UMass Libraries Bring City Nature Challenge To Western Mass

Source: UMass News and Media

Note to those participating in the challenge. The Indy has put out a call for animal photos including photos of wildlife and will post a gallery at the end of May. If you share a photo in this challenge, please consider sharing it with the Indy as well at amherstindy@gmail.com.

The UMass Amherst Libraries are pleased to coordinate efforts for Western Massachusetts’s participation in the eighth annual City Nature Challenge (CNC), from Friday, April 28, to Monday, May 8.

The global event calls on current and aspiring community scientists, nature and science fans and people of all ages and educational backgrounds to observe and submit photographic or audio evidence of wild plants, animals and fungi using the free mobile app, iNaturalist, from April 28-May 1. Identification of photographed species will be crowdsourced through the online community from May 2-7, with results announced on May 8.

The Challenge was started in 2016 by citizen science teams at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco as a fun way to capitalize on their home cities’ friendly rivalry and hold a citizen science event around urban biodiversity. Additionally, the wildlife information gathered during the Challenge gives scientists, educators, urban planners, and policymakers insight into the biodiversity of urban locales throughout the world. Last year, more than one million observations were made.

This year marks the fourth year that Western Massachusetts is officially participating in the Challenge. Melanie Radik, librarian in the Science and Engineering Library, is spearheading organization efforts with an information guide and the following workshops for interested participants:

Learn iNaturalist for Nature Appreciation and Citizen Science (In-Person)
Saturday, April 15, 11 a.m.-Noon – W. E. B. Du Bois Library, Lower Level, Calipari Room

Learn iNaturalist for Nature Appreciation and Citizen Science (In-Person)
Friday, April 28, 11 a.m.-Noon – Science & Engineering Library, Learning Studio

Learn iNaturalist for Nature Appreciation and Citizen Science (Online)
Friday, April 28, 2:30-3:30 p.m. – Online

Wildlife Species Identification with iNaturalist (Online)
Tuesday, May 2, 10-11 a.m. – Online 

Wildlife Species Identification with iNaturalist (In-Person)
Tuesday, May 2, 4-5 p.m. – Science & Engineering Library, Learning Studio

More Information and the Education Toolkit can be found at citynaturechallenge.org.

Signing up for iNaturalist is easy and free by visiting inaturalist.org or by downloading the iNaturalist app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.