The weekend of April 25-28, 2025, is when this year’s City Nature Challenge will take place. Participation is simple and easy: spend time in the natural world (something we already love to do!) and document your observations of the species in that area by recording them in the iNaturalist app. Participants often come away from the challenge with a renewed appreciation for biodiversity - and possibly the fragility of the natural world - because of their focused observations.

What began 10 years ago as a friendly competition between just two cities in the USA has become an international citizen scientist event! This year, 690 cities are participating in the challenge, and there is even a Global Project for those who are not in the designated cities. (Observations made in Marble Falls and other nearby communities can count towards the City of Austin’s participation in the Nature Challenge.)

For full details, please see the City Nature Challenge website.