City Nature Challenge 2021: Red Lodge Area's Boletim

We made it!! Thank you to everyone who has uploaded their photos thus far. We have added several new observations to our species list for Carbon County AND some species observations that are firsts for Montana (on iNaturalist).

Remember that you have until May 9th to continue to upload any photos you took between April 30-May 3. You can also help identify the various flowers, bugs, and birds and trees that have been added throughout the challenge.

Some tips to double check for your observations:

1. Make sure you only have one observation per species. This could mean that there are more than one species in an observation, or two observations of the same organism. If you saw 3 different robins and have 3 different observations, that's fine! You just wouldn't want two observations for the same 1 robin.
2. Double check that you have locations on each observation. Obscure any locations that you are uncomfortable sharing.
3. Make sure your photo is uploaded. iNaturalist is being inundated with observations right now so I have noticed some observations not showing their photos. It may just take time but double check that your photo uploaded completely.

We have been closely monitoring our Northern Rocky competitors during the last few days. They have done an amazing job!
Bonner County, ID: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-bonner-county-id
Boise Area, ID:https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-boise-area

Way to go Carbon County! With the weather on Sunday less than idea, we hope you will take advantage of this gorgeous day to make observations! Don't forget that you have until May 9th to upload observations made between April 30-May 3. Let's bump those observations and species!

Hello all! We are heading toward the City Nature Challenge in just a few days!

One of our organizers recorded a short video on household items you can use to make observations with aquatic, terrestrial, wiggly and quick organisms.

Check out the video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DKai1XpvOg&list=PLefLi2ClwjA7nbR30gHb-wP4AekW7Pb1r&index=2

Still have questions about what the City Nature Challenge is, how to get involved, and our mini-competition with Bonner County and Boise? Watch this short video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPXDVhxQIzo&list=PLefLi2ClwjA7nbR30gHb-wP4AekW7Pb1r&index=2

If you are a new or novice iNaturalist user, iNaturalist has an informative and easy to follow "Getting Started" page at https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/getting+started .

Topics covered include making and exploring observations, identifying observations and community guidelines. In addition, there are several short video tutorials covering a range of topics.

Hi Folks!

Wanted to let you all know that City Nature Challenge is happening this year, April 30-May 4, 2021! This is our first year of participating and we are the only Montana town involved. There are 300+ cities participating worldwide.

In 2020 the CNC turned into a much more collaborative event, rather than a competition for who could find the most species, had most observers, and most observations. However, Bonner County, Idaho has reached out and wants to compete with Carbon County this year.

I’ve tagged you in this journal post because you’re either: (1) a top identifier in Carbon County (2) a top observer in Carbon County. We’re really hoping you’ll participate in this year’s City Nature Challenge – while we know getting observations from as many people as we can is important, we also know that it’s top iNat observers like you that will really push us ahead in the number of observations made and especially the number of species found in the county!

The easiest way to join in is to just make as many observations of as many species as possible in Carbon County between April 30-May 3.. Helping with IDs will also increase our species number, so that’s a great way to help out as well. You can identify species through May 9th. And of course, spread the word! City Nature Challenge 2021: Red Lodge Area iNaturalist project: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-red-lodge-area

The details: the CNC runs from 12:01 AM on Friday, 4/30 to 11:59 PM on Monday, 5/3. All observations from Carbon County counts. Results will be announced on 5/10, so try to get all your observations uploaded by then! Also, the more observations we can get identified down to species by then, the higher our species number will be.

Typically with events like this we would try to coordinate in-person guided walks but with the uncertainty of Covid we are relying on you all to get out there, inspire your friends to participate, and maybe use this as an excuse to visit a specific area you've been putting off. On Saturday and Sunday, May 1-2, the H.E.R.O. STEAM Center at the Roosevelt Center in Red Lodge will be open to participants to come and upload observations, grab a few snacks, ask questions, and borrow equipment. The STEAM Center is working on a few ideas for free take home items that you can make while there.

Reach out to me if you have any questions (@thesciencecamel).

Please feel free to brainstorm other ideas, ask questions, etc. in the comments – and definitely add others to this journal post via tagging them in the comments!

@taitsougstad @lemna @lysandra @caremarie @cehmoth @pagophila @maxallen @polemoniaceae @je9h @mike_h @johnascher @pfurshong @dbachen @mihail @hydapse @bjones7777 @snardinger @kmayne @mcferny @graydonnwph @sleepallday @milletman @jzimmrl @thorfin21