IMPORTANT: All group activities have been canceled due to safety precautions that we’ve all had to take due to COVID-19. While the City Nature Challenge is still on track this year, the competition aspect has been changed in favor of a more collaborative approach and group events have been replaced by individual activities. We encourage all participants to go out on their own or in family groups and take photos of wildlife using the iNaturalist app while exercising all safety precautions. Here are some ideas on participating during this time:

– Look for insects, spiders, centipedes, etc in your own house
– Look for wildlife, including weeds, in your yards or neighborhoods
– Do a moth night in your yard or balcony
– Record bird calls from your own house
– Look at your security-cam/trail-cam footage for observations.
– If you have a microscope or even a pocket one, make observations of microorganisms in rainwater, mosses, etc

Get more detailed info from the folks at CNC Central with this handy PDF

If you are interested in hosting events, please reach out to us.

Download the iNaturalist app on your smart device before these events to get started right away (Google Play | Apple App Store). 
NOTE: All events are free, but some events require pre-registration.

We are still adding events for 2020, but check out our events from 2019 to see what’s in store. 

Training Events (Before CNC)

Sunday, April 19

iNat/CNC Training at Briar Bush Nature Center

1.00 pm – 4.00 pm -As part of Briar Bush’s EarthFest, visitors can learn how to use iNat and practice making observations with educators and trained volunteers.
Location: Briar Bush Nature Center, 1212 Edge Hill Road, Abington, PA 19001
Type: Training

CNC EVENTS

Saturday, April 25

Philadelphia County, PA

Awbury Arboretum Bioblitz

10.00 am – 12.00 pm – Awbury Arboretum invites you to join this communal citizen-science effort to record as many of the Arboretum’s species as we can!  Connect to the environment while generating useful data for science and conservation.  Learn how to use the iNaturalist App and help catalog Awbury’s flora and fauna!
Event is FREE and open to all ages, but registration is required.
Location: Meet at the Cope House at Awbury Arboretum, 1 Awbury Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19138
Type: Bioblitz

West Craft Fest and CNC at The Woodlands

12.00 pm – 4.00 pm – Explore 54 acres of historic cemetery and document all the flora and fauna who call The Woodlands home from 12pm – 4pm on Saturday 4/25 during West Craft Fest.
Location: The Woodlands, 4000 Woodland Ave, 19104
Type: BioBlitz

Belmont Plateau with Southeastern PA Sierra Club Outings

1.00 pm – 2.30 pm – Help Philadelphia compete in the worldwide City Nature Challenge! Sierra Club and Fairmont Park are partnering up to get on the trail and find wildlife. The goal – to get as many people making as many observations of as many different species as we can over Earth Day weekend. We’ll meet at the Belmont Mansion, get a quick primer on how to use the iNaturalist app to make observations, and then head out on the trail to see what we can find. The hike itself will be less than a mile but we’ll take time to explore and take pictures so the round trip might be closer to an hour or hour and a half. Don’t have a smart phone? No worries – more eyes on the ground and in the trees help us all! We’ll end back at the Parks on Tap tent where those who choose can talk about their finds over a beer (and a fantastic view of the Philly skyline!)`
https://www.facebook.com/events/188166655933006/
Location: Belmont Mansion, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19131
Type: Guided Walk

Sunday, April 26

Philadelphia County, PA

Belmont Plateau with Southeastern PA Sierra Club Outings

1.00 pm – 2.30 pm – Help Philadelphia compete in the worldwide City Nature Challenge! Sierra Club and Fairmont Park are partnering up to get on the trail and find wildlife. The goal – to get as many people making as many observations of as many different species as we can over Earth Day weekend. We’ll meet at the Belmont Mansion, get a quick primer on how to use the iNaturalist app to make observations, and then head out on the trail to see what we can find. The hike itself will be less than a mile but we’ll take time to explore and take pictures so the round trip might be closer to an hour or hour and a half. Don’t have a smart phone? No worries – more eyes on the ground and in the trees help us all! We’ll end back at the Parks on Tap tent where those who choose can talk about their finds over a beer (and a fantastic view of the Philly skyline!)`
https://www.facebook.com/events/188166655933006/
Location: Belmont Mansion, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19131
Type: Guided Walk

Montgomery County, PA

Bioblitz at Briar Bush Nature Center

10.00 am  – 2.00 pm – Use iNaturalist to record species in Briar Bush’s 12-acre woods. Groups, families, and individuals welcome at any time from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. To register, call 215-887-6603 or click “Coming” on Briar Bush Facebook Page (when posted).

 

 

 

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