San Diego is getting ready to celebrate the wild beauty that knows no borders. The Border BioBlitz 2026 is calling on nature lovers of all ages to help document the incredible diversity of life in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands this coming April and May.
Led by the Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers, Botanical Community Development Initiatives (BCDI), and the San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat), the BioBlitz is a community science effort to record as many species as possible within 15 kilometers north and south of the international border. Since it began in 2018, this joyful annual tradition has logged more than 143,000 observations of over 6,600 species across both sides of the border.
The 2026 edition will host more than 40 “nodes” or events, with teams contributing observations from San Diego all the way to Ciudad Juárez. Featured gatherings include an ongoing survey at Quitbaquito Springs in Organ Pipe National Monument, a multiday bioblitz at Rancho La Fortuna near Ensenada, and fieldwork in the desert-grassland corridors of the Sky Islands.
Participation is open to everyone: children, students, researchers, photographers, and first-time observers. No scientific training is required, just curiosity and a willingness to explore. Observations are shared on free platforms such as iNaturalist and eBird, where each sighting becomes part of a collective effort to understand and protect borderland biodiversity.
“The Border BioBlitz creates a space for science and community,” said Ben Wilder, Director of Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers. “This effort is built on the solidarity of people across and along the U.S.-Mexico border.”
Photo: Greg Lasley / Next Generation Sonoran Desert Researchers
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