International Competition Tests Boulder's Engagement With Nature

BOULDER, CO -- Boulderites are known for getting outdoors, and what better way to test that commitment than with a bit of old-fashioned competition? From April 26–29, Boulder, along with 170 other locations across the world, will be competing in the City Nature Challenge to find out which city in the world is most engaged with its natural environment.

The City Nature Challenge 2019 is an international effort to find and document plants and wildlife across the globe, according to a news release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Cities will compete to see who can make the most observations of nature, find the most species, and get the most people engaged. Those interested can participate by taking photos and identifying plants and animals with the free iNaturalist app.

“We have so much amazing nature in and around Denver, that we encourage people to explore their neighborhoods and nearby natural areas to discover incredible wildlife,” said Chris Hawkins, urban conservation program manager for The Nature Conservancy in Colorado in a statement. “Not only will participants be having fun outside, but they will also be making valuable scientific contributions that will help The Nature Conservancy as we work to create a thriving region for people and nature.”

Other Colorado nonprofits and government agencies like Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the WILD Foundation, MetroDNA, the City and County of Denver, and Great Outdoors Colorado have all expressed their enthusiasm about the project and its ability to connect people to their environment and create value through crowd-sourced, citizen science.

Last year's challenge saw more than 500 participants and 8,321 observations in the Boulder and Denver area to go with 442,000 observations made worldwide. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has developed a guide to local species to help aspiring naturalists with their observations.

“Our money’s on Colorado communities taking the lead in the City Nature Challenge this year,” said GOCO Executive Director Chris Castilian in a statement. “Coloradans know how amazing our outdoors are – from our backyards to the backcountry, in our cities and towns and beyond. Here’s our chance to explore nature close to home and appreciate what makes our state so wild and beautiful.”

The City Nature Challenge is organized by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.