April 25-28, 2025
Join in the City Nature Challenge and help the Baton Rouge Region win!
The City Nature Challenge is April 25-28 and all photos must be taken during those 4 days,
however, you have until May 4 to finish uploading those photos into iNaturalist.
April 26, 2025
Wellness Nature Walk
5:15 - 6:30 p.m.
PARDS North Park, at the corner of Eden Church Rd. & Lockhart Rd. in Denham Springs, LA.
Meet at the covered pavilion near the pond.
Please join the Purple Martin Conservation Initiative and Project H.E.A.R.T. for a Wellness Nature Walk at North Park. Enjoy a peaceful exploration of wellness and nature, plus learn about the amazing Purple Martin bird colony that lives in the park. Free!
April 26, 2025
Bird Walk with Wild Birds Unlimited
7:30 a.m.
BREC Bayou Manchac Park, 19010 Jefferson Hwy., Baton Rouge, LA 70817
Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Store is hosting a bird walk led by Lindsay Seeley, an avid birder and educator with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Stop by or call the store directly to sign up or to inquire about the details.
Be sure to pick up your City Nature Challenge green heron sticker at the Baton Rouge store!
April 26, 2025
Special Saturday: MAMMALOGY
10:00 a.m.
LSU Museum of Natural Science in Foster Hall on the LSU Campus
Join LSU this Saturday, April 26 at 10AM at the LSU Museum of Natural Science for a wild adventure into the world of mammals. Discover how scientists study creatures big and small — from bats to tigers — and explore real specimens from our world-class research collections.
Perfect for curious kids, families, and future scientists! Free & open to the public.
Be sure to pick up your City Nature Challenge green heron sticker at the museum!
April 26, 2025
celebrate trails day in Mandeville
Join in the annual “Celebrate Trails Day,” a national event that celebrates appreciation and support for trails. There are two guided hikes to enjoy! Be sure to have your phone charged and iNaturalist app ready!
9:00 a.m. Northlake Nature Center bird walk, 23135 Hwy 190 East, Mandeville, LA
11:00 a.m. Fontainebleau State Park guided nature tour, 62883 Hwy. 1089, Mandeville, LA
April 26, 2025
celebrate trails day in Baton Rouge
8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Meet at the tents in Perkins Road Park.
Celebrate Trails Day with BREC on one of the best multi-use urban trails in Baton Rouge, the Dawson Creek Greenway. BREC will provide bicycles for guided bike rides on the Dawson Creek Trail throughout the day. Free! Staff will be available at the Dawson Creek Greenway to discuss plans and initiatives throughout the parish.
There is a huge amount of wildlife living in the trees, grasses, and water along the trail. Please stop and make iNaturalist observations along the way!
Front Yard Bikes will be set up from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., offering a simple repair class for the first 30 people to join. This class is free with a suggested donation of $20.
April 26, 2025
celebrate trails day: Tammany Trace’s 30th anniversary
Visit a participating Tammany Trace Trailhead for the 2nd Annual Celebrate Trails Day on April 26! This is the perfect outing to make iNaturalist observations for the City Nature Challenge!
Koop Drive Trailhead
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.: “Brittany & the Wednesday Run Club” invite you to a 1-3 mile walk or run along the Trace!
10 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Group Bike Riding Event to Abita Springs with “Bike Easy”, the history of Bootlace Trail & More!
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Adoption Extravaganza ft. St. Tammany Parish’s Department of Animal Services
Bonfouca-Carollo Trailhead
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.: Meet Chief Warhorse of the Chahta Native American Tribe to learn about St. Tammany’s fascinating indigenous history
Camp Salmen
9 a.m. - 10 a.m.: Native Plant Gardening Lesson featuring Wild Ones
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.: NEW Orienteering Course ft. Rick Lauterbach
9 a.m. - 3 p.m.: History of the Choctaw Trail ft. Historian Tom Aicklen
10 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Native Plant Identification ft. Will Afton of the LSU Agricultural Center
12 p.m. - 1 p.m.: Meet our local Snakes, Reptiles & Amphibians ft. Kevin McDunn
1 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.: Bats of St. Tammany’s Parish’s Ecosystem
1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.: History of Camp Salmen ft. Ben Taylor
Abita Springs
9 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Celebrate Trails Day, 22046 Main St, Abita Springs, LA 70420
April 26, 2025
Children’s garden party: Going Buggy!
Free! Our City Nature Challenge partners, LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and the East Baton Rouge Master Gardeners are hosting their very first Garden Party and you are invited! Get ready to buzz, flutter, and crawl into spring.
Hands-on Fun Includes:
- Bee hive demonstrations
- Build-your-own bee hotels
- Butterfly learning stations
- Bug-themed crafts
- Storytime in the garden
- Fruit & Veggie taste testing
It’s a playful morning of learning, creativity, and outdoor fun—perfect for budding nature lovers of all ages. Please take pictures of the bugs you find in the garden and along the beautiful trails for the City Nature Challenge! Be sure to pick up your Green heron sticker inside of the little library!
9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
At the Pollinator Playground, LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens, 4650 Essen Ln, Baton Rouge, LA
April 27, 2025
Hit the trails with pelican Park nature club!
9:00-11:00 a.m.
Meet at the Northlake Nature Center parking lot at 9AM
Join Pelican Park/Recreation District #1 for a trail outing this Sunday! Meet at the Northlake Nature Center parking lot at 9AM and bring a fully-charged smart phone or a camera. You are going to want to take lots of nature photos along the way! Groups will explore several parks in the recreation district together.
April 25-27, 2025
Frenchtown Nature Center Grand Opening
& City Nature Challenge Kickoff!
Come celebrate with BREC at the Frenchtown Conservation Area Grand Opening Weekend! { More info }
Connecting People to Nature – Free & open to the Public
Get ready to go wild as we celebrate the grand opening of the Frenchtown Nature Station and win the City Nature Challenge for our area!
BREC Frenchtown Conservation Area
17819 Frenchtown Road, Greenwell Springs, LA 70739
Friday, April 25
10 a.m.– Ribbon Cutting
11 a.m - 5 p.m. – The Adventure Continues! We’ll be celebrating all day with tours of the building!
Guided hikes at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 26
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Open House
Guided hikes at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 27
Open House noon-5 p.m.
Guided hike at 1:30 p.m.
City Nature Challenge Kickoff
All weekend: Help document local wildlife in the iNaturalist app and website & be part of a global movement! Start at Frenchtown and then branch out to other locations!
Explore the Wild – Hike scenic trails, discover native habitats & learn about local ecosystems!
Family Fun for Everyone – Schools are out, so bring your squad for a day of nature, learning, and excitement!
Sunday, April 27, 2025
Moth watching NIGHT at Hilltop
LSU Hilltop Arboretum is opening the grounds after hours for the City Nature Challenge! There will be “moth sheets” and lights set up to attract moths, beetles, lacewings, katydids, and more for their close-up photos and to get a high species count in iNaturalist in one night. Walking around Hilltop at night is very relaxing. It is fun to listen for frogs and owls, look for orbweaver spiders, and peek at insects sleeping in the meadow flowers. The moth sheets will be set up at sunset, and then you can walk between them at your own pace and talk with the bug nerds about the interesting critters that show up.
Bring: Water, camera or phone, mosquito protection, and a headlamp and/or flashlight. Extra lighting also helps when photographing small critters at night. The restrooms will be open.
Your arrival and departure time is up to you. The sun will set at 7:40pm and the insect activity usually starts picking up around 8:30pm.
LSU Hilltop Arboretum
7:00pm - 10:00 pm
11855 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70810
Go toward the light! Look for us at the glowing lights in the meadows.
Please RSVP by e-mailing Hilltop or using the QR code in the graphic.
Be sure to pick up your City Nature Challenge green heron sticker inside the Hilltop Arboretum little library!
Monday, April 28, 2025
Nature Walk at Port Hudson State Historic Site
Join Kathy Conerly, Master Naturalist and Master Gardener, for a nature walk during the City Nature Challenge through one of our most beautiful State Parks!
Tell the person collecting fees that you are there for the City Nature Challenge, and your admission fees will be waived.
Walk starts at 9:30 a.m.
Meet at the museum
Port Hudson State Historic Site
236 Hwy. 61, Jackson, LA 70748
April 26-27, 2025
Special Discount & Raffle at Beaver’s Abundance
When you head off to the great outdoors to make observations for the City Nature Challenge, be sure to stop by Beaver’s Abundance to pick up some gorgeous native plants and gifts. Enjoy a 15% discount and don’t forget to enter the drawing for a Beaver’s Abundance gift card.
Beaver’s Abundance Native Plant Nursery and Eco-Boutique
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
17873 Old Jefferson Highway, Prairieville, LA 70769
Be sure to pick up your City Nature Challenge Green heron sticker at the store!
Pro Tip: Bayou Manchac Park is just 2 minutes away and Kendalwood Conservation Area is 11 minutes away from here and both are great spots to take photos of wild plants and animals for the City Nature Challenge!!!!
April 25-28, 2025
Free Admission to Port Hudson State Historic Site
Port Hudson State Historic Site invites you to visit and make observations for the City Nature Challenge! All you need to do is tell the person collecting fees that you are there for the City Nature Challenge.
This site is in the beautiful, hardwood forest bluffs of the Felicianas, and features 6 miles of hiking trails, plus the museum. This is a wonderful birding spot and there is also a good chance you could spot Zebra Swallowtail butterflies zipping by.
Port Hudson State Historic Site
236 Hwy. 61
Jackson, LA 70748
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Be sure to pick up your City Nature Challenge green heron sticker inside the museum!
Your event here!
Our partners hold public and private events to promote participation in the City Nature Challenge.
Join us by hosting an event or attending one!
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.