Please join us in western Massachusetts April 28^th through May 1^st as we participate in the worldwide City Nature Challenge, a global bioblitz aimed at connecting people with the biodiversity all around them!

Now in its eighth year, the City Nature Challenge has grown exponentially; in 2023, we expect more than 400 cities and regions to participate. Data collection is via iNaturalist, a free app and website. Our region is the Western Mass City Nature Challenge project, encompassing the four western counties in Massachusetts: Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden. Once you’ve joined iNaturalist, go to the project page and join our project by clicking the Join button towards the upper righthand corner.

We, the co-organizers, are Lynn Harper, a conservation planner retired from MassWildlife, and Melanie Radik, a science and engineering librarian at UMass Amherst. We have planned a series of workshops and field trips before, during, and after the four-day City Nature Challenge; this library guide page from UMass Amherst lists the events and gives additional information. Check back often for newly added events. You don’t have to join an event to contribute observations, however; in fact, feel free to make observations by yourself in your backyard or your favorite local natural area – the more the merrier!