star Be part of April 1–30! star
Want to help show the rest of the US just how amazing North Carolina’s citizen scientists are? Join the NC Museum of Natural Sciences for the City Nature Challenge! This competition pits several American cities against each other to see who can document the most biodiversity on iNaturalist over a 5-day period. We’re going up against cities that are a lot bigger than us, but North Carolina’s amazing biodiversity and the great urban wildlife we see every day can help us win! We likely need over 15,000 submissions to have a shot of taking home the gold, so we need YOUR help snapping photos of Triangle Area plants, animals, or fungi April 14-18 and submitting them to iNaturalist by April 30. We’ve got prizes for the top three local contributors as a thank you too! You can participate in the City Nature Challenge: Triangle Area by doing one or more of the following: 1. Join us at the downtown Raleigh campus of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences on Friday, April 14 for special biodiversity themed talks in the Daily Planet Theater, hands-on training in how to use iNaturalist, and opportunities to go outside and collect data around the Museum with an iNaturalist expert. Be sure to stop by the cart outside the Naturalist Center for more information on how to get involved in the event! 2. Visit Prairie Ridge Ecostation on Saturday, April 15 to help us document the wildlife of our grounds as you participate in the City Nature Challenge: Triangle Area. We’ll have guided nature hikes throughout the day and hands-on iNaturalist training to help you get started. 3. Visit any outdoor space in the Triangle Area April 14-18, take photos of the plants, animals, and fungi you see, and submit them to iNaturalist on your own! Download the iNaturalist smartphone app for Android or Apple and submit as you go or carry a camera with you and upload them through the website. Follow along with the event, view the leaderboard, or check out the map of the area that’s included in the event at http://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2017-triangle-area-nc. Want to get ready for the City Nature Challenge: Triangle Area? Create an iNaturalist account (it’s free!) and practice submitting your sightings now. Scheduled Museum activities will be listed on the official event listing at http://naturalsciences.org/calendar/event/city-nature-challenge-triangle-area/ as they are confirmed. Check back soon for a complete list of ways you can get involved in the City Nature Challenge: Triangle Area with the NC Museum of Natural Sciences!