BC Parks Foundation

Header photo by Jason Headley

Become a citizen scientist today! 

You can help increase the understanding of BC’s biodiversity through the BC Parks iNaturalist Project.

When you visit BC's provincial parks and protected areas, collect photographic observation of plants, animals, other organisms and natural features, and upload them to the iNaturalist website or app. These observations help researchers develop a deeper understanding of what parks are protecting and can inform management decisions to sustain these protected areas for generations to come.

The BC Parks Foundation, BC Parks, University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University are collaborating on this project to ensure all British Columbians and park visitors can have a hand in the research and understanding of BC’s parks.

Get your BC Parks iNaturalist Project toolkit

Do you want to know when the best time is to see alpine wildflowers?
Do you want to challenge your friends to a game of PARKS bingo?
Or, do you want some guidance on getting started as a citizen scientist?
Enter your email below to get our iNaturalist Project toolkit sent right to your inbox!

Photo by Lena Dietz Chiasson

How to become a citizen scientist and help enhance BC's parks

1. Create an account on iNaturalist.org and read through their Getting Started Guide
2. Make an observation in a BC provincial park or protected area – whether you’re using a mobile phone or a digital camera, please ensure the GPS location services are turned on 
3. Upload your observation through the iNaturalist mobile app or web-based platform
4. That’s it! Your observation will be automatically uploaded to the BC Parks project

For a chance to have your observation featured in the BC Parks Foundation e-newsletter or social media, after you post on iNaturalist, share your observation on Instagram, tagging @bcparksfdn and #iNatBCParks.

Help grow the BC Parks Foundation’s citizen science program

Thinking of making a donation to the BC Parks Foundation? You can support citizen scientists collecting critical data about our local wildlife and their habitat for $39.75, or you can help researchers collect and analyze wildlife DNA samples to better understand the health, abundance and distribution of our most treasured wildlife with a donation of $231.87. Click here to donate today - be sure to select "Wildlife Forever" under the program category.

Photo by Jason Headley