The CRD is organizing the 2024 City Nature Challenge for the capital region taking place April 26 – April 29, 2024 . The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is an annual community science event encouraging friendly competition with cities across the world and is a great opportunity to showcase our region’s amazing biodiversity while getting outside and learning about our local species and ecosystems.
CNC participants use the nature-tracking website/app iNaturalist to record observations. Join the Greater Victoria iNaturalist project to stay up to date with information and events. Participants who have joined the iNaturalist project also have the chance to win amazing prizes like a smartphone macro lens to take close up photos or a garden centre gift card!
Ways to join the City Nature Challenge:
I’d like to invite you and/or your organization to get involved in the CNC. There are many ways to participate:
- Help spread the word about the CNC (poster attached) with your contacts and share social media content.
- Host an in-person event between April 26 – 29. We are looking for staff, volunteers, local stewardship group members or naturalists interested in carrying out a mini bioblitz, or leading a nature walk and helping others identify local plants and animals.
- Get outside from April 26-29 to take your own photos of local plants, animals and fungi and upload observations to iNaturalist.
Please let me know if you’d like to get involved so that we can build a calendar of events that will engage more people in the CNC.
iNaturalist Training:
If you’re not familiar with iNaturalist or would like to learn more, training is available to help you gain a better understanding on how to use iNaturalist, features that can support stewardship and how to help the public in using iNaturalist. These trainings are open to staff, volunteers, stewardship group members or naturalists interested in hosting or participating in a City Nature Challenge event and looking to use iNaturalist in their stewardship activities.
Training will take place:
•April 9 from 6-8 pm at the Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion boardroom (1070 Tillicum)
•April 12 from 2-4 pm at the Swan Lake Nature House (3873 Swan Lake Road)
To register for these free trainings, please email me (Stephanie Maasik) at smaasik@crd.bc.ca. Limited space is available.
For more information visit www.crd.bc.ca/biodiversity.