Kingston residents invited to join City Nature Challenge
The City of Kingston will join hundreds of cities across Canada and around the world in the City Nature Challenge. Local nature lovers are invited to participate in this friendly competition to upload and share observations of nature between Apr. 28 and May 1, 2023.
To participate in the challenge, residents are invited to take photos of nature in their backyard, at local parks, and across the city and then upload them into the iNaturalist platform to become part of an international database of biodiversity, the City of Kingston explained in a media release.
“This challenge invites us to get outside, explore the natural world around us and see what plant or animal species are living in your neighbourhood, at your local park or near your favourite trail,” said Julie Salter-Keane, manager of Climate Leadership at the City. “Experts will review observations to confirm the species, helping us understand what plants and critters call our City home.”
The City shared these details on how to participate:
- Find wildlife! It can be any WILD plant, animal or any other evidence of life found in Kingston.
- Take a picture or record a sound! Be sure to note the location of the critter or plant.
- Share your observations through iNaturalist.
According to the release, all observations uploaded in Kingston during the challenge will be automatically included in the final count. Only photos taken between Apr. 28 and May 1, 2023, will be included in the challenge.
“Your valuable observations of local biodiversity will give us insights into the health of our local green spaces and will contribute to broader global research and conservation efforts,” Salter-Keane added.
As part of the collaboration with the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF), 42 cities have united to represent Canada in the collaborative global competition to see which community can track the highest number of wildlife observations. Results will be announced after May 8, 2023.