Duluth, Minn.—This Earth Day, trade your screen for a scene. Minnesota Sea Grant invites you to step outside and join Sea Grant’s 2025 Great Lakes BioBlitz, a free, family friendly event that connects people with nature through a month of outdoor exploration across the Great Lakes region.
The Sea Grant Great Lakes BioBlitz runs April 22 through May 20.
A BioBlitz encourages participants of all ages and skill levels to document the living organisms around them using the iNaturalist app. Whether you’re in a forest, on the shoreline or in your own backyard, every observation can contribute to science and showcase the remarkable biodiversity of this freshwater region.
“Spring is a great time to look for plants and look, and listen, for animals that are native to the Great Lakes region,” said Minnesota Sea Grant Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development Extension Educator Heidi Ferris. “The BioBlitz helps people notice and appreciate what’s all around them and share what they see with the world.”
Nature is waiting—maybe you’ll spot the pale green, silver-haired and ghostly looking stalks and spiky bulbs of the Pitcher’s thistle rising from the sandy dunes. Or, maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of the mats of small, leathery, spiny-toothed leaves of the prickly saxifrage peeking out from rocky crevices around Lake Superior.
If a little friendly competition motivates you, check out the leaderboards—participants can track each other’s progress as they race to identify the most species and complete weekly photo challenges and journal prompts.
Participants can upload photos or record audio to share observations of evidence such as animal tracks, nests, feathers, or droppings. When enough people verify an observation on iNaturalist, data from the observation gets shared with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. From there, an ongoing list of publications gives insight into how your observations contribute to meaningful research.
In Northeast Minnesota’s Sax-Zim Bog, for example, iNaturalist data has been used to track rare owls and guide conservation education. Check out the recording of the 2025 Great Lakes BioBlitz kick-off webinar for more examples of how Sax-Zim Bog makes use of these data.
How to participate:
- Visit iNaturalist's "2025 Sea Grant Great Lakes BioBlitz" project page.
- Create an account by clicking the "Sign Up" button at the top right corner or log in.
- Once logged in, select "Join" to become a member of the 2025 Sea Grant Great Lakes BioBlitz project.
- Start uploading your photos and/or audio recordings on April 22.
- Participate in iNaturalist's weekly photo challenges and journal prompts.
- Improve your ranking on the leaderboards by identifying observations submitted by other participants.
The 2025 Great Lakes BioBlitz is led by Minnesota Sea Grant in collaboration with the Sea Grant programs of Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois-Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Lake Champlain.
So grab your phone, a friend, and your favorite pair of walking shoes — get out there and find ‘em all!
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Minnesota Sea Grant Great Lakes BioBlitz project webpage.
Minnesota Sea Grant is a systemwide program of the University of Minnesota and one of 34 federal-university Sea Grant partnerships across the country supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Great Lakes and coastal states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, outreach, communication, education and technology transfer.
CONTACTS:
Heidi Ferris, Environmental Literacy & Workforce Development Extension Educator, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota. [email protected].
Amanda Shie, communications associate, Minnesota Sea Grant, University of Minnesota and University of Minnesota Duluth. [email protected]