SIERRA STREAMS
Watershed Monitoring, Research, & Restoration
This labor day, let’s celebrate California Biodiversity Day by getting outside and contributing to science!
Sierra Streams Institute is hosting a bioblitz to celebrate the natural world we live in, and the unique watersheds that make Nevada City so unique by making observations using iNaturalist. A bioblitz is a gathering of people working together to find, identify and document as many different species as possible which is easy to do on your own using the iNaturalist application. This bioblitz is self guided and our community to add their observations through iNaturalist (including animals, fungi, plants, and insects) to this project page.
The data you collect can be used by scientists and environmentalists to understand the rich biodiversity of Deer Creek.
Date: September 7, 2026
Time: All Day
Location: Deer Creek Tribute Trail
Cost to Public: Free
Join the iNaturalist Bioblitz Project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ca-biodiversity-day-2026
Find 30 Species Project: Join the statewide adventure challenge in support of California’s 30×30 initiative! Your observations of plants, animals, fungi, and other species in California will help inform the California 30×30 initiative, to conserve 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. Go out and explore your neighborhood or local park, take a hike or explore the coast, or join in one of the many CA Biodiversity Week events being held across the state!
Join the project here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/find-30-species-for-ca-biodiversity-day-2026?tab=about
Anyone who captures 30 observations in iNaturalist as part of our bioblitz, will receive a free SSI 30th anniversary cup!
iNaturalist provides a place to record and organize nature findings, meet other nature enthusiasts, and learn about the natural world. It encourages the participation of a wide variety of nature enthusiasts, including, but not exclusive to, hikers, hunters, birders, beach combers, mushroom foragers, park rangers, ecologists, and fishermen.
Through connecting these different perceptions and expertise of the natural world, iNaturalist hopes to create extensive community awareness of local biodiversity and promote further exploration of local environments. The video below is a quick how-to on getting started making your observations in iNaturalist:
