- Átl’ka7tsem Howe Sound Biosphere Region Species Dataset (updated to December 31, 2021)
- Canada Species at Risk and British Columbia Red and Blue Listed species in the above dataset
- Project Coordinator: Judith Holm
- As of May 17, 2023 : 42,089 iNaturalist observations of 3425 species by 2298 people.
Based in Squamish, Biodiversity Squamish is the curated ‘traditional’ iNaturalist project of the Átl’ka7tsem Howe Sound Biosphere Region iNaturalist ‘collection’ project. The boundary for both is the Howe Sound Watershed.
Observations are being made in the full range from deep ocean water up to alpine peaks! Within our Biosphere Region is a truly outstanding diversity of habitats. To see this for yourself: scroll down the home page of Atl’ka7tsem Howe Sound Biosphere Region iNaturalist. Then ZOOM IN !
You are most welcome to participate in this community-based citizen science project to document species of flora, fauna and other forms of life (excluding cultivated or domesticated species). You can make useful contributions by adding proof of species living in this area. We record our observations by using the free iNaturalist platform on phones and/or computers.
The dataset spreadsheet contains one species per line. Data sources include museum collections, professional and other reliable lists, plus iNaturalist records, all proven to live within the above boundary. The Squamish Environment Society is working with the Biosphere Region. It is our hope that collaboration with the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish People) will enable new columns alongside the existing ones in the spreadsheet, providing Sḵwx̱wú7mesh species names and some cultural knowledge. For more information about the dataset, click here.
Biodiversity Squamish also collaborates with other iNaturalist projects throughout the Salish Sea bioregion, facilitated by Andrew Simon – Institute for Multidisciplinary Ecological Research in the Salish Sea (IMERSS). We use his spreadsheet format, making it easy to compare data.
To learn more about this project and how to get started, go to the Biodiversity Squamish web page, scroll down the home page of Biodiversity Squamish and click on ‘About’ this project. Be sure to click on ‘more’ to see the full description and useful links to the iNaturalist website. iNaturalist will help you with identification, as will other iNaturalist members. You can join the Biodiversity Squamish Facebook group to share and discuss what you and others are finding.
Photo above: Double rainbow over the Squamish Estuary, by Vanessa Isnardy.