[dc-area-CNC] Update on DC Area City Nature Challenge

[Stella Tarnay]

Dear City Nature Challenge Friends:

We hope you are staying well and healthy, finding ways to enjoy your time at home on your own or with family during this difficult coronavirus period. Members of the regional CNC planning team have been meeting virtually to consider how to keep the spirit of the CNC going while we all follow best practices and laws for public health. We have charted our regional approach to the CNC based on these factors:

• The International organizing team has shifted this year’s CNC from a competition to a shared nature experience. Organizers in their respective urban areas are encouraged to develop their own approaches to the CNC based on regional conditions.
• Washington metro area states and jurisdictions have issued Stay at Home orders. These orders allow for essential outside activities that include grocery shopping, medical visits, and outdoor health walks and exercise at safe distancing. The Washington Post explains in more detail here (Sadly, most parks are closed but some allow for trail use with proper social distancing).
• Time with nature supports our health and mental wellbeing.
• Nature observations close to home offer new opportunities to notice life that is often overlooked during busier times.

Moving with both a spirit of caution and positive engagement, we have named April City Nature Month in the DMV. We invite you to think of this year’s Washington DC area City Nature Challenge as a month-long citizen science experience, during which participants use iNaturalist to observe nature within and around their home environments. Even with our movement limited to minimize the spread of COVID-19, there is plenty to explore. We don't need to go anywhere to find nature in the city! We are invited individually to observe nature at window sills, through the window, in our backyards, on balconies and stoops, and as part of allowed recreational activities such as walks in our neighborhood. (Check out the Never Home Alone project for some fun observations!)

We ask that you cancel all live group events, but think about how you can create shared experiences virtually. Also look to the DC Area City Nature Challenge website for resources and updates. In support of Washington DC area City Nature Month, we created a new project on iNaturalist. All observations recorded during April 2020 anywhere in the metropolitan area will automatically be included. As a regional planning group we’ll be creating virtual training and calls throughout the month to support you. Here are two upcoming events:

Organizers City Nature Month Zoom Call: April 7th

Please join us for a community City Nature Month launch and Q&A Zoom (Meeting ID: 816 683 963) (Dial In: 1 646 876 9923) meeting on Tuesday, April 7th from 2:15 - 3:45 pm. We will talk about opportunities for City Nature Month engagement within a rapidly changing landscape, and share strategies for hosting virtual events. 

iNaturalist Zoom Introduction: April 9th 

Carrie Seltzer will lead a lunch hour introduction to iNaturalist via Zoom on Thursday, April 9th from 12-1 pm, for anyone who wants to learn the basics of using the app (Zoom info forthcoming). The meeting can accommodate up to 300 participants. A video of the program will be made available on the regional CNC website following the meeting.

Thank you for your continuing interest in citizen science and the City Nature Challenge. With a little common sense and ingenuity, we can create healthful nature experiences for the residents of our region, and make some amazing discoveries along the way.

Stella

for the regional planning team