City Nature Challenge

The City Nature Challenge is an annual, global, community science competition to document urban biodiversity. Take part in the Challenge this year from April 25th - April 28th.

What is the City Nature Challenge?

The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is an annual four-day Bioblitz, which is a period of intense biological surveying to record all the living species within a designated area over a designated period of time.

Participants across the globe use citizen science platforms such as iNaturalist, a crowdsourced species identification app, to document nature in their local environments. The contributions made during this event become research-grade data that is used to understand and protect habitats and ecosystems globally.

The City Nature Challenge started in 2016 as a friendly competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco and is currently led by the Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Natural History Museum of LA County (NHM). For 2025, we are expecting about 800 global cities and 100,000 participants globally!

How can I participate?

Step 1: Download iNaturalist on a mobile device and create an account

The iNaturalist app is available for download for iOS and Android devices. Navigate to the App Store or Google Play Store to install the app for free.

Step 2: Register for your City Nature Project on iNaturalist

Register for NBS project here: City Nature Challenge 2025: Norman Bird Sanctuary · iNaturalist

Register for State-wide RI Project here: City Nature Challenge 2025: Providence Area

*Note: You do not need to be registered for your observations to count for the project, but it is strongly recommended you register to receive important project updates and see the project progress

Step 3: Visit the Norman Bird Sanctuary and make observations during the Challenge from April 25 - April 28, 2025

Visit the Norman Bird Sanctuary Using an iPhone, Android, or DSLR Camera, take photos of organisms you see or are curious about! See the “Best practices” section under resources for all tips on how to take the best photos

Include at least 2 photos at different angles and proximity
Include the Date, time, and location (this will automatically be added if you make an observation and upload it through the app. If you take photos on a camera and upload them on a desktop later, you can manually add a GPS pin to the location you were at)

Step 4: Upload all observations onto iNaturalist before May 4th, 2025

You can choose to upload photos on your iPhone/Android, or use the desktop version for mass uploads! (recommended for 10+ photos)

Step 5: View the results on iNaturalist and the CNC Results page

Results for your city will be released May 4th 11:59 PM local time and the Global results will be announced on CNC website at 2pm PST on May 5th

Step 6: Let the fun continue

Explore iNaturalist Features – Advanced features like georeferencing, filtering observations, and organizing data in custom lists
Learn about your local species – Take some time to research plants or animals that you see frequently in your area
Attend iNaturalist Meetups and Events – Look for local events or virtual meetups to connect with other nature enthusiasts and learn from experts
Share Your Findings with the iNaturalist Community – Engage friends, family, and social media followers by sharinf your observations and encouraging them to contribute
Help ID Other Observations – Support the community by reviewing and identifying other people’s observations to improve the data quality