City Nature Challenge 2020

We might not be able to go together but you can still help us take a snapshot of the plants and animals that live within Rancho Canada del Oro Open Space Preserve virtually. We'll go out and you can watch live and input what we see! We'll be able to talk to each other. The information we record using our Smartphone will be uploaded to iNaturalist and can be used to manage this precious natural resource. We'll find frogs, turtles, lizards, birds, mammals, butterflies, flowers, plants, trees, and more!  

Each year the City Nature Challenge is documenting the amazing and unique biodiversity of the Bay Area, creating an incredible dataset that can be used for science, conservation, and management. This year we’re joining 250 other cities around the world in documenting the species that exist in and around urban areas, participating in a friendly competition to see who can make the most observations, find the most species, and get the most people involved!

Please download the Free app iNaturalist to your phone before. https://www.inaturalist.org/signup 

So we can demonstrate more diversity in the South Bay, we've partned up with Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful who will be hosting an additional site at Almaden Quicksilver - see their website. 

More information:

What is a BioBlitz? ‘Bio’ means ‘life’ and ‘Blitz’ means ‘to do something quickly and intensively’. Together they make ‘BioBlitz’, a collaborative race against the clock to discover as many species of plants, animals and fungi as possible,within a set location, over a defined time period - in our case 2 hours. 

A BioBlitz usually comprises a group of scientists, students, naturalists and other members of the public working together - this mixture of wildlife experts and the wider public is key to the BioBlitz concept. 

It is an informal and fun way to create a snapshot of the variety of life that can be found in an area. It provides an opportunity for participants to learn together and share their expertise and enthusiasm for nature.  

This is a great way of breaking down barriers to engagement with science and raising awareness of the role of biological recording. It also gives the public an opportunity to contribute to a genuine scientific survey. 

Kids under 5 -12 must be accompanied by an adult and 13 + must have a signed waiver from a parent.