City Nature Challenge 2021
From April 30-May 3, you can participate in the City Nature Challenge! City Nature Challenge is a great way to engage with the outdoors and observe nature. Cities around the world go out and record findings and observations of the natural world around them, which in turn helps scientists gain data that would otherwise be difficult to collect without the help of citizen scientists. You can even make your observations while hiking a TRACK Trail. Read further for a list of TRACK Trails in participating city-regions.
From the City Nature Challenge website:
What is the City Nature Challenge?
Invented by citizen science staff at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (Lila Higgins) and California Academy of Sciences (Alison Young). The City Nature Challenge is an international effort for people to find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. 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, we made some modifications to City Nature Challenge 2020 to help keep our organizers and participants safe. Firstly, CNC 2020 pivoted to be a collaboration rather than a competition. Instead, we wanted to embrace the healing power of nature and encourage the celebratory aspect of the CNC. This allowed people to safely document biodiversity in whatever way they could, even from the safety of their own homes. We urged all participants to carefully follow public health guidelines provided by their local governments, as they are changed in real-time. Individual safety and public health were and will be our utmost priority.
How to Participate!
Create your own iNaturalist account.
- Visit iNaturalist.org
- Download the app from the AppStore or Google Play
- Sign In
- Start sharing your observations
- Get feedback from actual scientists, experts, and other naturalists
TRACK Trails Near Participating Regions
North Carolina
Asheville
- The North Carolina Arboretum
- The Blue Ridge Parkway - Asheville Visitor Center
- Bill Moore Community Park
- Charles D. Owen Park
- Haw Creek Elementary
Charlotte
- Cane Creek Park
- Latta Plantation Nature Preserve
- McDowell Nature Preserve
- Reedy Creek Nature Preserve
NC Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill)
- Apex Community Park
- Bethesda Park
- E. Carroll Joyner Park
- Eno River State Park
- Falls Lake State Recreation Area - Beaverdam Recreation Area
- Falls Lake State Recreation Area - Rolling View Recreation Area
- Jordan Lake Recreational Area
- Lake Benson Park
- Occoneechee Mountain State Natural Area
- Prairie Ridge Ecostation
- Rock Quarry Park
- Sandy Creek Park
- Town of Carrboro
- William B. Umstead State Park
- Whippoorwill Park
Whiteville
Wilmington
Washington D.C.
- George Washington Memorial Park
- Manassas National Battlefield - Brownsville Picnic Area
- Manassas National Battlefield - Stone Bridge Trail
- National Capital Parks - Fort Dupont
- National Mall and Memorial Parks
- President's Park
- Rock Creek Park
- Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
San Diego County