This month, as we continue to struggle with the realities of a global pandemic—and the cooped-up existence it’s brought forth—the arrival of the annual City Nature Challenge (CNC) offers a welcome reprieve. The worldwide community science competition, which aims to document biodiversity around the globe, is a chance for a restorative communing with Mother Nature.
In years past, regional CNC teams would fan out across their area’s nature-rich hot spots, competing to document the most species, while being motivated with live scoreboard updates. But this year, given social distancing precautions, organizers are simply encouraging participants, working in “quaran-teams,” to record what they can, even if it’s in their own backyard.
Residents and professional scientists can document and capture photos of flora and fauna where they live using the app iNaturalist, developed by National Geographic and the California Academy of Sciences. Citizen scientists can record observations on the app from April 24 to 27. From April 28 to May 3, professional researchers will identify animals and plants that were not captured during the open collection period.
