In 2020 we learned that we can have a great City Nature Challenge even during a pandemic! With the safety of our participants topmost in mind, and guided by the principles of the global City Nature Challenge, here is what we did in 2021:
- Encouraging individual observations or with members of your household. You can make observations in your yard, neighborhood, your favorite natural area–even inside your home! For inspiration, here are some stories from 2020.
- Virtual organizing, learning and community-building. If you’d like to join our monthly calls for event organizers, join this Google Group for announcements.
- Safely distanced group events. Some of our partner organizations decided to host small, safely-distanced events that were open to the public.
- Fun Virtual ID parties during the identification period. We hosted a fun virtual ID party over Zoom after the observation period and this year plan to host 2 or more. Get together with naturalists of all skill levels, celebrate our observations and pitch in to enhance the quality of DC-area data!
Our area’s progress containing the pandemic is guiding our approach to 2022 events. Watch the Events page for details on virtual and safe in-person outdoor events as they are scheduled.