A squirrel enjoys a peanut treat at Lemoine Point, April 2022. Photo by Jessica Foley/Kingstonist.
The City of Kingston will join hundreds of cities across Canada and around the world in the City Nature Challenge to help contribute to wildlife conservation. Local nature lovers are invited to participate in this friendly competition to upload and share observations of nature between April 26 and 29, 2024.
To participate in the challenge, residents are invited to take photos of nature in their backyard, at local parks, and across the city and then upload them into the iNaturalist platform to become part of an international database of biodiversity, the City of Kingston explained in a media release.
“Biodiversity matters, not just out in the wild but also in the city,” said Julie Salter-Keane, manager of Climate Leadership at the City. “We’re thrilled to take part in this challenge for a second year and invite residents to explore the beauty of nature that exists in their neighbourhoods.”
The City shared these details on how to participate:
Find wildlife! It can be any WILD plant, animal or any other evidence of life found in Kingston. Take a picture or record a sound! Be sure to note the location of the critter or plant. Share your observations through iNaturalist.
According to the release, all observations uploaded in Kingston during the challenge will be automatically included in the final count. Only photos taken between April 26 and 29, 2024, will be included in the challenge.
“Whether you consider yourself a citizen scientist or a resident with a camera and an appreciation for the natural world around you, your participation in this challenge can make a difference in the future of biodiversity research and conservation,” Salter-Keane added.
As part of the collaboration with the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF), 41 cities have united to represent Canada in the collaborative global competition to see which community can track the highest number of wildlife observations. According to the City, results will be announced after Monday, May 6, 2024.
