California Biodiversity Day 2024 iNaturalist Wrap-up
Dear California Biodiversity Champions,
Thank you for participating in California Biodiversity Day, 2024!
Between Sept 7 - 15, 2024, thousands of people in California celebrated California’s incredible biodiversity. Over 200 virtual and in-person events were planned - more than ever before - celebrating biodiversity through nature walks, hikes, gardening, restoration, art, storytelling, games, fishing, and participatory science activities such as birding and bioblitzing. Learn more here: bit.ly/CaliforniaBiodiversityDay .
This year, over TWO-THOUSAND PEOPLE participated in nature-mapping events, documenting the nature of California throughout biodiversity week. You collectively submitted over 30,000 observations on iNaturalist and identified over 4,000 species! The most commonly observed species in California were Coyote Brush, Western Fence Lizard, Red Cone Gall Wasps and… Poison Oak!!! For more fun and interesting finds from around the state during biodiversity week, check out the infographic at the bottom of this post!
A special shout-out to the following events, capturing over 300 species each: The Find 30 Species Challenge, Mount Shasta Ecology Center Bioblitz, CDFW Biodivers-ID Challenge, and the Point Lobos SNR Bioblitz!
Another shout out to our top biodiversity champions, observing over 200 species each, including endemic and rare California species: @grnleaf (354 total species observed!), @eleggua @ericcameron @schaeferross82 @biohexx1 @samawinter @wildave.
Thank you all for helping make community-collected data a central part of the California Biodiversity Day events and for contributing the knowledge needed to inform California 30x30 efforts and other critical conservation efforts in California.
From,
The Biodiversity Day Planning Team
The Biodiversity Day Planning Team includes representatives from California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Parks, CA Natural Resources Agency, Ocean Protection Council, California Academy of Sciences, California Native Plant Society, and the UC Environmental Stewards and Naturalists
