Local Lovers of Nature, Assemble!
Calling all Memphis MSA iNaturalist power users! Yes, you!
From Friday, April 29 - Monday, May 2, the light you shine on our local biodiversity here on iNaturalist will be captured on the international stage of the global 2022 City Nature Challenge (CNC) for the first time!
Automatically--as long as you upload it by May 8--every observation you record in the Memphis MSA, from April 29 - May 2, will count toward representing the greater Memphis metro area in one of the largest citizen science events in the world! Let that sink in. This will include observations made in Shelby, Fayette, and Tipton counties in Tennessee; DeSoto, Marshall, Tate, and Tunica counties in Mississippi; and Crittenden county in Arkansas.
As the event encourages "collaboration-meets-friendly-competition," who else here believes we've got a pretty special community of naturalists in the Memphis metro area who can absolutely record more observations, find more species, and engage more people than we (or anyone) could ever expect?
Since the CNC went national in 2017, Nashville, Knox Area, Northeast Tennessee, and Chattanooga all arrived to the game before us. But as Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant would remind us, how we dedicate ourselves outside of the spotlight makes the real difference! It's our turn to tell them, "Welcome to the dark." We're wild here. Let's surprise everyone, including ourselves.
Global results for the City Nature Challenge (CNC) will be shared May 9, 2022. Join this project (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022-greater-memphis-metro-area), if you'd like to receive extra communication about project developments and opportunities.
To kick off the CNC weekend, the phenomenal Overton Park Conservancy will have some iNaturalist (and wildlife) experts available on Friday, April 29 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM at the Old Forest entrance near Rainbow Lake Playground and Overton Bark to encourage participation and chat nature (https://overtonpark.org/2022/04/14/city-nature-challenge-april-29-may-2/), if you would like to visit or know of anyone else who might be interested! Spread the word!
Please comment on this post, and share your own projects, events, interests, or hopes related to local nature that could benefit from participation. Tag a friend! Feel free to introduce yourself. Use this project as an opportunity to reach out and connect with each other to grow our own engagement as a community of local naturalists!
Memphis urban nature needs you to keep noticing it, connecting with it, and connecting others with it! Keep shining as naturalist superstars!
Learn More Here:
CNC FAQs: https://citynaturechallenge.org/cnc-faqs-page/
CNC 2022 Umbrella Project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022
CNC Videos: https://youtu.be/Cdj0XaTBSwU (English), https://youtu.be/qFoLugn0T5s (Spanish)
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Reach out to @brirosa (bridget.r.mccall@gmail.com) directly with any questions, concerns, or interests, if that's easier. Get excited for the 2022 City Nature Challenge!
