Subscribe to our blog for free – just enter your email.
Connect with the Great Outdoors!
April 24th 2026 – April 27th 2026 (Observation period)
April 28th 2026 – May 10th 2026 (Identification period)
The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is an annual, four-day international bioblitz held in late April where cities compete to document the most urban biodiversity using the iNaturalist app and website. Participants take pictures of wild plants, animals, and fungi to connect with local nature and provide valuable data for science and conservation.
Key Aspects of the Challenge
How to Participate: Participants use the iNaturalist app or website to take photos or record sounds of wild organisms, then upload them to the project.
Scope: It is a global competition, with hundreds of cities competing to see which can make the most observations, find the most species, and engage the most participants.
Goal: To document urban biodiversity, encourage people to explore local nature, and gather data for conservation.
What Can Be Observed
Any wild plant, animal, fungi, or evidence of life (like scat, tracks, or feathers). Organisms must be wild, not cultivated plants or pets.
The event is a friendly competition that happens every year in April around the world where people are encouraged to go outside and find wildlife around them (can even be in your own backyard!), take photos or videos and upload them to iNaturalist….pretty much like a BioBlitz.
For the past several years different organizations in El Paso offer guided walks, hikes, and talks during CNC as we get close to the date we’ll list the different guided events throughout El Paso but participants can do observations on their own.
I think as an organization we could help promote or even offer a walk in search of wildlife somewhere in the city; if anyone is interested or has questions let me know.
To learn more about CNC: https://www.citynaturechallenge.org/
An iNaturalist 101 workshop will be offered at Franklin Mountains:
iNaturalist 101
Sat. April 11th 2026 at 1pm (about 1.5-2 hours)
Are you new to iNaturalist or need a refresher as we gear up for City Nature Challenge 2026? Join us for this hands on iNaturalist class where you’ll learn and practice the basics to get you started observing and recording the wildlife around us!
This is a free class at Franklin Mountains State Park – Tom Mays Unit; we will have hands-on practice time outdoors so make sure you download the iNaturalist App on your phone prior to the class.
