Watch this space for new events
If you are interested in hosting events, and:
- you are not a current organizer, please sign up to be a partner.
- you already are a partner, email us at citynaturephilly@gmail.com with your event list including name, location, start and end dates and times, and a brief description.
Download the iNaturalist app on your smart device before these events to get started right away (Google Play | Apple App Store).
NOTE: Most events are free unless otherwise indicated. Most events, including those that are free, require pre-registration.
PRE-CNC EVENTS
Wednesday, April 28
CNC EVENTS
Friday, April 29
Philadelphia County, PA
Nature Walk at Cobbs Creek
10:00 am – 11:30 am – Help represent Philadelphia in the City Nature Challenge. We will use plants, tracks, scat, and fungi to upload to iNaturalist. Requires downloading the app and a cell phone.
Location: Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center, 700 Cobbs Creek Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19143
Type: Guided nature walk for children
Leader: Tony Croasdale
Partner Org: Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center
Registration: Send email to cccec@phila.gov
Nature Walk at Cobbs Creek
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Help represent Philadelphia in the City Nature Challenge. We will use plants, tracks, scat, and fungi to upload to iNaturalist. Requires downloading the app and a cell phone.
Location: Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center, 700 Cobbs Creek Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19143
Type: Guided nature walk for children
Leader: Susan Haidar
Partner Org: Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center
Registration: Send email to cccec@phila.gov
Twilight Pond Walk
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Join us for the City Nature Challenge. Help us record the species we find as we witness the biodiversity that has found its way to our ponds. Life cycles will be in full swing and it’s possible that we find seeds sprouting, grasses growing, insects buzzing, amphibians singing, and more as the daytime blends with the night. All ages. FREE.
Location: Wissahickon Environmental Center, 300 West Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118
Type: Guided walk (themed)
Leader: Christina Moresi
Partner Org: Wissahickon Environmental Center PPR
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/twilight-pond-walk-registration-293350969647
Montgomery County, PA
Dusk Walk at Willow Lake Farm
07:00 pm – Help us document the biodiversity at Willow Lake Farm using iNaturalist. City Nature Challenge is a global celebration of biodiversity in and around urban areas. Over 1 million observations and 45,000+ species were identified by 52,000 participants in 2021. We will work to document as many trees, plants, animals and insects we can find.
Location: 7000 Butler Pike, Ambler, PA 19002 (behind CVS)
Partner Org: Wissahickon Trails
Price: Free; Donations Welcome
Registration: https://wissahickontrails.org/events/city-nature-challenge-dusk-walk-at-willow-lake-farm
Saturday, April 30
Philadelphia County, PA
Discovery Center Bird Walk
8:00 am – 10:00 am – Birders of all experience levels are welcome on this guided bird walk around the Strawberry Mansion Reservoir and the grounds of The Discovery Center. Borrow our binoculars or bring your own!
Location: Discovery Center, 3401 Reservoir Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19121
Leader: Keith Russell
Type: Guided walk
Partner Org: Audubon Mid-Atlantic, Philly Queer Birders
West Park Bird Hike with Holger
8:00 am – 10:00 am – Join Holger Pflicke for a brisk 3-mile bird hike on the Trolley Trail. We’ll also use the hike as an opportunity to observe all kinds of wildlife and take photos for the City Nature Challenge!
Location: Belmont Plateau & Trolley Trail (Meet at: Belmont Plateau Cross Country Course entrance (parking lot next to the Car Barn building). From Montgomery Dr., turn onto gated park road with blue “Car Barn” sign at the entrance. Parking lot is a few hundred feet ahead. )
Leader: John Sigmund, Holger Pflicke
Partner Org: Fairmount Park Conservancy
Type: Guided nature hike for children ages 12 & up
Price: Pay what you can: $10, $15, or $20
Registration: https://fairmountpark.ticketleap.com/west-park-bird-hike-with-holger/details
Nature Hike using iNaturalist
9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Become a community scientist as we hike through the forest to identify plants, birds, insects, and more. Start out by learning how to use iNaturalist, an app that uses community observations as a way to help scientists better understand species’ populations. Then hit the trails on a guided hike as we chart what we see and learn about the plant, animal, and fungal species that call our forest home. Program is best suited for preteens, teens, and adults. Participants should bring an electronic device with iNaturalist downloaded. Space is limited to 25 participants. Registration is required.
Location: Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128
Leader: Sam Bucciarelli
Partner Org: Schuylkill Center for Environmental
Registration: https://www.schuylkillcenter.org/news/event/nature-hike-using-inaturalist/
City Nature Challenge – Guided at The Discovery Center
10:00 am – 1:00 pm – Join us at The Discovery Center to ensure Philadelphia wins the challenge! Audubon staff will lead walks along our trail at 10am, 11am, 12pm and 1pm. We’ll use the app iNaturalist to catalogue and find the species that inhabit The Discovery Center. Guests are encouraged to bring their tablets and phones and join our staff in finding as many species as we can. No experience necessary as iNaturalist takes photos and identification is done by crowd sourcing from all over the world.
Location: Discovery Center, 3401 Reservoir Dr, Philadelphia, PA 19121
Type: Guided walk
Partner Org: Audubon Mid-Atlantic
City Nature Challenge & iNaturalist App: Citizen Science at the Morris Arboretum
10:30 am – 12:00 pm – After an introduction to the iNaturalist app from Andrew Conboy, our group will walk through the Natural Lands area of the arboretum and log observations of the species we find.
Location: Morris Arboretum, 100 E Northwestern Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118
Type: Guided walk
Leader: Andrew Conboy
Partner Org: Morris Arboretum
Price: Morris Arboretum Members: $20 | Non-members: $25
Registration: https://experience.morrisarboretum.org/Info.aspx?EventID=24
A Taste of Spring
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Join us for this twist of the City Nature Challenge as we ID, #iNatThatJawn, and then remove as many edible, invasive plants as possible. Once our ingredients are collected, we will make a few snacks. In the end, the forest (and ourselves) will be a little bit healthier. All ages. FREE.
Location: Wissahickon Environmental Center, 300 West Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118
Type: Guided walk (themed)
Leader: Christina Moresi
Partner Org: Wissahickon Environmental Center PPR
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-taste-of-spring-registration-294027773987
Camden County, NJ
City Nature Challenge – Farnham Park
09:00 am – 11:00 am – Join us on Saturday, April 30 as we participate in the City Nature Challenge! NJ Conservation staff will lead a walk around Camden’s very own Farnham Park. Bring binoculars (we’ll also have extras!) and some water, and be on the lookout for soaring eagles, delicate butterflies, and any other wildlife you can spot! You can also help by downloading the iNaturalist app and keeping track of plants and animals we find. Please note we will meet at the Park Blvd entrance near the intersection of Park Blvd and Forest Drive!
Location: Farnham Park, 1648 Baird Blvd, Camden, NJ 08103
Type: Guided walk
Partner Org: New Jersey Conservation Foundation
Registration: https://www.njconservation.org/event/city-nature-challenge-farnham-park/
Sunday, May 1
Philadelphia County, PA
Birdwatching Walk with Jason Hall
8:00 am – 10:00 am – Join Jason Hall, founder of the In Color Birding Club, for an all-ages birdwatching walk in West Fairmount Park. We’ll also use the walk as an opportunity to observe all kinds of wildlife and take photos for the City Nature Challenge!
Location: Fairmount Park Organic Recycling Center, 3850 W Ford Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Leader: John Sigmund & Jason Hall
Partner Org: Fairmount Park Conservancy
Type: Bird Walk
Price: Pay what you can: $10, $15, or $20
Registration: https://fairmountpark.ticketleap.com/west-park-birdwatching-walk-with-jason/details
City Nature Challenge Bird Walk with Debbie Beer
08:00 am – 10:00 am – Take an educational walk with one of our knowledgeable volunteers and help Philadelphia in the City Nature Challenge! Discover the 300+ species of birds that use the Refuge during their migration routes – each week guarantees different species! Walk will meet by the visitor center and be at a relaxed pace on flat surfaces. There are restrooms and a water fountain near the trailhead. No registration required.
Location: John Heinz NWR, 8601 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19153
Type: Guided Bird Walk
Leader: Debbie Beer
Partner Org: John Heinz NWR
City Nature Challenge Event at Brewerytown Garden
2:00 pm – The Brewerytown Garden at 27th and Master Streets is inviting the public to join them on the hunt to identify plants, animals, and fungi during the City Nature Challenge. In addition to walking the garden in search of nature and talking about the benefits of certain visitors to the garden, the little ones can search for some replica bugs using trowels provided by the garden. This is a family-friendly event. Follow @brewerytowngarden or contact brewerytown.garden@gmail.com for more information.
Location: Brewerytown Garden, 27th and Master Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19121
Partner Org: Neighborhood Gardens Trust
Montgomery County, PA
Morning Walk at Piszek Preserve
09:00 am – Help us document the biodiversity at Piszek Preserve using iNaturalist. City Nature Challenge is a global celebration of biodiversity in and around urban areas. Over 1 million observations and 45,000+ species were identified by 52,000 participants in 2021. We will work to document as many trees, plants, animals and insects we can find.
Location: Piszek Preserve, 700 East Pennsylvania Ave, Oreland, PA 19075
Partner Org: Wissahickon Trails
Price: Free; Donations Welcome
Registration: https://wissahickontrails.org/events/city-nature-challenge-morning-walk-at-piszek-preserve
City Nature Challenge @ John James Audubon Center
10:00 am – 4:00pm – Join us at the John James Audubon Center for this year’s City Nature Challenge, then paddle the Lower Perkiomen Creek on a guided canoe ride! We’ll help you download and get familiar with the iNaturalist app to catalogue and find some of the species that inhabit our site. Guests are encouraged to bring their tablets and phones for self-guided walks or to join an expert-led tour focusing on plants, birds, or bugs at 11:00am, 12:00pm, and 1:00pm. Sign-up for guided tours on site. Guided canoe trips will be offered at 2:00pm, 2:45pm, and 3:30pm. Advance registration is required for these free rides. Space is limited. Please email millgrove@audubon.org to reserve your seat on a canoe.
Location: John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove, 1201 Pawlings Road, Audubon, 19403
Partner Org: Audubon Mid-Atlantic- John James Audubon Center
Registration: Email millgrove@audubon.org
Burlington County, NJ
Nature Walk at Whitesbog Historic Village
10:00 am – Join top iNaturalist user Sara Rall at a hotspot for biodiversity in our region to look for diverse species for an hour or two and share interesting finds. Email sararall at verizon.net if interested in joining the trip.
Location: Whitesbog Historic Village, 120 West Whites Bog Rd., Browns Mills, NJ (Burlington Co.)
Leader: Sara Rall
Registration: Email sararall at verizon.net if interested in joining the trip
Monday, May 2
Philadelphia County, PA
Nature Walk at Cobbs Creek
10:00 am – 11:30 am – Learn how to use iNaturalist to represent Philadelphia in the City Nature Challenge. This friendly competition involves getting the most people to identify the most organisms between April 30 and May 3. We will use plants, tracks, scat, and fungi to upload to iNaturalist. Your observations are now scientific data!
Location: Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center, 700 Cobbs Creek Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19143
Type: Guided nature walk for adults
Leader: Tony Croasdale
Partner Org: Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center
Registration: Send email to cccec@phila.gov
ALLschoolers City Nature Challenge
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – On this final day of the City Nature Challenge, we will introduce our young naturalists to iNaturalist and observation skills, and then explore the ponds, forest, and meadow capturing photos of as many species as possible. Ages 6 & up of all abilities and genders. Free.
Location: Wissahickon Environmental Center, 300 West Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118
Type: Guided walk (themed)
Leader: Christina Moresi
Partner Org: Wissahickon Environmental Center PPR
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/allschoolers-city-nature-challenge-registration-294078425487
Nature Walk at Cobbs Creek
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Learn how to use iNaturalist to represent Philadelphia in the City Nature Challenge. This friendly competition involves getting the most people to identify the most organisms between April 30 and May 3. We will use plants, tracks, scat, and fungi to upload to iNaturalist. Your observations are now scientific data!
Location: Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center, 700 Cobbs Creek Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19143
Type: Guided nature walk for adults
Leader: Susan Haidar
Partner Org: Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Center
Registration: Send email to cccec@phila.gov
Bucks County, PA
Nature Walk at Giving Pond
09:00 am – Join top iNaturalist user Sara Rall to look for diverse species for an hour or two and share interesting finds. Email sararall at verizon.net if interested in joining the trip.
Location: Giving Pond, 1068 River Rd., Upper Black Eddy, PA (Bucks Co.)
Leader: Sara Rall
Registration: Email sararall at verizon.net if interested in joining the trip
Identification Events
Tuesday, May 4
Saturday, May 8
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