Creek Watershed and restore the Mill Creek. We have come a long way from the early 90’s when life along the stream was nearly wiped out. The projects and efforts over the years have had a positive impact and there is a resurgence of life in the watershed. But we are scientists and scientists love data and need proof. A BioBlitz is an opportunity for citizen scientists to make observations of species and be a part of the data collection. In 2020, we initiated a Mill Creek species count, and plan to make it an ongoing effort. iNaturalist provides a straight forward way to gather data collected by many people in a specific location. Our project location is the Mill Creek Watershed! So any time you are out in the Mill Creek Watershed and use the iNaturalist app to observe plants or animals, you will be contributing to the Mill Creek BioBlitz!
Use the iNaturalist App on your cell pone or take pictures and upload to the website on your computer. Either way, it’s easy to participate. No prior experience or expert knowledge required.