AUSTIN – Cities around the world will compete April 27-30 to see which urban area has the most nature and the most engaged residents. This City Nature Challenge will include more than 60 cities from 17 countries, including seven Texas metro areas: Amarillo, Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, Lower Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio.

If you live in or around one of these areas, show the world just how much nature we have here in Texas. It’s easy to participate by joining an event or making observations on your own using the iNaturalist app. Take a picture of a wild animal, plant or fungi, upload it to iNaturalist (www.inaturalist.org), and the online community will help you accurately identify the species. We will also need help May 1-3 with identifications on iNaturalist, so no matter where you are in the world, share your Texas nature knowledge to help make this project a success.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Master Naturalists, Audubon Society, and many others in Texas will be joining this fun challenge. The data generated from this event will help researchers, land managers and policy makers. How will we measure up to other cities around the world?

Go to https://www.tpwd.texas.gov/naturechallenge or http://www.citynaturechallenge.com/ to watch the Texas leaderboard or learn more about how to participate. Share the City Nature Challenge video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2Ucqg5iTPQ. You can also contact the Texas Nature Trackers program at tracker@tpwd.texas.gov with any questions.

The City Nature Challenge is organized by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.  Let’s find some nature!