Flora and Fauna Biodiversity Species Identification Specialist or Amateur

Help put the City of Saskatoon on the world nature scene for the City Nature Challenge CNC YXE! Using the free iNaturalist app take photos of plants, animals, insects and mushrooms between April 26 – April 29, 2024! Identification phase April 30 – May 5, 2024 Results announced May 6 Saskatoon will compete for the title of the most Biodiverse City. We need your help!  anyone can help out, sort out the observations by identification into plant, animal, dragonfly, and the scientist experts come along to take it to species level!  

Training provided!


The goals are to engage the public in the collection of biodiversity data, with three awards each year for the cities and areas that makes the most observations, find the most species, and engage the most people.


Whether you’re an avid naturalist or a dog walker, everyone can participate: it’s easy, fun, and will encourage you to get outdoors.

We will be using the iNaturalist digital platform to record observations, under this project. -iNaturalist link


Saskatoon is now registered for the very first time ever to participate in the 2024 event – so we really need your help to highlight the City of Saskatoon area!  If you have never used iNaturalist before, it is easy as 1-2-3!  We will have virtual zoom webinars before the event, so stay tuned!

When you are at a baseball or soccer game, out for a family walk or picnic, standing at the bus stop, peeking under the cabbage leaves in the garden, find wildlife. It can be any wild plant, insects, mushrooms, animal, fungi, or any other evidence of life (shells, scat, fur, tracks, feathers, nests) found in your neighborhood, home, backyard, or even through your windows. You might be surprised by how many insects thrive in the nooks and crannies around you.

The #CNCYXE2024 is hosted by the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas.   Join us between April 30 – May 5, 2024 to assist with identifications as we take part in this International initiative to collect information about the wildlife flourishing in Saskatoon and area.

For more information see the YouTube CNC YXE 

For more information to make observations on iNaturalist see this YouTube Tutorial What is It? https://bit.ly/48aquWw
To learn about Identifications for iNaturalist https://bit.ly/48sIISM

Where are these forests in Saskatoon? Come discover them!

    NatureQuest: Unveiling Biodiversity at Richard St. Barbe Afforestation Area Fri, Apr 26, 2024 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM CST 

    Saskatoon Safari: Genereux Park Exploration Sat, Apr 27, 2024 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM CST 

    Nature Unveiled: Richard St. Barbe Revelry Sun, Apr 28, 2024 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM CST 

    Nature Unveiled: Biodiversity Quest at George Genereux Park Mon, Apr 29, 2024 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM CST 

http://www.friendsareas.ca/

Curious about what it entails?
Check out our YouTube tutorial on finding biodiversity; it could be any plant, animal, or sign of life in your city. Record the audio or Snap a picture with your smartphone and share your observations through iNaturalist or your city's chosen platform.

Signs of life observations are accepted, too - things that were once living or represent something that is living, leaving remnants like feathers, fur tufts, roadkill, bones, skeletons, partial skeletons, snake skins, teeth, insect prey in a spider web, spider webs, owl pellets, castings, turkey vulture or waterfowl regurgitation, insect frass or animal scat (poop), bird or animal tracks, an empty or full chrysalis or cocoon, and more.

Find it, Snap it, Share it.

It will be a time to see which city could get the most people involved, which city finds the highest diversity in types of species, and finally, which city gets the most photographs and sound recordings on iNaturalist.

It's a fun challenge to take action on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15 Life on Land and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 Life Under Water. Documenting species at risk, engaging in early detection and rapid response for invasive species, and to document biodiversity which indicates to scientists species expansions and declines worldwide, and any changes in their habitat range helping to enrich knowledge for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities. 


City Nature Challenge 2024: Saskatoon, SK Défi nature urbaine


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Contact us at friendsafforestation@gmail.com