Illinois Science Council is joining the 2021 City Nature Challenge!

Come join us at our first IN PERSON event in over a year! This species observation spree is entirely outdoors and socially distanced, but masks will be required. A great opportunity to get out to enjoy nature and learn something too! 

The City Nature Challenge is a 4-day bioblitz organized by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Cities around the world try to collect the most species observations over the course of the event. Anyone can participate on their own, but if you’d like to meet new people while you look at plants, fungi, insects, and animals, ISC is organizing groups at TWO locations in Chicago:  West Ridge Natural Area and Northerly Island. This page is for the WEST RIDGE NATURE PARK location.

City Nature Challenge logs species observed and recorded in iNaturalist, a smart phone app for taking geotagged photographs of organisms that then crowdsources identifications. You don’t need to be able to identify any plants or animals yourself — you only need your curiosity about nature and willingness to look at the world around you!

What you need to participate:

• Download the iNaturalist app on your smart phone
• Wear comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes
• Wear sunscreen, a hat, or other sun protection
• Face mask for COVID-19 prevention

How to find us at WEST RIDGE NATURE PARK:  ISC representatives will be near the walk-in entrance for 15-20 min at 7:00 am and again at 9:00 am. From there, we’ll spread out to make observations.

More information on the overall City Nature Challenge is available here: https://citynaturechallenge.org/

and about the Chicago-area plans from Chicago Wilderness here: https://www.chicagowilderness.org/page/citynaturechallenge