The CWF Great Canadian Bioblitz

The CWF Great Canadian Bioblitz is back, inviting Canadians from coast to coast to coast to become citizen scientists and help create a nationwide snapshot of the incredible biodiversity in our country. It's a fun, family-friendly way to connect with nature while contributing to one of Canada's largest community science initiatives. Every observation you make helps build a clearer picture of the wildlife that inhabit forests, wetlands, grasslands, shorelines, parks and even our own backyards.

Your mission is simple: record as many different species of plants, fungi and animals as you can during this week-long celebration of nature. Gather your family, friends, classmates, photographers or fellow outdoor enthusiasts and spend a few hours exploring a favourite trail — or somewhere entirely new. Whether you're an experienced naturalist or simply curious about the wildlife around you, everyone can make a meaningful contribution.

Across Canada, thousands of species remain under-recorded, and every photograph or sound recording has the potential to add valuable knowledge. From colourful wildflowers and towering trees to birds, butterflies, beetles, mushrooms and mammals, every species counts. The more Canadians who participate — and the more places we explore — the more complete our picture of the natural world in Canada becomes.

Simply upload your observations using the free iNaturalist app or at iNaturalist.ca and become part of a growing community of Canadians helping document the nature around them. Along the way, you'll sharpen your observation skills, discover the remarkable diversity in your own community, and inspire others to get outside and experience nature firsthand.

Best of all, you'll be eligible to win prizes just for taking part. Join the 2026 CWF Great Canadian Bioblitz and help Canada discover, celebrate and document the wildlife that makes our country extraordinary.

Every observation counts: your efforts have the power to make a difference. The CWF Great Canadian Bioblitz gives every Canadian the opportunity to contribute directly to wildlife conservation by collecting information that can improve our understanding of species and the habitats they depend on. It's one of the few times a simple walk outdoors can become a meaningful act of conservation.

Your participation can:

• Turn your wildlife sightings into valuable information used by researchers, conservation organizations and land managers to better understand and protect biodiversity in Canada.
• Help uncover species that have rarely been documented, improving our knowledge of where wildlife lives and how populations are changing over time.
• Support early detection of invasive species or identify uncommon and at-risk species that may require conservation attention.
• Inspire a deeper appreciation for nature by revealing the remarkable diversity of life that exists just beyond your doorstep.
• Give you the chance to become an active contributor to real scientific research — no specialized training or equipment required.
• Connect you with thousands of Canadians working together toward a shared goal of better understanding and protecting the natural world.

CWF makes it easy to get involved. Sign up to show your intent to participate, then watch for helpful tips, identification resources and activity ideas leading up to the event. Together, we can build a stronger picture of biodiversity in Canada — and help ensure wildlife has a healthier future.

This event is perfect for outdoor classroom learning and nature-based education initiatives. Whether it’s a kindergarten classroom or a university program, participating in the CWF Great Canadian Bioblitz is a golden opportunity to explore nature and learn more about the iconic species that define biodiversity in Canada. All ages can join in to discover more about the interesting species found nearby by exploring the map of observations. There are man ways to get involved:

• Engage students with bonus marks for taking part
• Create a classroom or school-wide challenge to see who can make the most observations or recordings
• Inspire all participants to develop an interest in classifying species – whether learning the difference between a mammal and a bird or the nuanced difference between a Two-spotted vs Half-black bumble bee
• Teach advanced students about study design, survey methods and statistical analysis of the collected data
• Incorporate various departments such as communications students to showcase campus biodiversity, business students if fundraising for an event, biology students inventorying species, computer science students interested in apps and website functionality, education students looking to build biodiversity-based curriculum or activities; and social science students interested in understanding the human element of participation.

Blitzing Colleges and Universities:

• As a special partner initiative with the Campus Biodiversity Network, the Campus Nature Challenge is a blitz within the blitz.
• We’re inviting colleges and universities to hold bioblitzes any time from September 18 to 27.
• All it takes is an iNaturalist project and some keen students and staff!
• We encourage all participating campuses to join the Campus Biodiversity Network and welcome all post-secondary institutions interested in participating in the bioblitz.
• Join the Campus Nature Challenge here.

1. Take a look at the resources CWF has made available to you in the Great Canadian Bioblitz Participation Guide. It contains downloadable information, video tutorials and more tips on how to make the very best nature observations possible. By signing up to participate, you’ll receive email notifications with additional information leading up to the event AND be instantly entered into our contest.
   
   
2. During the week of the event, all you have to do is record plants and animals using iNaturalist. Remember, since you already joined the Great Canadian Bioblitz project on iNaturalist, all the observations you make will be automatically added to the project. If you’re not familiar with adding iNaturalist observations, check out our video tutorials for using the app or adding observations online.
   
   
3. After a week of observations comes the opportunity to finish uploading and identify. You’ll have until October 5 to get the last of your observations uploaded from the week before and help identify everything that you and others have found. Every ID helps, even if just triaging to groups like “reptiles” or identifying every Blue Jay observed.