Join people around the world observing and sharing nature April 24-27
OTTAWA, ON–Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) is inviting families, nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts to participate in the CITY NATURE CHALLENGE (CNC) happening this Friday to Monday in cities across Canada and around the world. The CNC event has been redesigned from an international competition into a global effort to unite virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. City Nature Challenge encourages people to take pictures of all the flora and fauna they can find and share the images via the iNaturalist.ca platform in an initiative to track biodiversity around the world.
“People are looking for ways to connect with nature and each other safely during this period of self-isolation,” said James Pagé, species at risk and biodiversity specialist with CWF. “The City Nature Challenge is a great way to get outside and connect with nature in your yards and residential spaces, while making sure to adhere to physical distancing. Every observation you make through iNaturalist.ca will become part of an international database of biodiversity. For those of us not in a city hosting a City Nature Challenge and for everyone beyond April 27, we invite you to participate by joining our Observations From Isolation project found on iNaturalist.ca.”
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, participating Canadian cities from coast to coast have made modifications to their City Nature Challenge events, eliminating group activities and instead encouraging people to track all the biodiversity they can find in front yards, back yards, decks, balconies and even in their own homes. From spiders to flies to birds at your feeder, all the observations made via iNaturalist.ca or the free iNaturalist app will be tracked and counted towards a national total. Many local parks and greenspaces have restrictions in place so be sure to follow local, provincial and federal guidelines and not overcrowd accessible places.
Those unable to get out to make observations can still contribute by helping identify what others have recorded. Whether you may know just one species really well or are knowledgeable about a wide range of species, identification can happen during the event and up until May 3. Results, including the Canadian and global tallies, will be released on Monday May 4, 2020.
The City Nature Challenge is organized on a global scale by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences.
About the Canadian Wildlife Federation
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to ensuring an appreciation of our natural world and a lasting legacy of healthy wildlife and habitat. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, developing and delivering education programs, sponsoring research, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending policy changes, and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.