Nature Lovers AND Environment Naturalist Coordinators
Environment Naturalist Coordinators
Nature Lover Observation Recorders
For the City Nature Challenge CNC YXE happening April 25 – April 28, 2025! Applications are welcome! Thank you
We really need your help to highlight the City of Saskatoon area!
Volunteer now to assist in organizing through emails and social media.
Volunteer if you wish to document flora and fauna between during the four days April 25 – April 28, 2025
Volunteer now if you wish to organize a group event to document organisms in nature!
🌿🌿 Volunteer Event Leader Opportunity
🌿🌿 Nature Observer Opportunity Sign UP Now!
🌿🌿 Flora and Fauna Biodiversity Species Identification
Just email your interest friendsafforestation@gmail.com
The City Nature Challenge is a four-day, citizen science event where participants use the free iNaturalist app to observe and record local plants, animals, fungi, and other organisms in their daily lives. The challenge is designed to inspire a deeper connection with nature, promote citizen science, and help track biodiversity across the city. During the event, volunteers will guide participants in making observations, teaching them how to use the iNaturalist app, and discussing the importance of biodiversity.
What is the City Nature Challenge?
The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is an exciting, ongoing citizen science project that invites people to engage with the nature right around them. Often referred to as a bioblitz, the CNC encourages city residents to document urban biodiversity, from plants, birds, insects and animals to fungi, bacteria, and more. Framed as a friendly competition between cities, the project aims to see which city can make the most observations, identify the highest number of species, or rally the greatest number of participants.
The CNC is designed to connect people to the nature around them, foster community-building both in person and online, and generate valuable data for scientific research, conservation, and management. By using the free iNaturalist or Seek apps, participants document and share observations of living organisms, signs of life, or evidence of organisms—whether that’s a rare bird, a wildflower in bloom, or even roadkill. It's an opportunity to engage with the environment and contribute to a global effort in documenting biodiversity, all while having fun and participating in a bit of friendly competition!
The City Nature Challenge encourages participants to make a wide range of observations, not just of living organisms, but also of evidence that suggests the presence of life. Here is a fairly comprehensive listing of signs of life that you can document, and excite other people to "See" in nature :
Living Organisms- Plants: Trees, shrubs, flowers, mosses, grasses, etc.
- Animals: Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects
- Fungi: Mushrooms, molds, and yeasts
- Microorganisms: Algae, bacteria, and lichen
Dead Organisms
- Roadkill: Animals killed by vehicles such as mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, etc.
- Carcasses: Remains of animals or plants in the environment
- Decomposing Plant Material: Fallen leaves, dead flowers, or other plant parts that are breaking down
Signs of Life
- Tracks: Animal or bird footprints left in soil, snow, or mud
- Scat: Animal droppings (feces), which can be used to identify the species
- Nests: Bird or insect nests made of twigs, leaves, or other materials
- Eggs: Bird, reptile, or insect eggs found in the wild
- Feathers: Shed feathers from birds
- Bones: Animal bones or skeletal remains
- Snakeskins: Shed skin from snakes
- Shells: Seashells or the shells of other invertebrates
- Skeletons: The bones of an animal left in a natural environment
- Fur Tufts: Pieces of fur left behind by mammals
- Tracks/Footprints: Paw prints or hoof prints left by animals like dogs, deer, or raccoons
- Animal Droppings: Other types of droppings from various animals (e.g., raccoon, fox, or bird droppings)
- Egg Masses: Insect or aquatic egg masses, such as frog spawn or insect larvae
- Webs: Spider webs or other arachnid-related structures
- Paw Prints: Marks left by animals like dogs, cats, or wild mammals
Additional Signs
- Holes: Burrows, tunnels, or holes made by animals like rodents, insects, or reptiles
- Feeding Evidence: Teeth marks on plants, bark, or other materials indicating feeding by animals
- Traces of Digestion: Owl pellets (regurgitated pellets containing bones and other undigested materials)
- Vocalizations: Sounds from birds, mammals, frogs or insects (can be recorded and uploaded
- Volunteer Role:
- Lead nature walks / field trips during your time of availability through the RSBBAA and GGURP, explaining the ecological significance of the afforestation areas and the biodiversity they support.
- Encourage participants to use iNaturalist during the event. i.e. have them download the app, sign in with their own user name and password. Teach them how to take photos of organisms (any living biodiversity), record sound (like bird calls), and upload their observations to the app. The app automatically records the date, time, GPS location, and photo of each observation, creating valuable citizen science data.
- If you wish to, you may share insights about how these urban forests are crucial for the health of the city’s ecosystem.
- It is important to Note, the volunteer leader, and the volunteer citizen science participants do not need to be experts or botanists, or know what the names of any organisms of nature are. There just needs to be a natural curiosity, and a longing to connect with nature.
- Help participants learn about iNaturalist Computer Vision Explorationsand how AI will provide suggestions to them toidentify species they may encounter, including labelling their observations a species at risk or other important trees and plants. It is handy to encourage them to continue using iNaturalist outside the event, including in their neighborhoods and local parks anywhere in Saskatoon and region during this four day window of the challenge (or any time).
Key Objectives:
- Community Engagement: Help raise awareness of the importance of urban forests as habitats of biodiversity and engage community members in environmental stewardship.
- Biodiversity Tracking: Contribute valuable data via iNaturalist for researchers to monitor trends in local biodiversity and climate resilience.
- Environmental Advocacy: Encourage people to see themselves as guardians of these natural spaces and use their everyday activities to contribute to environmental science.
How to Get Involved:
- Encourage participants to engage with nature and record what they find. Participants can take part from anywhere—whether it’s in their backyard, local park, or by the river.
