City Nature Challenge

Port Moody, Coquitlam, and Port Coquitlam are collaborating with stewardship groups to host free events and activities as part of the City Nature Challenge (April 26 to April 29, 2024), a friendly global competition that encourages people to find and document wild animals and plants in their cities. 

City Nature Challenge began in 2016 in California and has grown into an international event. It’s organized on a global scale by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences. Here in Port Moody, we’re calling this bioblitz the Metro Vancouver City Nature Challenge! 

The Metro Vancouver region will compete with other communities around the world to gather the most observations about nature, find the most species, and engage the most people from April 26 to April 29. Participants document their findings using iNaturalist, a project of National Geographic and the California Academy of Sciences. iNaturalist is a third-party app and the City of Port Moody makes no claims about the security or privacy of its use. Visit inaturalist.org/pages/privacy to view the iNaturalist privacy policy. 

Join us at an event or go out and document nature in your neighborhood. To have your observations counted for the Tri-Cities in this year’s Nature Challenge:

• go to www.inaturalist.org or download the free iNaturalist app from the App Store or Google Play and create an account;
• under Projects, search for and join “City Nature Challenge 2024: Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD)”; and
• from April 26 to April 29, click Observe on the app or Add Observations on the website to add observations of any wild living or dead organism you see in Port Moody – including plants, animals, birds, fungi, etc. (or evidence of them, such as shells, feathers, or scat). 

Observations may include descriptions, uploaded photos, or photo or audio recordings through the app. Photos should be clear and full-frame. Visit the CNC FAQ page at www.citynaturechallenge.org for detailed instructions and tips for making eligible observations. 

Click here to check out the Canadian Wildlife Federation's video on the City Nature Challenge and using iNaturalist.

Port Moody events and activities are listed below. All are free (please note that some require pre-registration) and open to all Tri-City residents. Visit coquitlam.ca/naturechallenge and portcoquitlam.ca/naturechallenge to find out what’s happening elsewhere in the Tri-Cities. While iNaturalist is used to contribute findings to the global City Nature Challenge, you do not need to sign up for iNaturalist to participate in local events or activities.

Events and activities