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The Sea Grant Great Lakes BioBlitz runs April 22 through May 20.
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Sea Grant Great Lakes BioBlitz
A Program of the University of Minnesota
The Sea Grant's Great Lakes BioBlitz is an opportunity for people in the Great Lakes region - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario, Canada - to collectively observe, compare, and share the variety of life, or biodiversity, that they find in their communities.
A BioBlitz is an intensive, time-limited survey of all living organisms within a designated area. Scientists, students, and community members collaborate to identify and document species using citizen science tools, most often, iNaturalist. These events provide a snapshot of biodiversity at a given time and place, helping researchers detect seasonal changes, track species distributions, and understand ecological interactions.
The Great Lakes BioBlitz is a collaboration of the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network and the Sea Grant Center for Great Lakes Literacy.
2026 Registration Details
A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many wild, living things as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. This BioBlitz focuses on the Great Lakes region. It begins on Earth Day, April 22, 2026, and lasts four weeks, until May 24, 2026.
The Sea Grant Great Lakes BioBlitz will use iNaturalist to submit, record, and share observations.
The Sea Grant Great Lakes BioBlitz was developed in response to a request from teachers for participatory science. Photos posted to iNaturalist are used for scientific research. This project supports Minnesota Sea Grant's Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development focus area. Awareness of the variety of life, or biodiversity, in the Great Lakes watershed is a key part of developing environmental literacy and is one of the Great Lakes literacy principles.
Sea Grant's Great Lakes BioBlitz is geared toward teachers, educators, students, families, and those interested in growing their environmental literacy.
Sea Grant's Great Lakes BioBlitz is funded by the Center for Great Lakes Literacy.
Share your Great Lakes BioBlitz finds on social media by tagging @mnseagrant or using the hashtag #GLBioBlitz!
The Sea Grant Great Lakes BioBlitz runs April 22 through May 20.