Master Naturalist Michelle Melancon photographs a moth for the City Nature Challenge.
the city nature challenge: BAton Rouge Region
April 24-27, 2026
The City Nature Challenge is a four-day friendly nature competition that goes on across the globe April 24 to April 27, 2026.
We are competing against 800+ other cities all over the world!
The goal is to see which city can show the most wildlife in their area, including wild plants, animals, insects, mushrooms, fish, turtles — everything! Let’s show off Baton Rouge’s amazing wildlife diversity and unique ecosystems.
Taking part is easy!
Find wildlife. It could be a bird, insect, plant or any other sign of life.
Take a picture. Snap a photo of what you find with your smart phone or digital camera.
Share! Upload your observation to iNaturalist.org or with the iNaturalist mobile app and it will be automatically added to the contest project.
Any observations made anywhere in Southeast Louisiana during the official event period will automatically count toward the challenge. View the map of our competition area on our CNC iNaturalist project.
Many Thanks to our Partners:
2026 Updates
The 2026 sticker is printed! It features a gorgeous Mudsnake illustrated by Rordam James.
This is the 11th year for the City Nature Challenge, and the Baton Rouge Region’s 6th year participating! The global organizers have announced some new changes for 2026:
Casual observations and observations of cultivated and captive organisms will no longer count toward the CNC.
Identification week is now two weeks! April 28 - May 10. Results will be announced May 13.
Quality over quantity is now the overarching theme in order to build more robust data for research.
Our CNC iNaturalist project is ready. Start planning your CNC outings! Click the Join button to add the project to your profile so you can find it more easily. (You do not need to join the project for your observations to count.)
We are getting ready already! Contact us to be a partner organization! citynaturechallenge@lmngbr.org
Watch this space for more updates through the year. Sign up for our e-newsletter in the form below to receive updates as we get closer to the big CNC weekend.
Download the iNaturalist app here, or, use the iNaturalist.org website which has more features than the app.
John Hartgerink captured this beautiful Bobcat on a trail camera at BREC Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center during the 2024 City Nature Challenge.
“All you need to participate is a smartphone and a sense of curiosity!”
Host of Science Friday
Nature and people photos on this website courtesy of Amber M. King (c) 2025.