City Nature Challenge 2021 is almost here!
The 2021 City Nature Challenge is just around the corner- are you ready?!
Hosted by iNaturalist, CNC is an annual international competition to see which city can make the most observations, identify the most species, or have the most participants.
When to participate: This event takes place in two parts: an observation period followed by an identification period. During the first four days, April 30 – May 3, observations will be collected, and during the last six days, May 4 – May 9, those observations will be identified and verified. Participants can continue to upload observations during the identification period, as long as the sightings took place during April 30 – May 3.
In order to count, observations must be wild (not captive/cultivated such as potted plants or pets) and must include the date, location, and photos or sounds.
Where to participate: There are two areas in Colorado that will be participating in this year's CNC: the Denver-Boulder Metro Area (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties) and the Colorado Springs Area (El Paso County and Pikes Peak). Within those areas, you can make iNaturalist observations anywhere wild nature exists, but we encourage you to visit a State Park to participate! For the Denver-Boulder Metro Area, those state parks are: Eldorado Canyon, Barr Lake, Chatfield, Cherry Creek, Roxborough, and Castlewood Canyon, plus the eastern halves of Staunton and Golden Gate Canyon. Cheyenne Mountain State Park is in the Colorado Springs CNC area.
How to participate: Making iNaturalist observations is easy! Go to www.iNaturalist.com or download the iNaturalist mobile app, create an account, and log in. Use your mobile device to take pictures of what you see in nature and upload your photos to your iNaturalist account -- iNaturalist’s online community and image recognition software will help you identify it! If you prefer to participate from the comfort of your own home, you can still help by identifying observations: visit your city's iNaturalist project page by clicking the appropriate link above, click the "Observations" tab, then click the "Identify" button.
Who can participate: Anyone! All you need is a way to take photos of plants and wildlife, an iNaturalist account, and the desire to get out into wild nature! Note: Users must be 13 or older to create an iNaturalist account.
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
- City Nature Challenge FAQ: https://citynaturechallenge.org/cnc-faqs-page/
- CPW iNaturalist page: https://sites.google.com/state.co.us/inat/city-nature-challenge
- iNaturalist Help pages: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/help
- In-depth guide (specific to the Denver-Boulder area, but with lots of helpful information regardless of where you're located!): https://wild.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2021-Denver-Boulder-CNC-Guide_19Feb.pdf
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