BCPS will hold its 4th annual BioBlitz in coordination with iNaturalist Canada, June 21 on the private Oxyoke Conservancy lands on Bighill Creek, just north of Big Hill Springs Provincial Park. The Oxyoke Conservancy is rich in native species of plants and animals that are drawn to the native vegetation and abundant wetlands. Birds are especially attracted here, so don’t be surprised to see Trumpeter Swans, nesting bald eagles and dozens of species of song birds as well as native flower blossoms, brilliant lichens and more.
June 21, 2026
10:00am-4:00pm
Meet at 10:00 am for Grassland Restoration Project Exploration
This will be BCPS third BioBlitz on the Oxyoke lands. We feel especially indebted to the Church family and Nature Conservancy Canada for permission to visit this site and offer our sincere thanks for this opportunity.
In addition to working on the bioinventory of the area, this year we are pleased to offer an opportunity to view and participate in a presentation about the successful reintroduction of rough fescue grassland to a portion of the Oxyoke. We are especially grateful to have Tannas Environmental attend and explain the reintroduction work and the outcomes. Tannas Environmental is renowned in Alberta and Canada for their work restoring native grassland habitats.
The BCPS BioBlitz uses the iNaturalist App to record and build the database of this area’s bioinventory. If you plan to join us, please be prepared with the iNaturalist app downloaded on your cell phone. See below for some basic instruction for downloading and using the App.
Please email Jane at: <info@bighillcreek.ca> to register for the BCPS BioBlitz Day and receive driving instructions for the BioBlitz area. Please note there will be cattle in the area and no dogs are allowed.
Young naturalists documenting their finds with the iNaturalist app.
The iNaturalist App
If you plan to join us on BioBlitz Day, please download the app and try it out before the day of the Bioblitz. If you can practice a little ahead of time, it will make the BioBlitz time more productive and fun!
The iNaturalist App, is available for free on your smart cell phone, iPad or other device.. All you need to do to have your finding recorded is to take a photo of your finding using the app. If you don’t know what it is, the app will suggest the name of the plant/organism and record it as part of the project. For more about iNaturalist, have a look at their website.
Once you have downloaded the app, our Project, Bighill Creek Bioinventory is listed under the tab called Projects. To begin adding to the inventory:
- Click on the project, you will find a description about the project and in addition to project requirements and a map, there is tab to join the project.
- Join the project so all your findings within the project area are added to the database we are building. The App will continue to record your finding within the project area on other days as well, not just the BioBlitz day.
- Use the camera in the iNaturalist app – you will see real-time identifications
- Your help makes all the difference to building Bighill Creek Preservation Society’s Bioinventory of the lands we are working to learn more about and protect.
As of today, there are 2,941 observations made by 20 members, through iNaturalist for the Bighill Creek Bioinventory. With your help we will easily have close to 4000 observations this June 21. Please join us, we would love to have 30 members by the end of this year’s BioBlitz.
Bald Eagle soars over the Bighill Creek area during the 2024 BCPS BioBlitz Inventory of the area.
