Planet Detroit

Join ‘Detroiters Do Science’ in June for a BioBlitz with iNaturalist

Are you a Detroiter who likes science? Are you curious about what’s growing in your backyard, what’s in your water, and how climate change is impacting your neighborhood?

Then you’re in luck! We’ve got a summer full of activities coming your way. Planet Detroit is thrilled to partner with Graham Media Group to embark on a summer-long citizen science campaign! We’ll be offering ways to help get you thinking about the outdoors and indoors — and how your local environment and health are connected — while also keeping you safe and socially distant.

FIRST UP: Nature in your Neighborhood – A Metro Detroit BioBlitz for the month of June!

OUR GOAL: To find out who are the plants, animals, fungi, & other miscellaneous critters in your neighborhood.

How to participate:

  1. Sign up for inaturalist.org and download the app for your iPhone or Android device.
  2. THIS STEP IS IMPORTANT: Navigate to the project called “Detroiters Do Science: Nature in Your Neighborhood.” If you skip this step, your observations won’t count!
  3. Head to your favorite local nature spot–your neighborhood park, the empty lot up the street, even your backyard–and start recording observations by taking photos with your phone.
  4. What should you record? Any living thing! A plant, an animal, a fungus–as long as it’s alive, it’s fair game!
  5. Repeat. The top 10 users with the most observations will win a DETROITERS DO SCIENCE T-SHIRT.

Here’s a video on how to make an observation. More help here.

Nina Misuraca Ignaczak

Nina Misuraca Ignaczak is a contributing editor for Detour Detroit. She is the founder and executive editor of Planet Detroit, a digital media startup that tells Detroit’s environmental stories while building a community of engaged readers who are informed and empowered to act personally and publicly. She is an award-winning freelance journalist who writes, edits and produces stories about the environment, place and identity. Her recent work has been published by Detour Detroit, Belt Magazine, HuffPost, Detroit Free Press, WDET, Crains Detroit Business, Business Insider, Curbed Detroit and Model D. Prior to her career in journalism, she worked in urban planning in the local government and nonprofit sectors. She has a Master of Science in Natural Resource Ecology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Michigan. Follow her on Twitter: @ninaignaczak

Recent Posts

Detour Detroit joining with Outlier Media to grow the future of independent local journalism in Detroit

Detour Detroit has officially joined forces with Outlier Media to help grow the future of…

3 years ago

How can Detroit’s community gardeners avoid losing their investment when they don’t own the land?

Detroit’s community gardeners have reactivated vacant lots across the city. Some emerging ownership models would…

3 years ago

Auburn Hills votes to opt out of SMART bus service

Auburn Hills City Council voted to opt out of SMART bus service in 2023, even…

3 years ago

The Detroit Development Tracker is now live – explore the map to see what’s being built in our city

Detour is thrilled to announce the launch of the Detroit Development Tracker, a tool to…

3 years ago

‘Take a deep breath’ before using Detroit’s new parking app, says city parking director

The new Detroit parking app promised lots of new features, but it's causing plenty of…

3 years ago

How a group of Detroit neighbors took on an asphalt plant

Residents in and around North Rosedale Park scored a rare victory when Detroit denied an…

3 years ago