(Image Credit: Alberta Wilderness Association)

By Jesse Gill

Biodiversity

Cypress Hills Bioblitz final report released

Mar 16, 2026 | 2:11 PM

The Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) and its partner organizations have released the final report for last year’s Cypress Hills Bioblitz.

The report summarizes over 6,000 observations of more than 1,200 species on iNaturalist, including the first observation of spring coralroot (Corallorhiza wisteriana) in Canada.

Over 70 experts and associated participants completed the work.

They provided an overview of the information collected and detailed reports on hawthorns, invertebrates, bats, birds, and the impact of indirect observations.

“The report really highlights the biodiversity of Cypress Hills,” Alberta Wilderness Association conservation specialist Ruiping Luo said in a statement.

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“Bioblitz events like this help to identify unique species, fill gaps in knowledge, and show the ecological value of these lands.”

Nature Alberta’s executive director, Stephanie Weizenbach, stated that their organization commends the collaborative efforts led by Alberta Wilderness Association and all experts who dedicated their valuable time to complete this bioblitz at Cypress Hills.

“This momentous initiative increased our knowledge of the species found in an internationally recognized Key Biodiversity Area, strengthening the case for conserving this unique region,” Weizenbach said.

A bioblitz provides a concentrated snapshot of species in an area, capturing important information on species ranges and distribution, according to AWA.

The group says that the Cypress Hills are a sky island that was not glaciated during the last ice age. This makes it a particularly important region for biodiversity, hosting species not found anywhere else in Canada.

The information in the report AWA states is invaluable to understanding the ecology and importance of the Cypress Hills.

The event took place on June 6-8, 2025.

Over the three days, experts were invited to find, record, and identify as many species as possible in the Alberta side of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.

Most of these observations were uploaded to iNaturalist, a citizen science repository of species sightings around the world, where they are available to view.

The report is available to view online, and observations are available at iNaturalist.

Over 30 different organizations participated, including Lethbridge Polytechnic and the University of Lethbridge.