Continue your Earth Day celebrations this month by observing local wild plants and animals and adding to a global movement to document urban biodiversity. The City Nature Challenge runs from April 24th to 27th and can be done right from your home, yard, and neighborhood.
It is simple to be a community scientist. All ages can participate, and every observation will help Seattle Parks and Recreation (and the world!) know what wild plants and animals are in Seattle.
Here’s how to participate:
1) Download the iNaturalist app from the Apple Store or Google Play.
2) Watch this short video to get started.
3) Sign up for a free account and sign in.
4) Start sharing your observations
5) Give and get feedback from a community of experts and naturalists.
What is this City Nature Challenge Anyway?
Invented by staff at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and California Academy of Sciences, the City Nature Challenge is an international effort for people to find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. Typically it’s a bioblitz-style competition where cities are in a contest against each other to see who can make the most observations of nature, who can find the most species, and who can engage the most people.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s City Nature Challenge is no longer a competition. We want to embrace the collaborative aspect of the CNC this year and the healing power of nature to allow people to document their local biodiversity in whatever way they can.
In the Puget Sound region, the Woodland Park Zoo and the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium are leading the effort for the 2020 City Nature Challenge. Seattle Parks and Recreation is pleased to partner with these institutions and residents in Seattle to document the wild nature in our city this year.
Learn more