City Nature Challenge

Which city around the world has the most nature? The City Nature Challenge 2019, happening April 26-29, will help us find out!

After sweeping the first international City Nature Challenge in 2018, can the San Francisco Bay Area hold onto our title for another year??? In 2018, 68 cities motivated more than 17,000 people to upload 431,000 observations of nature to iNaturalist in the four days of the City Nature Challenge (see 2018 results here). In 2019, more than 150 cities on six continents are taking part, asking residents of and visitors to these urban areas to explore nature all around them and document the species they find! Find out more information and see which cities are participating by visiting the official City Nature Challenge website.

Here in the Bay Area, participating is easy! If you live in or are visiting any of the nine counties that touch San Francisco Bay, all you have to do is:

1. Download the free iNaturalist app to your mobile device.

2. During April 26-29, take photos to make observations of wild plants and animals in your backyard, a park, your walk to school or work - anywhere you find nature. Be sure to mark the observation as captive/cultivated if it's not a wild organism! Also check below or head to our bioblitz page to see the many events happening around the Bay in support of the City Nature Challenge - feel free to join one or more!

3. Upload your photos to iNaturalist. They will be automatically added to the San Francisco Bay Area City Nature Challenge project!

4. Learn more as your finds get identified, and feel free to help ID other people's observations, especially during the April 30-May 5 identification period.

5. Results will be announced on Monday, May 6!