City Nature Challenge 2019: Boston Area's Boletim

The Boston Area is ready for the 2019 CNC! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who is participating -- whether by sharing information about the CNC, hosting and event, opening a location for observations during the CNC or making observations and identifications. The latest count shows we have 61 Partner Organizations, 119 Events and 82 Observation Locations. All of these are a big increase from last year!

Remember to check out the CNC: Boston Area website for all the latest information.

Here in Boston, we have about 7.5 hours before our adventure begins, but our friends and competitors in the eastern hemisphere have already started their CNCs! Check out the City Nature Challenge 2019 umbrella project to watch LIVE as the 148 participating cities around the world start to log observations.

One of our goals this year is to have 50% of this project's observations become research grade. There are two major ways you can help us achieve this ambitious goal:

1. Be an identifier
   If you are a professional scientist studying a specific taxon, a birder or member of another more niche group, an amateur naturalist, or just a regular person that knows a few local species, this is one of the most impactful ways to be involved. On the home page of this project, click "Observations" then the "Identify" button. In the "Species" search bar, type the name of the organism group (can be any taxon level) that you know how to identify, and get started!

2. Take identifiable observations
   Photos that are blurry or very far away from the organism cannot be identified. Make sure that the photos you post are clear, and the organism is visible. If it is far away in the picture, post a zoomed in photo, or add a comment to your observation post that tells identifiers where the organism is located in the frame. Sometimes photos from specific angles or of certain parts of the organism's body are needed for identification. Check out this photo guide to learn how to take easily-identifiable observations.

Wow -- Day 1 has been fantastic in the Boston Area (and across the globe!)

We had an amazing day, with 2,281 observations posted, 533 species identified, 215 observers and 134 observers participating. We are also doing very well in terms of getting our observations verified and attaining Research Grade. Right now, 31% of the observations have achieved Research Grade status and our overall goal is to have at least 50% hit that mark. Hopefully, we can keep that up and attain that goal.

Rest-up, all -- we have 3 more days of observations ahead of us!