Spring is in the air, and what better time to get outdoors! This May, you can join in with people around the world in taking part in the BackyardBio global nature campaign. Get outdoors exploring, observe all the local species that live near you, document what you find through sketches or photographs and share what you discover with the world!
Spearheaded by Canadian Non-Profit Exploring By The Seat of Your Pants (exploringbytheseat.com) this initiative is meant for the general public but especially kids, with the goal of fostering more awareness of the wide and wonderful world of biodiversity just outside your door. The Ocean Conservation Trust is supporting this initiative encouraging young people to get outside and become interested in nature!
How to Take Part
Register your family, classroom or ecoclub on the Backyardbio.net website. Check out their wide array of partner organizations, educational resources and activities to help take what you learn and apply it to saving wildlife around the world. Start by getting outdoors to snap photos or draw all the living things you find. There are three ways to share what you discover:
1) On social media with #backyardbio. Head to Twitter, Facebook or Instagram to share what you’ve found! See what others have shared from around the globe!
2) On the INaturalist app! INaturalist is the ultimate community network for amateur and professional naturalists to share their discoveries and ID eachother’s finds around the globe. Free to download, you can join the app at INaturalist.org and become part of the BackyardBio project with one click registration at https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/backyardbio
3) Through direct connections worldwide! On the BackyardBio site registration page, there’s an option to opt into being connected directly with 3-4 similar aged groups around the world. Plymouth kids could be partnered with those in Miami, Vancouver, or Melbourne – all to share stories and images of what they discovered!
So get out there! Have fun and see what you can discover this May – and revel in all the amazing living things you share your ‘backyard’ with!