City Nature Challenge

Enjoy observing the world around you?

City Nature Challenge is a friendly competition between urban areas all around the world to see who can make the most nature observations. Here’s your chance to show out, Pulaski County! 

Get outside between April 26-29 and document any wildlife you see in Pulaski County. Your submissions will help scientists collect important data and show the world how much biodiversity we have here in The Natural State.

How to get involved:

Before the submission period, follow these instructions to set up your device.

To easily submit observations from your phone, download the iNaturalist app on your mobile device:

Google Play (Android): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.inaturalist.android

iOS (Apple): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/inaturalist/id421397028 

(You can also submit your observations and photos via the iNaturalist.org website if you’d rather not use the app.)

1. Upon completion of the download, open the app and create an account/login.
2. Take and submit your photos of wildlife and their signs (tracks, scat, feathers, etc.), plants (weeds count!), and fungi you find in Pulaski County during the challenge period. Observations made starting at 12:00 a.m. on April 26 and up until 11:59 p.m. on April 29 are eligible to be counted for the City Nature Challenge. 

Observations made in the county during the submission period will be automatically added to the Pulaski County project; you do not need to do anything on your end to ensure they count toward Pulaski County.

Following the submission period, remember to identify the wildlife in the photos you upload. If you cannot identify the species in the photo you submit, no worries—others are here to help. Participants can assist others in the identification of uploads from April 30 to May 5.

Results of the contest will be announced on May 6.

About the City Nature Challenge:

City Nature Challenge is a global collaborative effort to find and document wildlife observations of all kinds (birds, insects, plants, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and more) on iNaturalist from April 26-29, and help ID sightings through May 5th. 

City Nature Challenge and iNaturalist promote community science, in which all of us can participate in exploring and studying nature, and documenting urban biodiversity along with scientists. 

Learn more about the global City Nature Challenge at https://citynaturechallenge.org/.This is a great opportunity for folks of all ages to get outside this spring and explore nature. Start making observations now to learn the program–it is amazing how often it will identify what you have spotted right away, but someone may identify it in the days or weeks later, too!