City Nature Challenge 2024: The Maritimes/Atlantic Umbrella Project's Journal

The global CNC organizers have released a new 'how-to video' for 2024. @joanseptembre (organizer from Abbotsford, BC, Canada) edited the iNaturalist training for organizers down to a useful iNaturalist training for CNC participants.

Subjects and time stamp in the video are as follows:

• uploading observations from an iPhone (0:00)
• uploading observations from an android (9:30)
• uploading observations on the website (16:00)
• information on obscured/vulnerable observations (22:45)
• how to use the identify feature to ID observations (25:00)

If you still wish to refresh your skills watch the basic iNat help videos.

If you are looking for events you can participate in with others while improving the iNat data at the same time, look no further - The iNaturalist Discord community regularly holds this sort of event. For example, last March, and once again this year, they are holding an "IDs of March" event during which making and improving IDs is the focus. This event runs alongside a more conventional bioblitz from March 15-25.

If that sounds like something you might enjoy, you can join with this invite link to check them out: https://discord.gg/C9NAvuRUgA

Each year the organizers of the global City Nature Challenge create new promo material. While waiting for the release of the 2024 video perhaps watch ones from previous years – they are short.

Keep your eyes open for photos of Canadian participants and Canadian species. During this year’s event share a few photos of your activities with local organizers. Perhaps they will appear in next year’s video!

Year (length)
2023 (4:46)
2022 (1:20)
2021 (1:49)
2020 (1:40)
2019 (1:33)

As of April 12th the 2024 video is available.

During the 2024 City Nature Challenge learn to combine activities and skills. This year consider learning a bit about postage stamps. Maybe start a stamp collection! Perhaps there is or was a philatelist in your family? Maybe there is a box of stamps buried in a closet that could be retrieved and dusted off? Linking stamp collecting to other pastimes and pursuits can be both fun and rewarding.

To get started test your knowledge about postage stamps.

Did you know that a national Stamp Advisory Committee guides Canada Post in selecting stamp subjects and designs?

Are you aware that many species have been highlighted by Canada Post on stamps over the years? Browse an iNat project highlighting a list of species depicted on Canadian postage stamps

Did you know that in the 1970s there was a series of stamps featuring provincial flowers? How many of these provincial symbols (species) will be found, photographed, and uploaded to iNat during the CNC? Do you know what your provincial flower is?

Did you know that from 2016 to 2018, Canada Post featured Provincial birds on stamp? Don't know what your provincial bird is? Read this quick guide from The Canadian Homeschooler!

Did you know that each year since 2007 Canada Post has released a spring flower stamp?

Did you know that in the past Canada Post released a series of birds of Canada stamps? How many of these species can you observe in your part of the country? If you are using a cell phone as your camera it may be difficult to photograph birds – consider recording their songs and calls using the iNat app.

Did you know that in 2018 bee stamps were created to pay tribute to native pollinators? How many pollinators can you find in your neighbourhood? What plants are they visiting? How many observations can you record and upload to iNaturalist?

Did you know that since 1981 the Canadian Museum of History has housed a Canadian Stamp Collection which features every postage stamp ever issued in Canada — including stamps issued before Confederation in 1867!

How many stamps can you find that feature plants and animals that you can find and photograph in your part of the country?

Have fun learning about postage stamps and of course, happy iNatting!

Images of postage stamps used in this post were downloaded from Canada Post.

Can’t find any wildlife that will pose for photos for the City Nature Challenge? Consider looking for signs that they were around.

Normally when one thinks about sharing observations of wildlife with iNaturalist one thinks of uploading photos or sound recordings. There is another option – this is to photograph ‘evidence’ that critters were present at a given location sometime in the past. Perhaps better to see bear scat than the bear itself!

During the 2024 CNC add a new activity to your to do list. When out exploring look for scat (aka poop), and footprints.

Many species are elusive… and these observations will provide evidence that an animal was present in the area just not at the time that you were exploring. (NOTE: you could also include evidence and photos of the critter in one observation)

Below are a few basic guidelines for sharing these types of observations.

• Add a few words in the observation notes or description box to indicate ‘tracks’ or ‘footprints’ or ‘scat’.
• If possible, add annotation ‘evidence of presence’. Adding this information will get attention from thematic experts…
• Take a photo showing the gait overall, then some closeups of individual tracks/footprints. Take those from straight above the track and include an object for scale. It can be a ruler or a coin or other object of known size. (The same goes for scat. Taking a photo with a scale helps later when identifying it.)
• When posting footprints remember to include a second photo highlighting the track (series of footprints. Was the animal walking, trotting, loping or bounding? Learn a few terms related to gait.
• Before heading out watch the beginner video and learn your ABCs to tracking! Because this presentation was created by Jonah Evans (@jonahevans) for an audience in Texas a few of the species mentioned will not be found in our region but the examples/comments are relevant. (Not too many feral hogs in the Atlantic Provinces!)
• Practice…. Many tracks found along frequently used walking trails will likely be of dogs. These footprints come in all sizes! Practice your tracking skills by examining these footprints – learn the various features of a track. Keep an eye open for coyote tracks!

Hints for special conditions: Snow can be difficult to take photos in because cameras had white balance settings that are usually automatic. Some cameras have a setting for snow. With some cameras, the images just look very blue. Winter is a great time to document tracks. Get to know the settings in your camera - change the white balance to "auto" or "snow" (sometimes it says "beach/sand/snow" or something similar. (Hopefully by the time that the CNC takes place snow will have disappeared, but the info above may be useful for other times of the year.)

Thanks to Kim Cabrera (@beartracker) for assistance gathering info for this article.

For many iNatters in the Atlantic Provinces 2024 will not be their first year participating in the City Nature Challenge. In fact, this is the 6th year that HRM has been registered!

In preparation for the upcoming event, it would be useful to browse observations posted from past events. Were most of the observations identified by the community?

A quick review shows that only 45-59% of the observations uploaded in the past have made it to Research Grade level.
2023: 15642 56.7% https://inaturalist.ca/projects/city-nature-challenge-2023-the-maritimes-atlantic-umbrella-project?tab=stats
2022:11,769 52.04% https://inaturalist.ca/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022-the-maritimes-atlantic-umbrella-project?tab=stats
2021: 11,722 59.29% https://inaturalist.ca/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-the-maritimes-umbrella-project?tab=stats
2020:10,518 45.7% https://inaturalist.ca/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-the-maritimes-umbrella-project?tab=stats
2019:7,645 48.07% (HRM only) https://inaturalist.ca/projects/city-nature-challenge-2019-halifax-regional-municipality?tab=stats
Why is this number so low? Is it possible to go back and review content and increase the percentage? (before the next CNC starts on April 26)

Could notes be compiled as to why content could not be identified with the hope that these points could be addressed before the next CNC? Example:

• features required to facilitate ID not provided
• observations were of taxa that require more than a photo to assign species name
• photos/sound recordings were of poor quality
• observations were of captive animals/pets or of cultivated plants

If you are looking for a pre-CNC activity look no further – help change the past RG stats before the 2024CNC starts! Practice using the iNat Identify feature. Remember that one can assist with the ID process by simply adding a high rank name or by adding an attribute – this may bring observations to the attention of taxonomic experts who can suggest names. You don't need to be an expert to help review iNat observations.

Create a personal list of goals. Challenge others!

• Watch the iNat Help tutorial
• Add broad IDs to 5 unknowns
• ID a common, easy species
• ID an observation from your province
• ID your provincial wildflower
• Add an annotation – dead|footprint|scat|egg
• Mark a plant captive
• ID an observation made on your birthday
• ID an observation from a previous City Nature Challenge or local event
• Refine an observation that is currently at Kingdom level
• ID a bird or mammal
• Add an ID to a plant
• Add an observation to a project (perhaps add an attribute that will automatically add obs to project. Example evidence=feathers)
• Mark an animal captive
• Add an annotation to a plant that is in bud, or flowering
• ID an observation from another country (or province in Canada)
• ID an observation at least 1 year old

Plan to help review observations uploaded to iNaturalist during the 2024 CNC. Observations may be identified up until Sunday, May 5th. Global stats will be announced May 6th. Observations may be reviewed and identification improved after that date but the CNC results won’t change.

NOTE: Don't add IDs just for the sake of increasing your Identification stats AND if an observation has already been identified down to a specific rank but you don't know that taxon don't suggest a higher taxonomic level - skip to the next observation and keep skipping until you find one to which you can add value. Use common sense.

The City Nature Challenge has grown and this year the global organizers have set up two umbrella projects to fit all of the cities!

• North and South America
• Eurasia, Africa and Oceania

Why: There are over 500 cities taking part in 2024. Each iNaturalist umbrella project can only host 500 projects and unfortunately iNaturalist cannot increase the number of city projects able to be hosted under a single umbrella project. Basically: the CNC2024 project ran out of space! All individual city projects are now being organized under two umbrella projects covering two geographical regions by continent.

Don’t be left out - join in the 2024 City Nature Challenge! Between April 26-29 record observations of wild plants and animals.

Take part in one of the largest community science events in the world!