Why and how to participate in the City Nature Challenge

The City Nature Challenge is more than a friendly competition among cities in Texas, the United States, and even around the world. It is a fantastic way to learn more about the plants, animals, and other organisms that we share our spaces with - you might be surprised by how much life is all around us, from the local city park to the large wildlife refuges on city outskirts. The City Nature Challenge also helps generate a significant amount of data about those organisms, which can be used by scientists, conservationists, and others to better understand and conserve those species.

BENEFITS FOR INDIVIDUALS/ORGANIZATIONS:

• Get biodiversity data a particular area. For example, thanks to City Nature Challenge and other iNaturalist observations there have been more than 2,000 species documented in the City of McAllen from nearly 30,000 observations. Whether you're a park manager or just want to know how many species you share your yard with, the City Nature Challenge can help get that data collection started.
• Get organism identification help. One of the great features of the iNaturalist platform is that it provides both computer vision suggested ID's and also allows other iNaturalist users to make suggestions. During the City Nature Challenge there is a dedicated phase for identifying what folks observed from April 30 - May 5. Sometimes some of the most exciting observations come from folks who were trying to get identification help, like the famous Bat Falcon! https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/103030888
• Connect with other nature enthusiasts. The communal nature of the City Nature Challenge makes it a great time to gather a group of friends to explore our ecosystems. You could organize a nature walk at your local park, or tag along on any of the already-scheduled guided walks offered at nature centers.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

• Make observations anywhere in the Lower Rio Grande Valley from April 26 to April 29. All observations will count towards the project, as long as they are uploaded to iNaturalist before May 5, when the identification phase ends. You can learn more about observations on the "Getting Started" page:
  https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/getting+started

• Let us know if you are participating on behalf of a group/organization, and if you intend on exploring a particular site (like a nature center, state park, etc.). You can share that information on our Google Form:
  https://forms.gle/PYac4eVi88FTZckQ7

• Add identifications to other participants observations from April 30 - May 5. If you feel comfortable with identifying plants, animals, or other organisms, we would welcome your ID help! You can learn more about how the identification tool works on the "Getting Started" page:
  https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/getting+started#identify_tool

Lastly, please spread the word about the City Nature Challenge with your community! You can download the outreach flyer at the Center for Urban Ecology's blog site:
https://cuefornature.wordpress.com/2024/03/08/city-nature-challenge-lower-rio-grande-valley-2024/

If you have any questions about the City Nature Challenge, feel free to ask them in the comment section below. We look forward to enjoying and exploring our community's nature with you!

Publicado el marzo 8, 2024 03:10 TARDE por bcfl14