April 24-27, 2026
Here are some great to events to attend from our partners in between your nature outings!
April 24, 2026
Nature Night Hike & Campfire
Kelsey Koppelberger, BREC Educator and iNaturalist Ambassador, shows hikers a critter found at the night hike during the 2022 City Nature Challenge. Photo by BREC.
Hosted by BREC Conservation
7-9 p.m. at BREC Frenchtown Conservation Area
$5
Ever wonder what goes on in Conservation Areas after the sun goes down? Join Conservation staff and learn about local nighttime ecology and nocturnal animals while you creep through the woods on a blacked-out night hike. And no Night Hike would we complete without time around the campfire and a S’more! Come enjoy this great way to get the family out after the daytime heat. Preregistration is required and spaces are limited. Ages 6+. Register: https://www.brec.org/calendar/detail/nature-night-hike-campfire/21827
Please post observations of the night critters you spot during the hike in iNaturalist!
April 25, 2026
Nature Walk at Tickfaw State Park
Hosted by Slowhike Company and Louisiana State Parks
8:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Join Master Naturalist and foraging expert, John Nettles, for a super chill slowhike at Tickfaw State Park! It’s all about taking your time to spot and appreciate nature as part of the City Nature Challenge 2026. Perfect for nature lovers who want to explore, observe, and connect with the great outdoors in person. Bring your friends, your curiosity, and your comfy shoes – let's make some cool discoveries together!
Reserve your spot on Eventbrite
Tickfaw State Park, 27225 Patterson Rd., Springfield, LA 70462
Free*
*At the park entrance, tell the attendant that you are there for the City Nature Challenge hike, and they will waive the entrance fees for your group.
April 25, 2026
HERPS HIKE
9:00 a.m. at BREC Frenchtown Conservation Area
Louisiana Amphibian and Reptile Enthusiasts (L.A.R.E.) is hosting their 14th annual spring field trip at Frenchtown Conservation Area!
Register for the field trip in L.A.R.E.'s private Facebook group event
Be sure to stop by the pond next to the Frenchtown Education Building at 11:00 am for the aquatic ecology activity!!!
April 25, 2026
Aquatic Life Activity
Hosted by LMNGBR & BREC Conservation
11:30a.m. -1:00 p.m. at BREC Frenchtown Conservation Area
Dr. Marshall examining an aquatic organism during the 2024 City Nature Challenge. Photo by BREC.
Please join Dr. Amanda Marshall at the pond next to the education building at Frenchtown to find and document aquatic species in iNaturalist for the City Nature Challenge! Amanda will give a brief training at 11:00 and then we can start scooping! At the end, we will try to identify what is found. Don't forget to document the dragonflies that are flying around the pond too! We are told there are newts and otters!!!!!
This is a "walk up" activity - no registration required. Free.
This event is immediately following BREC’s Nature Journaling Workshop, so you can easily attend both in one day!
April 25, 2026
Library Nature Walk & “Love the Boot” Litter Cleanup
Hosted by EBRPL
12:30 - 2:00 p.m. at the Main Library, 7711 Goodwood Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806
All Ages
Free
Join your favorite librarians in the plaza and gardens around the library for a hands-on day of caring for our local environment. As part of Louisiana’s Love the Boot Week, we’ll start with a litter cleanup, then head out on a City Nature Challenge walk using iNaturalist to document local plants and wildlife and support citizen science. More information
April 25, 2026
Plants with a Purpose: Wild plants, wisdom-inspired, knowledge for everyone
1:00 - 4:00pm
Fontainebleau State Park, 62883 Hwy. 1089, Mandeville, LA 70448
Discover the edible and medicinal plants of Fontainebleau! Join the Interpretive Ranger for a short lecture in our Conference Room, followed by a guided walk (weather permitting) exploring the hidden pantry and pharmacy of the forest and marshes. Along the way, you'll learn how people once identified, used, and respected the edible and medicinal plants of this region. Make iNaturalist observations for the City Nature Challenge on the walk!
April 26, 2026
Nature Walk at Mary Ann Brown Preserve
Hosted by the Louisiana Hiking Club
9:00am
Nature Conservancy’s Mary Ann Brown Preserve
13515 LA-965, St Francisville, LA
You are invited to a walk along the beautiful wooded trails of the Nature Conservancy's Mary Ann Brown Preserve near St. Francisville. The walk is led by the Louisiana Hiking Club at a slower pace than usual to enjoy the restorative benefits of nature and to see nature's details for the City Nature Challenge. Download the iNaturalist app and/or bring your camera to take photos of the things we find!
Free, no registration necessary.
April 26, 2026
after hours Wildlife at Hilltop
Hosted by LSU Hilltop Arboretum
After sunset
Free
Explore Hilltop Arboretum at night! Bring a headlamp or flashlight and stroll along the trails, looking for sleeping lizards, singing frogs and katydids, watch busy orbweavers build their webs, and other wonders of the night. Lights will be set up to attract moths and insects to a white surface which gives you a nice background to take photos and document them for the City Nature Challenge.
Registration link coming soon.
Participants observing nocturnal insects during the 2025 City Nature Challenge at Hilltop Arboretum.
April 24-26, 2026
Northshore Naturalist Weekend Workshop
Sorry, registration is full!
Hosted by Pelican Park Nature Club & Fontainebleau State Park
Fontainebleau State Park, Mandeville, LA
The Northshore Naturalist Weekend Workshop is an overnight quick study of the natural world. This program includes a mix of classroom instruction and guided field instruction from subject matter experts. This program takes place at Fontainebleau State Park and includes optional tent camping at a large group camp site. You may opt out of camping; you will be able to leave the park at night and return for the morning activities. Lots of time to find and document wildlife and plantlife for the City Nature Challenge!
April 28-May 10, 2026
CITY NATURE CHALLENGE IDENTIFICATION WEEK
Phew! We documented a lot of nature. You have this time period to finish uploading all of those photos you took April 24-27 into iNaturalist. But the sooner, the better, so we can get them identified and increase our research grade performance metric. This is also the time to get the observations our participants made identified. Please help by making identifications for any species you know well! The global results will be announced on May 13.
Identification party, anyone?
Baton Rouge City Nature Challenge EVENT Partners:
It’s a contest, so get a group together for the City Nature Challenge! If you would like to promote your nature event here, please e-mail the details to citynaturechallenge@lmngbr.org.
Are you are already hosting a nature-related event that weekend? Have it listed here and encourage your event participants to post observations in the City Nature Challenge.