Members of Ithaca Community Invited to Participate in the Global City Nature Challenge, April 29 – May 2, 2022
Members of Ithaca Community Invited to Participate in the Global City Nature Challenge, April 29 – May 2, 2022
(ITHACA, NY - April 18, 2022) The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) is inviting members of the Ithaca community and surrounding areas to participate in the annual City Nature Challenge, a 4-day global bioblitz starting Friday, April 29 through Monday, May 2. Current and aspiring community scientists, nature and science fans, and people of all ages and education backgrounds are invited to observe and submit pictures of wild plants, animals, and fungi using the free mobile iNaturalist app.
The Challenge in Ithaca begins on April 29 at 12:01 am EST and runs through May 2, 11:59 pm EST. During this time participants are encouraged to take photos in the downtown Ithaca area and upload their observations to the iNaturalist app.
How to participate:
Download the iNaturalist app and create an account.
Find wildlife in your home, neighborhood, backyard, or anywhere else! It can be any wild plant, animal, fungi, slime mold, or any other evidence of life, such as scat, fur, tracks, shells, or carcasses.
Take pictures of what you find and upload with the iNaturalist app.
Bioblitzes, like the City Nature Challenge, connect scientists and local community members to study nature and biodiversity in their area. The City Nature Challenge has become increasingly important to document urban biodiversity to help ensure the future of plants and wildlife in cities. PRI holds bioblitzes in the Ithaca area 4 times a year, once during each season, that anyone in the community may participate in.
Community science initiatives continue to grow in popularity, and this year’s annual City Nature Challenge is expanding to more than 450 cities across six continents. Last year during the 2021 City Nature Challenge over 1.2 million observations were made around the world. This influx of information gives scientists, educators, urban planners, and policymakers insight into the biodiversity of locations throughout the world.
The final results of the 2022 City Nature Challenge will be announced on Monday, May 9.
Questions about using iNaturalist or about participating? Contact PRI’s Climate Change Education Manager, Ingrid Zabel ([email protected])
City Nature Challenge 2022: Ithaca NY - iNaturalist page: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-ithaca-ny
About the Paleontological Research Institution
The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) pursues and integrates education and research, and interprets the history and systems of the Earth and its life, to increase knowledge, educate society, and encourage wise stewardship of the Earth. PRI and its two public venues for education, the Museum of the Earth and the Cayuga Nature Center, are separate from, but formally affiliated with Cornell University, and interact closely with numerous University departments in research, teaching, and public outreach.
To learn more, visit priweb.org and follow us on social media:
About City Nature Challenge
Started in 2016 for the first-ever Citizen Science Day, the citizen science teams at Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and California Academy of Sciences dreamed up the City Nature Challenge as a fun way to capitalize on their home cities’ friendly rivalry and hold a citizen science event around urban biodiversity. The first City Nature Challenge was an eight-day competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco, engaging residents and visitors in documenting nature to better understand urban biodiversity. Over 20,000 observations were made by more than 1000 people in a one-week period, cataloging approximately 1600 species in each location, including new records for both areas. In 2017 the City Nature Challenge went national, and in 2018, the CNC became an international event.
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