Diario del proyecto City Nature Challenge 2021: Chicago Metro

Next week Edward Warden (@ewarden) and I, with help from Taran Lichtenberger (@taran09), Kristin Brock, and Laura Reilly (@lauraxreilly), will doing a quick presentation on iNaturalist and the City Nature Challenge. If you're reading this here, you might not be the intended audience, but perhaps you can help spread the word?

Here's the link to register: https://www.chicagowilderness.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1464964

It's not strictly Chicago-specific, so feel free to share more broadly.

thanks! :)
cassi / @bouteloua

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iNaturalist and the City Nature Challenge

Chicago Wilderness Cafe - over Zoom! register here
Thursday, February 4th
12PM - 1PM

First, learn about iNaturalist, a community science website, app, and network of people making observations of flora and fauna across the world. Learn how amateurs and professionals alike are sharing their nature observations, getting help with species identification, and using the iNaturalist platform for conservation planning, land management, nature education, monitoring, and research.

Second, see how you or your organization can participate in the City Nature Challenge (CNC) an annual, friendly, bioblitz-style competition between urban areas all around the world, taking place between April 30th and May 3rd, 2021. It began in 2016 between just Los Angeles and San Francisco and has since expanded worldwide, with hundreds of cites expected to participate in 2021. The Challenge aims to engage city residents and visitors in learning about their local nature and to help all of us better understand urban biodiversity. Anyone can take part on their own, assist others with identification, or even organize a bioblitz at a nearby park.

Presenters & Moderators:

• cassi saari, Project Manager - Natural Areas, Chicago Park District and President, Northeast Chapter of the Illinois Native Plant Society
• Edward Warden: Conservation Stewardship Coordinator-Shedd Aquarium and President-Chicago Ornithological Society
• Kristin Brock, Chicago Park District Outdoor & Environmental Education Manager
• Taran Lichtenberger, Chicago Botanic Garden, Project Budburst

If you or your organization is thinking about holding a related event before, during, or soon after the City Nature Challenge in the Chicago Metro area, please fill out this form - new events are no longer being accepted. Join in next year for the 2022 CNC!

We'll be posting the list of public events on the CNC: Chicago Metro website and this project page.

Examples:

• socially distanced bioblitz
• guided nature hikes
• iNaturalist workshops/trainings (e.g. for beginners, how to add IDs, educator-focused, or advanced iNat usage)
• virtual identification party or nature storytelling
• sharing how your organization or research uses iNat data
• learning about urban flora and fauna through iNat or Seek
• urban nature trivia Zoom

We're also having monthly planning meetings on third Tuesdays at 10AM (next one is February 16th). Please reach out to me if you or a colleague might be interested in attending those, or comment below if you have any ideas for the Chicago region's CNC!

cassi / @bouteloua