City Nature Challenge turns Oregonians into community scientists

Josh Cozart
·2 min read

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Spring is full of blooms, blossoms and animal life around the Pacific Northwest. The Nature Conservancy in Oregon is now challenging Oregonians to help collect biological evidence of life in the Pacific Northwest in the form of photos.

The City Nature Challenge starts April 26 and lasts through April 29 where over 500 cities world-wide will partake in collecting photos of plants, animals and any other living organisms. The Nature Conservancy in Oregon along with Portland Community College students will meet at Camassia Natural Area from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to gather images of flowers, plants and wildlife.

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The images collected from community scientists who partake in the ‘City Nature Challenge’ will then upload those images to the iNaturalist app or website. It’s within the iNaturalist database where images will help keep track of local bloom times, invasive species, and other biological factors that occur around Portland and can even look at the impacts climate change may have on Portland’s biology.

“The information is used by both the general public as well as scientists to learn information such as changes in range, introduction of invasive specials and changes in bloom patterns,” said Max Light-Pacheco, Volunteer and Community Engagement Programs Specialist at The Nature Conservancy in Oregon.

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The City Nature Challenge doesn’t have to conclude after April 29, but that’s when The Nature Challenge is keeping tally of the number of submissions in the area.

“Last year during the city nature challenge in the Portland-Vancouver metro region we had about 5,700 observations and 950 species during the challenge. And world-wide there were 1.8 million observations and 57,000 species. So, this is a very effective event for documenting these species all around the world,” said Yaseen Ginnab, volunteer and stewardship program coordinator at The Nature Conservancy in Oregon.

You can now head to The Nature Conservancy in Oregon’s website now to find more information on how to get involved.

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