WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR?
–Frederick County MD has burst onto the scene with a bounty of pre-CNC and CNC events! See the Field Events page for details!
–We love our federal lands! Let’s make it visible by planning individual and group events on federal lands! See places here and get a quick taste of the plants and animals that call these places home. Then plan a foray during CNC to add your observations to the count!
–Up your observation game by learning about macroinvertebrates! Attend a virtual training session for MacroBlitz on Wednesday April 9 and use those new skills during CNC! See the Virtual Events page to register (or receive a recording if you can’t make that date.)
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What’s CNC All About?
Do you like observing nature? Make your observations count! The City Nature Challenge is an adventure in metropolitan areas worldwide to discover and identify wildlife. We’ll be looking for signs of life in parks, neighborhoods, and backyards to see what plants and animals share our environment. Join the City Nature Challenge and become a citizen scientist!
Why participate?
It’s fun—and it’s a great reason to spend some time with nature. You’ll help scientists collect valuable information on biodiversity. And you’ll help the Washington DC metro area find as many species as possible! See what we found in 2024!
Who is eligible?
Everyone in the Washington DC metropolitan area with access to a camera and the internet can observe wildlife with us. Anyone worldwide can help with identifying our finds!
Where do I participate?
You might be surprised what a large area is included in our Washington metro area project.
How do I participate? See this quick video, then read on below!
1. Observe! (Friday April 25 – Monday April 28)
Find Wildlife
It can be any plant, animal, fungus, slime mold, or any other evidence of life (scat, fur, tracks, shells, carcasses!) that you find in the DC metro area.
Take a Picture of What you Find
Be sure to note the location of the critter or plant. Smartphones will do this automatically.
Share Your Observations
Upload your findings to iNaturalist . They will automatically be included in the Washington DC Metro Area CNC 2025 project.
2. Identify! (April 29-May 4)
Even if you are outside the area, you can help identify the creatures found by observers. It’s fun to see what people are finding! See our Resources for Participants page for how-to videos and ID training events and more!
We have an online shop for City Nature Challenge T-shirts! Order your CNC swag so you get it on time from our online store on Bonfire!