17-04-2025
Kansas City community to participate in international nature challenge
Kansas City, Mo. – Biodiversity science and conservation are growing areas of interest and if you have ever wanted to contribute now is your chance.
The City Nature Challenge, returning for its 10th year, encourages community scientists of all levels to explore their local environment and participate in observational research.
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The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), Heartland Conservation Alliance, the Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium, and the city of Kansas City have partnered to support the Nature Challenge.
The City Nature Challenge begins Friday, April 25 at 12:10 a.m. and runs through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 28.
The challenge is open to everyone, all ages and abilities. During the four-day window, the public is invited to take photos of wildlife they encounter in their city and upload them to iNaturalist, a virtual database. Online naturalists will confirm species identification after all submissions have been entered.
'We're thrilled to celebrate 10 years of City Nature Challenge, one of the most impactful community science events in the world,' said Dr. Rebecca Johnson, director of community science at the California Academy of Sciences and City Nature Challenge co-founder. 'Over the past decade, its reach has expanded across hundreds of cities on all seven continents.'
So, get out there and explore your backyard, city parks, neighborhoods or anywhere else, and they can be any wild plant, animal, fungi, slime, mold, or other evidence of life (scat, fur, tracks, shells, etc.) Whether participating in an organized habitat survey or making observations in their own neighborhood participants can upload photos or sound recordings of their findings to iNaturalist where they can learn more about the plants and animals they find as their observations are identified.
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You can join the project by following the link to iNaturalist.
MDC's City Nature Challenge Kickoff will be held Friday, April 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Burr Oak Woods Conservation Center in Blue Springs.
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