Diario del proyecto City Nature Challenge 2021: The Wasatch

Any iNaturalist observation you make in Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Summit, Utah, Wasatch, and Weber Counties from April 29-May 2 will automatically count towards one of the largest global bioblitz events of the year - The City Nature Challenge! The 2022 CNC starts this Friday, April 29th. Visit the 2022 Utah project page to see boundaries, and get ready to find your local nature. We can't do it without you!

How will you take part this year? Revisit a walk you did in 2021? Look for nature during breaks from work? Visit a place you've never been? Record as much nature as you can in your yard or neighborhood? Join a bioblitz event? We can't wait to see what you find!

Hello! @dprasad @isaac_krone @alysonwilkins @kmosbruger @sarah1990 @maticus @aizaksonas @eptesicusfuscus @bfox81 @somewhereinutah @cbills @brunsonm @birdwhisperer @barbara537 @schnavelle @jachwest @connie43 @patrickkelly907 @zayne2014 @lbaldwin_nhmu @dragonflight24 @marsha_monson @kylee1 @cody49 @e_set @glynisbawden @ameliavictorian @knbuchi @bjohnson86 @michael329 @tobiashays @lksargent @carlakrone @jlane @zookanthos @chelsangelina @sarahlambson @bezclan @bonniekvc @natalie620 @freejinn @jw_elaine @gabrielamushroom @maybedre @elaine2021 @daveeiriksson @beaglkin000 @tigerbb @chad_w @once_casadastraphobic_bird @kvgold42 @aestable @louhamner @marissaharrison @mitchvandyke @jennifer413 @alinablack @ebsunshine @weedwifery @stidlaur @etovar01 @leathamj @elleneiriksson @hawksthree @odinbriem0 @jenniferjane @maerhwyn @penguin1737 @shadealexander @microcosmic @jschnaitter @troygwatson @dingoking @michelle1858 @larachho @brennanbarfuss, you were the top observers during the 2021 CNC in Utah, will you help make observations again this year?

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who participated in and identified observations from the 6th annual City Nature Challenge! Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, on a global scale there were over 10,000 more people participating compared to last year, and for the first time ever, we collectively made over one million observations in the four days of the challenge!

Here are the collective global results:
Observations: 1,270,767
Species: 45,300+, including more than 2,100 rare/endangered/threatened species
Observers: 52,777
Most-observed species globally: Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

In Utah, our results were (as of 5/9/21):
5905 Observations (we ranked 64th out of 400+ cities participating worldwide)
906 Species, including 14 rare/endangered/threatened species
417 Observers
Most observed species: Mallard, with Arrowleaf Balsamroot a close second

Some Highlights from The Wasatch project:
-This vulnerable Maguire's Primrose (Primula cusickiana var. maguirei), endemic to Cache County (meaning it doesn't occur anywhere else!). Of Utah's roughly 600 rare plant species, it is one of only 25 that is protected by the Endangered Species Act.
-Long-Tailed Weasel at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Box Elder County
-An almost huggable Hairy Bear Scarab Beetle in Cache County
-Shaggy Mane mushroom in Davis County
-A Habronattus festus jumping spider taking on some large prey in SLC
-Lovely Glacier Lily blooming just after snow melts in Summit County
-Western Tanager spotted in Utah County, migrating back to Utah
-An elusive Western Skink spotted in Wasatch County
-Osprey nesting in Weber county

And, if you are curious, here are some of the interesting observations from around the world:
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Lixus placidus weevil
Turkish Snail (Helix lucorum)
Witches’ Cauldron (Sarcosoma globosum)
Blainville’s Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii)
Purplish-backed Jay (Cyanocorax beecheii)
Sargassumfish (Histrio histrio)
Southern Lion (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)
Common Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista philippensis)
Euglossa macrorhyncha bee
Adelpha zea butterfly
Short-clubbed Wasp Orchid (Chiloglottis reflexa)

The City Nature Challenge also contributed to the most observations uploaded in a week on iNaturalist again - and also gave iNaturalist the first two weeks ever with over one million observations uploaded!

Thanks everyone! Continue to help IDing those CNC observations - it takes awhile to get through them! We're looking forward to CNC 2022!

-Natural History Museum of Utah Citizen Science team

THE CITY NATURE CHALLENGE ISN'T OVER YET! Thanks to the collective efforts of Utahns this weekend, we’ve surpassed 5K observations, and are on our way to identifying more than 800 different species living with us here in Northern Utah. Official global and local UT results for the CNC will be announced the week of 5/10, but there is still work to do! (1) Have photos from the weekend you haven’t uploaded yet? You have until 5/9/21 to get them on iNaturalist to count towards the 2021 CNC. Every observation helps! (2) Help make IDs and tell us about any exciting observations you come across! We need your help to look through the thousands of amazing observations made in UT. If you come across any first records, see a great photo, fun story, unique observation, or something piques your interest - post it in the comments here!

More details on how you can help:
-Finish uploading your April 30-May 3 observations-
As long as your photos were TAKEN April 30-May 3, 2021, then you can upload them through May 9 and have them count for the 2021 City Nature Challenge. If you took photos on your phone, you can upload them through the app. If you made observations using a camera, you can upload using the iNaturalist Upload page on your home computer; here is a short video with more info: https://vimeo.com/167431843

-Love the CNC? Have any CNC stories from this weekend? We'd love to hear it! Tell us in the comments section below.

-Help with Identifications through May 9th-
In the same way that anyone can be an observer, anyone can also help identify observations. Identifications are a crucial step to an observation becoming a research quality record. To get started, select "Observations" on our project page and then choose “Identify.” From this page, you can add various filters to your search, to explore groups of species you know a little bit about. If you’re not an expert in any group, you can still help by identifying the “unknowns” - the observations with no IDs at all! To do this, click the “Filters” button and then select the dashed-line leaf with a question mark in it. This will show you all the observations that are currently listed as “unknown.” It’s really helpful to go through these and add high-level IDs like “plants” or “insects” or “birds” or “fungi” - whatever you know about the organism - so people who do know how to ID these groups down to species can find them! Here is a video about using the Identify page: https://vimeo.com/246153496

No matter what, please only add an ID of which you can be reasonably sure - it’s fine if you don’t know what something is, and it’s fine to only add a genus or family or even kingdom level ID.

If you are interested, you can also expand your identification skills beyond Utah - to help ID observations made during the CNC worldwide (over 1.1 MILLION observations so far!) Here is the Identify page for the entire City Nature Challenge.

Thank you for your amazing observations over the weekend, and if you are able/interested, for helping to make these 2021 CNC observations research-quality data points.

Don't forget to tell us about any interesting observations you come across (e.g., first records, interesting photos, observations that were hard to get, one of your own you are proud of, etc.), or thoughts on the 2021 CNC by posting below!

-NHMU Citizen Science & the 2021 UT CNC Organizers

What a gangbusters weekend! This has been an INCREDIBLE dive into the amazing biodiversity of our homes. Thank you to everyone who participated!

As of this morning, we've had:

3,421 observations of 704 species made by 229 folks! That's a ton of great data!

As the CNC begins to wrap up, I encourage everyone to take some time and reflect upon your highlights of this year's event. Did you learn a new bird that visits your feeder? Did you get a just gorgeous photo you'll share with all of your friends? Did you discover a new place you'll want to revisit?

No matter how you participated, from hundreds of observations to just one, know that YOU made a difference in the City Nature Challenge this year, and we all hope you'll keep getting outside and discovering the nature all around you.

So as we wrap up, again I'll say THANK YOU from all of the many community organizations which may have organized CNC this year, but only you made it possible! Here's to finishing strong, and keeping the Challenge alive all year long!

Patrick Kelly @patrickkelly907
Director of Education at Stokes Nature Center

Thanks to wonderful weekend weather and all our awesome observers, The Wasatch stats are currently at:

2,636 Observations
637 Species
305 Observers
185 Identifiers

And the Observer Awards go to...
Most Observations: @dprasad with 210 observations!
Most Species Observed: @bfox81 with 77 species observed!

Most observed species: Common Stork's Bill (39 observations), Common Dandelion (34 observations), American Robin (26 observations), and Arrowleaf Balsamroot (26 observations).

Big thanks to all who attended City Nature Challenge events across the Wasatch Front this weekend. Let's keep it up and continue to boost these numbers! Carry on making observations through May 3 in your backyard, around the block, hikes in the mountains, and wherever the wild things are!

Team Wasatch is doing an amazing job recording species! The spirit of the City Nature Challenge is collecting images of the WILD organisms all around us – like wild animals seen on a hike, insects living between flowers someone planted, weeds in park strips and sidewalk cracks, and squirrels and birds perched on buildings, power lines, and feeders. Observations of wild living or dead organisms, or evidence of those organisms (like shells, tracks, scat, fur, feathers, etc.) are all great photos to upload. If you take a photo of something you know is not wild (like a plant you planted in your yard!), please help the iNaturalist community by marking it as captive/cultivated before uploading it.

We hope you are enjoy exploring the wild plants, animals and other naturally occurring things throughout northern Utah this weekend! You can make observations of nature on your own through May 3rd. You can also join in one of the many events going on this weekend. Happy Exploring!

Here are just a few amazing highlights from yesterday:
-Fox Squirrel photobomb! observation by @chad_w
-Check out this cool Hairy Bear Scarab Beetle observation by @lksargent
-Beautiful birding by @connie43: Black-crowned Night-Heron
-Glacier Lilies are blooming! observation by @bellawetzler

See Wasatch project observations you like? Paste links in the comments of this journal, or Tag @nhmucitsci in the observation's comments!

Now is the time to get outside with the iNaturalist App and make some observations. Go on a nature walk during a break at work. Order some take out for dinner and enjoy it outside. Visit a nearby park with your friends and family. Whether you have 5 minutes or a couple hours, find some time to document the biodiversity in your neighborhood. Happy Bio-blitzing! Go Wasatch!

Here at Stokes Nature Center in Cache Valley, it's our favorite time of the year! The world is greening, the greening things are flowering, and... THE BIRDS! The birds are returning! Time to lace up your shoes and get outdoors to see the season in action!

This year we're especially excited to have everyone get outside and explore the nature all around them. Live in the city? Perfect! Dandelions do, too! Live in the suburbs? Perfect! Box elder open season! Live in rural Utah? Double perfect! Our darker skies and open spaces make where we live great place to observe migrating birds relaxing from their northbound migration.

No matter where you live in Utah, you live in the perfect place to explore this great state we all call home. So get ready to get outdoors (the weather is looking AWESOME) and discover what makes spring by you the best time of the year! We'll see you out there this weekend for the City Nature Challenge!

Patrick Kelly
Stokes Nature Center

follow Patrick @patrickkelly907

Like many of our neighbors throughout the Wasatch Front, I am a recent transplant to this area. With a growing economy and excellent access to natural areas, Salt Lake City and Utah Valley are wonderful places to live. All the recent transplants to our area have enriched our region and contributed to the economic opportunities that we have. However, with any population boom there are many challenges that we must face as a community.

As humans move to an area, they often change the area to better suit their own needs. By building new neighborhoods, creating routes to get to places, and changing the biology around them, we all have a large impact on our local ecology. One of the more dramatic ways people change an area is to bring with them plants to decorate yards and to eat. Often these plants are not found naturally in our area and have been cultivated in yards and gardens for generations. Even the most dedicated gardener will know that these plants often don’t want to stay where they are planted. This is one of the ways that non-native plants have spread into natural areas and come to dominate our landscapes.
I moved here a little less than a year ago. I was brought on as a new faculty member in the Biology Department at Utah Valley University to teach botany. Moving across the country, preparing to teach new courses, and setting up a research program is never a small task. Throw in a pandemic and it was a difficult time. My research involves non-native plants and how they can escape and become invasive. To do my research I need to find these invasive species and track where they came from. I also try to get a sense of how long it has been since they escaped and how the population has changed since an initial observation.

When I arrived to Utah I turned to iNaturalist and its group of citizen scientists to track down populations of plants to study. After unpacking, the first search I did was to find populations of the non-native watercress in our area. This made it easy for me to track down plants to study and start my research program. Currently I am growing around 100 plants in the greenhouse at UVU to get a better idea of how watercress arrived into Utah and understand the success of its invasion of Utah Valley. Other researchers and I depend on good observations in iNaturalist to better understand the biotic world around us, particularly in these changing times. Observations like the ones that will be made during the CNC this coming week help guide my research questions and provide a base line and an opportunity to find non-native plants at the start of their invasions. Who knows maybe that “weird plant thing” found during the CNC will be an opportunity to control our next invasive species threat before it consumes our natural areas?

Michael C. Rotter, is an assistant professor of biology at Utah Valley University. You can follow him on iNaturalist through is handle (michael329) and find out more about his research through his website: https://rotterplantecology.weebly.com/

Multiple Utah organizations are hosting events (online and in person), to help you connect with the CNC this year:
-PRE-CNC EVENTS-
April 17, 1-4PM| Socially-distant event | Ask your iNaturalist questions during the Confluence Celebration | Hosted by Utah Museum of Fine Arts & the Natural History Museum of Utah
April 24, 9:30AM-12PM | Socially-distant event | Slate Canyon Earth Day event/Learn to Use iNaturalist | Hosted by Slate Canyon Naturalists & Utah Valley University
April 27, 12:00PM | Virtual Event | Neighborhood Nature: Spring in Utah! | Hosted by Natural History Museum of Utah

April 28, 12:00PM | Virtual Event | Live City Nature Challenge Q&A with NHMU | Hosted by Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter

-FRIDAY, APRIL 30-
April 30, 11-11:30AM, 1-1:30PM, 3-3:30PM | Socially-distant Bioblitz | Bioblitz with Tracey Aviary | Hosted by the Tracey Aviary (reservations required)
April 30, 9AM-4PM | Socially-distant Bioblitz | Self-Guided Bioblitz at Ogden Nature Center | Hosted by the Ogden Nature Center

-SATURDAY, MAY 1-
May 1, 12PM-4PM | CNC Kick-Off + Free Nature Kit | Bioblitz with Hutchings Museum | Hosted by Hutchings Museum Institute | Get your free Nature Kit while supplies last. Come Make your first observations with us!
May 1, 10AM-11AM | Free Nature Kits & Socially-distant Bioblitz | Nature By You Biobiltz| Hosted by the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge | Get your free NHMU Neighborhood Nature Kit while supplies last
May 1, 11-11:30AM, 1-1:30PM, 3-3:30PM | Socially-distant Bioblitz | Bioblitz with Tracey Aviary | Hosted by the Tracey Aviary (reservations required)
May 1, 9AM-4PM | Socially-distant Bioblitz | Self-Guided Bioblitz at Ogden Nature Center | Hosted by the Ogden Nature Center

-MULTI-DAY SELF-DIRECTED ACTIVITIES-
Looking for places to visit during the CNC? Here are some locations of interest to The Wasatch partner organizations.

April 30- May 3 | Self-directed Bioblitz | Explore the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve | Hosted by the Nature Conservancy in Utah
April 30- May 3 | Self-directed Bioblitz | NHMU Fife Wetland Bioblitz | Hosted by the Natural History Museum of Utah | Photograph any wild plants and animals you see during the City Nature Challenge
April 30- May 3 | Self-directed Bioblitz | City Nature Challenge in Slate Canyon | Hosted by Slate Canyon Naturalists & Utah Valley University | Open-ended invite to search the area and make iNaturalist observations on your own - observations will help make a baseline species list for the area.
April 30- May 3 | Self-directed Bioblitz | BioBlitz the River Trail | Hosted by Stokes Nature Center
April 30- May 3 | Free Resources | Nature bookmarks & bingo cards | Hosted by Salt Lake City Library

-CNC IDENTIFICATION EVENTS-
May 5, 5:30-7:30PM | Virtual Identification Party | RSVP | Hosted by Natural History Museum of Utah
May 6, 12-2PM | Virtual Identification Party | RSVP | Hosted by Natural History Museum of Utah

More information at: https://nhmu.utah.edu/citizen-science/challenge