February 15, 2024
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Amber King, brnaturechallenge@gmail.com
The Baton Rouge City Nature Challenge 2024
BATON ROUGE– Pokémon Go IRL? The Baton Rouge region is competing in the City Nature Challenge, a global field day collecting photographs of wild plants and animals and posting them in the iNaturalist app and iNaturalist.org. Who will find a rare mushroom or an unusual migratory bird? Can you find all 21 species of Tiger moths found in our region? Or maybe you never looked closely at the bugs and plants in your lawn before, and you discover so many interesting things hiding in plain sight! iNaturalist is a wonderful tool to help document and identify the wild organisms around you.
The Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater Baton Rouge invites everyone to explore the outdoors April 26 to April 29 and document the wild plants and animals they can find.
Taking part is easy!
· Find wildlife or plant life anywhere outside. (Wild only - no landscape plants or pets, please. It’s for science!)
· Take photos of what you find with your phone or camera.
· Share your photos in the iNaturalist.org website or on the iNaturalist mobile app.
· Great job, go find more!
iNaturalist observations made in these 12 parishes during the 4-day City Nature Challenge will automatically count toward the Baton Rouge Region’s contest project: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.
The more participants, observations and species we find, the better the Baton Rouge Region will compete against 500+ other cities around the world. The event is 24 hours a day for 4 days, so don’t forget to look for nocturnal critters too!
The iNaturalist app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play store, or accessed via the website at iNaturalist.org.
Important City Nature Challenge Dates
Discover Hilltop’s Wildlife: Family Field Day at LSU Hilltop Arboretum
March 24, 2024, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Bring the family to LSU Hilltop Arboretum on March 24 for a field day exploring the water, land, and sky with Master Naturalists to see what amazing wildlife and plants we can find and to practice for the City Nature Challenge.
Free! Registration: https://lsu.edu/hilltop/programs/adult/family_field_day.php
BREC BioBlitz at BREC Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center
April 26-27, 2024
Bring the family to Bluebonnet Swamp to explore the swamp with scientists and local experts. There will be lots of nature walks and hands-on activities. The BREC Conservation land managers need to know what wild plants and animals make the swamp their home, so please help them by posting pictures of the critters and plants you find in the iNaturalist app or at iNaturalist.org.
New Bonus Benefit: This year, the BioBlitz is the same weekend as the City Nature Challenge, so iNaturalist observations will benefit both BREC and our standings in the City Nature Challenge!
Free! Registration, when open, will be at: https://www.brec.org/bioblitz
The City Nature Challenge worldwide competition, April 26-29, 2024
Take photos of wild plants, animals and other organisms April 26-29 in the 12 parish Baton Rouge Region to help us compete in the City Nature Challenge. After taking photos April 26-29, you have a few extra days to upload them into iNaturalist, which is particularly helpful for digital camera users. Uploading and “identification week” continues through May 5. Winners will be announced May 6.
Our mascots for the 2024 Baton Rouge Region City Nature Challenge are the Eastern Bluebird and the Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth. The greenspace of the year is BREC’s Frenchtown Conservation Area.
The Baton Rouge Region City Nature Challenge is a community effort spearheaded by the Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater Baton Rouge. The global organizers of the City Nature Challenge are the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, see citynaturechallenge.org for more information.
For more local challenge information, visit www.brnaturechallenge.org or contact the Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater Baton Rouge at brnaturechallenge@gmail.com.
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Photos Available for Media and Outreach
> > Download high resolution versions of the photos here
The City Nature Challenge logo for the Baton Rouge Region.
Bill Hines looks at a turtle shell found during a nature walk with his granddaughters, Maggie and Marin Myers.
Photo by Amber M. King.
Bill Hines uses the iNaturalist app to photograph and identify the turtle shell his granddaughters found. iNaturalist is the platform for the upcoming City Nature Challenge, April 26-29, 2024.
Photo by Amber M. King.
Bill Hines looks at a turtle shell found during a nature walk with his granddaughters, Maggie and Marin Myers.
Photo by Amber M. King.
Bill Hines and his granddaughters, Maggie and Marin Myers, learn that the iNaturalist AI has identified the turtle shell they found as from an Eastern Musk Turtle.
Photo by Amber M. King.
iNaturalist
Photos of the top and bottom of the shell were uploaded as an observation in iNaturalist. The iNaturalist AI identified it as an Eastern Musk Turtle.
Photo by Amber M. King, iNaturalist user amberenergy.
In addition to the app, you can explore the iNaturalist.org website, which contains more detail. In the Activity column, you can see that two reptile experts have reviewed this observation and agreed with the AI identification and it is now marked with the green “Research Grade” banner.
Photo by Amber M. King, iNaturalist user amberenergy.
Photos you upload to iNaturalist during the City Nature Challenge, or anytime of the year, become important open source data for research and education.
Photo by Amber M. King.
The Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is the 2024 Baton Rouge Region City Nature Challenge mascot. Bluebirds are a migratory species, but will nest and stay in Louisiana year-round if there is food available. Bluebirds feed by perching on a high point, like a fence post, and swoop down to catch insects on or near the ground. They primarily eat grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and beetles. They will supplement their diet in the winter with fruits and berries. Baby bluebirds only eat insects.
Photo by Amber M. King.
The Scarlet-bodied Wasp Moth, Cosmosoma myrodora, is the arthropod mascot for the 2024 Baton Rouge Region City Nature Challenge. It is not a wasp! This moth mimics the look of a wasp as a defense, and cannot bite or sting. With transparent wings and bursts of shocking red and blue, this native moth is an incredible beauty! The host plant that feeds the moth caterpillars in our region is the Florida Keys Hempvine, Mikania cordifolia.
Photo by Amber M. King.
The Greenspace of the Year for the 2024 Baton Rouge Region City Nature Challenge is BREC’s Frenchtown Conservation Area. A brand new education building has been built on site. Exploring the trails in Frenchtown Conservation Area is always full of interesting wildlife and plant life, like migratory birds, Marbled salamanders, and native trees.
Image by BREC.
BREC’s Frenchtown Conservation Area consists of 500 acres bordered by the Amite and Comite rivers where they join together.
Photo by Amber M. King.
30 local organizations have partnered together to help promote and participate
in the City Nature Challenge - join us!
