Please join the Nature of Acton and Boxborough 2026 Bioblitz this April.
We invite you to document and celebrate biodiversity in Acton and Boxborough! Last year 26 participants made almost 1000 observations and identified over 500 species in the Acton and Boxborough area. Let’s make even more observations this year! How does one participate? You just need a smartphone, the directions below, and time outdoors between April 24–May 4, 2026.
Directions
- To join, first create an account on iNaturalist on your phone at www.iNaturalist.org.
- Then, join our Project. You can search for our Project on the Community tab on your phone.
- Search for Nature of Acton and Boxborough April 2026 or click here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/nature-of-acton-and-boxborough-2026 (Please make sure you are joining the 2026 project, not the 2025 project!)
Observations can be uploaded from April 24–May 4, 2026. But the Boston Area City Nature Challenge will only count observations from April 24 to 27, so it’s important to make observations during that time period as well. For more information about the Boston Area CNC, visit: https://www.bostoncnc.org/
There are over 2,000 acres of conservation areas in Acton and Boxborough with a variety of habitats, such as cattail marshes, ponds, open fields and dense forests. These habitats host snapping turtles, reptiles, frogs, insects, birds, mammals, and many plant species. Another 3,000 acres of private land provides habitat for wildlife, including two steps outside your door! What kind of wildlife lives here? Let’s find out this April!
Then snap away at any plant, animal or fungus you see and get it on our list. Can we break 500 species this year? Who can ID the most? Taking observations of wildlife helps advance science too! According to National Geographic, “High quality data uploaded to iNaturalist become part of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, an open source database used by scientists and policy makers around the world.”
This is a fun activity for your family and to celebrate Earth Month.
This Bioblitz is a collaboration of people from the Acton Conservation Trust, the Boxborough Conservation Trust, Energize Acton, and the Town of Acton Sustainability Office, along with individuals from Green Acton, AB Steam, Acton Men’s Outdoor Club, Congregation Beth Elohim and the Discovery Museum.