INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Sciences and a coalition of partners including Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB), Indiana Wildlife Federation (IWF), Indiana Forest Alliance (IFA), Reconnecting to Our Waterways (ROW), Indianapolis Office of Sustainability (Sustain Indy), Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and Indy Parks and Recreation are challenging Indianapolis residents and surrounding communities to stay connected with the urban wildlife around them by becoming citizen scientists and participating in the “Social Distancing Edition” of the 2020 global City Nature Challenge from April 24 – May 3, 2020.
The Indianapolis City Nature Challenge (#IndyCNC) offers Hoosiers an opportunity for friendly competition between Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and South Bend; as well as other major cities in the Midwest. In 2018 and 2019, nearly 1,000 citizen scientists completed over 7,000 observations during Indianapolis’ first two years participating in the City Nature Challenge.
Organizers encourage Hoosiers to participate in their own yard, or local green-spaces and local/state parks, while following appropriate social distancing guidelines.
For both budding and veteran citizen scientists, participating is easy:
1. Find wildlife. It can be any plant, animal, fungi, slime mold, or any other evidence of life (scat, fur, tracks, shells, carcasses!) found in your participating city.
2. Take a picture of what you find, and be sure to note the location of the critter or plant.
3. Share your observations by uploading your findings on the iNaturalist project
Document plants, animals, bugs, and more with iNaturalist, wave at your neighbors from an appropriate distance, and pick-up any litter you see!
Starting at noon on Friday, April 24, there are daily challenges for families that include walking, taking pictures, or just stepping outside to appreciate the natural world.
Visit iNaturalist.org for more information and to register for this challenge.