At Midnight Tonight!

In a little more than five hours from this writing, the 2024 Western Mass City Nature Challenge begins! We hope you're as excited to get outside and explore as we are. And, so far, the weather looks to be quite nice - hurrah!

A couple of reminders:

All observations must be made between midnight tonight and midnight Monday, so you have four full days to take photos, record sounds, or make Casual observations (ones with no photos or recordings).

After those four days, you have six days to upload all your observations to iNaturalist. If the observation was within the western four counties of the state, it will automatically be added to this project; you don't have to assign it to the project yourself.

When you upload your observations , please give them an initial identification, to the best of your ability. Even very general IDs like Plants or Fungi will get your observations in front of the eyes of identifiers more quickly.

The City Nature Challenge concentrates on WILD organisms, so while the magnolias in your neighbor's yard are indeed beautiful and your faithful canine companion on your hike is indeed deserving of recognition, please don't make observations of them (the dog would prefer a treat, anyway).

If you'd like company or guidance, take a look at the field trips and workshops listed in the previous journal post. You are very welcome to join any of them. If you have any questions, we'll be keeping an eye on any comments left on these journal posts.

Most importantly, enjoy yourselves! Beautiful spring days in New England are rare and precious; use the City Nature Challenge as a great excuse to look closely at and appreciate every living organism you can find. Have fun!

-- Lynn Harper and Melanie Radik, co-organizers

Posted on April 25, 2024 10:54 PM by lynnharper