Chatham-Kent residents have outpaced several similar-sized Canadian communities during a recent nature challenge.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent teamed up with the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority, St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, and NatureCK for the City Nature Challenge BioBlitz from April 24 to May 10.
Organized by the California Academy of Sciences and the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, local residents were encouraged to document as many wild plants, animals, and fungi as possible throughout the municipality.
CK officials said more than 200 residents made 875 observations and identified 412 different species during the challenge. Among the most common species observed in CK were the American Robin, Yellow Trout Lily, Mute Swan, and White Trillium.
In its first year participating in the BioBlitz challenge, Chatham-Kent residents outperformed most other participating Canadian regions of comparable population size, such as Barrie, Ontario, which logged 278 observations, with 162 species identified. Areas like Cambridge, Ontario and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia made around 500 observations each, with just over 200 species identified in both regions.
To view more information about the challenge and to view photos taken during the event, click here.
