Join the Cleveland Nature Challenge – What Can You Find, Where are You Finding It?

Join the Cleveland Nature Challenge – What Can You Find, Where are You Finding It?

From April 27-30 the Cleveland-Akron-Canton area will be participating in the City Nature Challenge. It started in 2016 as San Francisco vs. Los Angeles and this year there are over 50 cities around the world competing to see who can document the most biodiversity in their cities.

Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga, Medina, Lorain, Portage, Summit, Stark, Carroll, Ashtabula, Tuscarawas, Erie and Huron counties are all part of the team. We need folks out there making observations, finding species, and helping to ID the observations coming in.

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.

Why participate in the
City Nature Challenge?

There is nature all around us, even in our cities. Knowing what species are in our city and where they help us study and protect them, but the ONLY way to do that is by all of us – scientists, land managers, and the community – working together to find and document the nature in our area. By participating in the City Nature Challenge, not only do you learn more about your local nature, but you can also make your city a better place – for you and other species.

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
Timeline:
April 27-30: Making observations using iNaturalist
May 1-3: Identify to species and upload any remaining observations made April 27-30
May 4: Results announced.

Stats:
(1) number of observations
(2) number of species
(3) number of people who participated

Spread the word to others who might like to get involved.

 

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