Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) and our local partners are thrilled to invite you to take part in the City Nature Challenge (CNC), a global nature observation event! By participating in the CNC you can help gather biodiversity data right in your local park! From April 28-May 1, look high and low for all nature and share your observations using the iNaturalist app!
It is simple to participate.
1. Before April 28th, set up an account on iNaturalist and download the app on your smartphone.
2. From April 28 – May 1, head out to your local park and make observations of plants, animals, and fungi that you see using iNaturalist.
3. Until May 7th, you and others can identify or confirm observations made during the CNC.
Your nature observations during this “bioblitz” provide valuable information that can be compared over time to track biodiversity in Seattle’s parks. Here are some tips when making observations:
- Stay on paths and take only pictures to protect our parks.
- Leave your pets at home (they can be quite distracting).
- Focus on native plants and animals (make sure to mark “cultivated” if needed).
- Take pictures of various plant features when possible.
- Be as specific in your listing as you can be. · Upload observations to the Seattle-Tacoma Metropolitan Area CNC project on iNaturalist.
Last year, 445 cities across the world participated in City Nature Challenge to document as many urban plants, animals and fungi as possible over the course of one weekend! Our region is the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma-Everett metropolitan area, which includes all of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Any observation made anywhere within those counties will add biodiversity knowledge as part of the City Nature Challenge. Observations are geocoded to their specific location, which can be generalized for privacy if desired.
Started in the Bay Area as a friendly competition, this event is now international. SPR has joined with the Woodland Park Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Green Tukwila, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to host this event in the Seattle-Tacoma area. During 2022’s CNC event, there were over 2,650 observations made in Seattle alone!
Learn more about the City Nature Challenge online or at an upcoming virtual orientation on April 25th from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (registration required).
We hope to see you at one of Seattle’s 489 public parks!