City Nature Challenge
Join us for this annual international challenge. Learn about nature nearby while helping us detect wildlife changes. We’re collecting observations of wild plants, animals, fungi and more. Hundreds of cities in over 50 countries around the world are collaborating in the world’s largest biodiversity census in one four-day weekend. Everyone can participate. We need your help!
Join Us
When
Observation period: Friday, April 24 – Monday, April 27
Identification period: Tuesday, April 28 – Sunday, May 10
Where
Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier and Union Counties
How to Participate
Observation Period
Download the iNaturalist app to your smartphone, create an account and then start taking pictures or sound recordings of wild plants, animals and more using the app anywhere in the above counties. Or take pictures and upload them to the iNaturalist website. Observations can become research quality data that helps scientists learn more about nature. Visit the Knox Area project page for a map, stats and updates.
Identification Period
You don’t have to be an expert to help. Maybe you know the common birds and mammals in your neighborhood. Or maybe you’re an expert in mushrooms, frog calls, or other wildlife. Either way, we need help identifying the thousands of observations from the weekend. Visit How-to-Identify to get started.
Events
You can participate on your own, or you can join other nature nerds at these events.
- Friday, April 24: Bioblitz from 7pm to 10pm at Ijams Nature Center. More info
- Saturday, April 25: Bioblitz from 8am to 3pm at Ijams Nature Center. More Info
- Saturday, April 25: Bioblitz from 10am to 12n: UT campus on Circle Drive outside Hesler Biology Building.
- Sunday, April 26: Bioblitz from 8am to 3pm at Seven Islands State Birding Park. More info
Registering in advance is recommended for Ijams and Seven Islands bioblitzes.
Questions?
