Do you like observing nature? Then make your observations count! The City Nature Challenge is a friendly worldwide competition among cities to see whose residents can spot and identify the most wildlife. Join the CNC and become a community scientist! Help us document the awesome biodiversity in the Valley of the Sun by making as many observations of living organisms as possible from April 28-May 1.
This is the third year the Greater Phoenix Area will participate in the challenge and is co-organized by Educating Children Outdoors (ECO), Barrett Honors College, Central Arizona Conservation Alliance, Maricopa County Library District, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, SciStarter, and Maricopa County Master Naturalists.
STEP 1 - APRIL 28-MAY 1:
OBSERVE - Observe wildlife in the Greater Phoenix Area, it can be a plant, animal, fungus, or any other evidence of life (including scat, fur, shells, tracks, feathers, carcass)!
TAKE A PHOTO - Take a photo of the plant, animal or evidence of life you discover, be sure to geotag the photo or note the location (if you are not using a device that can geotag).
SHARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS - Upload your observations to iNaturalist.
STEP 2: MAY 2-MAY 7
Even if you are unable to get out to make observations or if you are outside the Greater Phoenix Area, you can still help us by identifying the observations found by participants. It’s fun to see what people are finding! See our resources page for information about online iNaturalist trainings.
What is the CNC?
The City Nature Challenge (CNC) was created by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. The event started as a friendly competition between two cities but quickly grew into an international event with over 200 countries participating in the most recent challenge. The CNC is a unique event that serves to connect people to their local nature in urban or metro areas worldwide. The hope of the event is to grow volunteer community science documentation while collecting urban biodiversity data that are available to managers and scientists but most importantly have fun while spending time outside!