CORRECTION: The iNaturalist City Nature Challenge is from April 28 to May 1, 2023. Please see the corrected language below.
To celebrate Earth Day 2023, Alachua County and the City of Gainesville are joining hundreds of other cities and counties worldwide to participate in the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge from April 28 to May 1, 2023. To participate in this fun activity, participants should download the free iNaturalist app on their smartphone and go outside and take photos of all the plants and animals they can find in their yards, neighborhood, city and county parks and preserves. Then, post the photos to iNaturalist through the website or app. Participants can also report animal and plant sightings without a photo.
“As part of our Earth Day celebrations, we encourage people to get outside and enjoy nature, and we hope this friendly challenge to document as many plants, animals, and other organisms as possible give citizens that extra nudge to visit our great parks and preserves,” said Stephen Hofstetter, Director of the County’s Environmental Protection Department.
The Nature Challenge is organized locally by the University of Florida IFAS and the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo in partnership with Alachua County, the City of Gainesville, the Florida Museum of Natural History, and the Alachua Conservation Trust.
For more information, contact Dr. Mark Hostetler at 352-846-0568 or
hostetm@ufl.edu.