The City of Salisbury will join cities around the world in a friendly competition to see which area has the most nature and the most engaged residents. The 2019 City Nature Challenge will start on Friday, April 26, at 12:01 a.m. and end on Monday, April 29, at 11:59 p.m. This challenge calls on nature and science fans of all ages to observe and submit pictures of wild plants, animals and fungi using the free app iNaturalist or the iNaturalist website (
www.inaturalist.org). Identification of photographed species will be crowdsourced through the online community Tuesday, April 30 - Sunday, May 5, and results will be announced on Monday, May 6.
“We are pleased to participate in the City Nature Challenge,” said Salisbury Parks and Recreation Director Nick Aceves. “This is an opportunity for our residents to go outside and explore nature by walking on trails, experience our parks and is a great program to partner with other parks and recreation departments like Cabarrus County. The collection of data submitted by our residents will assist scientists, educators and urban planners to ensure we acknowledge, study and protect plants and animals for future generations to enjoy.”
This year, the Challenge is expanding and will include more than 60 cities from 17 countries, including Charlotte metro region areas: Rowan, Cleveland, Lincoln, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Iredell, Cabarrus, Stanly and Union counties.
The data collected gives scientists, educators, urban planners, and policymakers insight into the biodiversity of urban locales throughout the world. For nature and science fans, participation 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 through the iNaturalist app or the iNaturalist website (
www.inaturalist.org).
The City Nature Challenge is organized by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. For more information or an education toolkit, visit
citynaturechallenge.org.