City Nature Challenge 2025
Join us for the City Nature Challenge, an international effort for people to find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. It’s a bioblitz-style competition where cities compete to see who can make the most observations of nature, who can find the most species, and who can engage the most people. The observation period of the challenge is from April 25-28th with a full day of activities planned on our campus for Saturday, April 26th.
The City Nature Challenge is an international effort to document the living world around us that will be taking place from April 25th to May 4th, 2025. To get started, download iNaturalist for iPhone or Android and follow the prompts in-app to complete your account. You may want to read this guide for getting started. The CNC takes place in two phases, an observation phase and an identification phase:
Observation Phase (April 25 - April 28, 2025): Get outside and observe wild organisms around you! Take photos or record sounds of plants, animals, fungi, etc. (just not domesticated animals!). All observations within the 16-county greater Chattanooga region will automatically roll up to our project. Join our area-wide iNat project to see what’s been observed!
Identification Phase (April 29 - May 4, 2025): Help identify what was found. Use your expertise to identify organisms to species (or genus, if unclear).
Join us for free, guided activities to document life across our city:
Friday, April 25th
iNaturalist Hike (1 - 3 PM): Join a Chattanooga Zoo Educator for a hike learning to use iNaturalist at East Lake Park.
iNaturalist Hike (starts 10 AM): Join the City Natural Resources team for an hike learning to use iNaturalist at Heritage Park.
Saturday, April 26th, at Reflection Riding
Bird Banding (8 AM - 12 PM): Join UTC ornithologist Dr. David Aborn to learn about migratory bird conservation while identifying birds and banding them.
Herpetology (9 AM - 12 PM): Join UTC herpetologist Dr. Tom Wilson as you search for reptiles and amphibians roaming the forest floor.
Pond Study (9 AM - 12 PM): Discover aquatic life in the ponds on our property with Elaine Pulliam, intern at City Water Quality.
Wildflower Walk (11 AM - 1 PM): Join our Lead Naturalist Ailani Ramirez-Pineda for a walk around our campus observing spring ephemerals.
Plants (1 - 2:30 PM): Join founder of WMWA Landscape Architects Matt Whitaker to observe and learn all about plants.
Art in Nature (1 - 3 PM): Join the Hunter Museum to make pressed flower and nature material collages.
Birds and Herps (1:30 - 3 PM): Search for birds and herps (reptiles and amphibians) across our campus with Kevin Calhoun, Curator of Forests at the Tennessee Aquarium.
Mycology (3 - 4 PM): Search for mushrooms, lichens, and other fungal taxa with our Lead Naturalists, Ailani Ramirez-Pineda and Kayla Reeves.
Fish and Macro-invertebrates (3 - 5 PM): Investigate fish and macro-invertebrates in our wetland with Stephanie Soto from the Tennessee Aquarium.
Invertebrates (4 - 6 PM): Look for small invertebrates (like arachnids) along the forest floor with Naturalist Graham Wilson.
FrogWatch USA Training (6 - 7 PM): Conducted by Will Ternes of the Chattanooga Zoo, learn the calls of frogs and toads native to our region.
Frog Walk (7 - 9 PM): Search for frogs and toads on our campus with Will Ternes of the Chattanooga Zoo.
Moths (8 - 11:30 PM): Search for nocturnal moths with Bill Haley, former educator at the Tennessee Aquarium and volunteer.
Saturday, April 26th, Off-Site
General iNaturalist Walk (10:30 AM - 1 PM): Join a Tennessee Aquarium Educator for a guided walk at Greenway Farms.
Sunday, April 27th
iNaturalist Hike (2 - 5 PM): Join Randy Medley for a guided hike using the iNaturalist app at Heritage Park. Hikes will leave on the hour at 2, 3, and 4 PM.
Monday, April 28th
iNaturalist Hike (starting at 1 PM): Join Courtney of City Natural Resources for a guided hike using iNaturalist at Carver Park.
Important: Participants must sign the release form below before attending a program on our campus. We can’t wait to observe the natural world with you!
These programs will happen outdoors, so be sure to dress for the weather, wear sturdy shoes, and bring anything you may need to enjoy time outdoors. In the event of severe weather, programs may have to be canceled.