City Nature Challenge

Barrier Island Bioblitz

April 29, 2023 | 3PM - 5PM
Spanish River Beach Park

3001 N Ocean Blvd

Join the City of Boca Raton and the Institute for Regional Conservation to learn about the ecosystems represented at Spanish River Beach Park and document the plants and animals we see there. 

• Register by emailing sustainability@myboca.us by April 27. Parking fees will be waived with pre-registration.
• Meet by 3pm at Pavilion 4. Have the iNaturalist App on your phone.
• The event will include a discussion of the City Nature Challenge, iNaturalist, and the ecosystems of the park as well as a guided interpretive walk. Participants will then have the opportunity to explore independently and make observations.
• The event ends at 5pm, but participants may choose to stay and enjoy the park later. 

For more information, email sustainability@myboca.us. 

Join the City Nature Challenge!

April 28 - May 1, 2023 | Ongoing during this time period

Each year the City participates in a global bioblitz to document the nature living in our urban environments. Be a part of this global citizen science effort and learn more about the plants and animals in your neighborhood by participating.

This year, the City is participating in City Nature Challenge South Florida (CNCsofl), a project of the City Nature Challenge, in order to get a snapshot of the biodiversity in our area.

How to participate:

1. Download the iNaturalist app from Google Play or the App Store, or from www.inaturalist.org. 
2. Head outside and make observations between April 28 and May 1 anywhere in South Florida - including Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami Dade counties. 
3. That's it! All observations made within those dates will be automatically added to the South Florida iNaturalist project. 

What counts as an observation?
Observations should be of wild specimens. Make observations of the birds, butterflies, insects, and mammals that come and go from your yard, or the plants and trees you see walking around your neighborhood or through the City parks and natural areas. Try to avoid observations of plants you planted in a garden or pot, pets, or animals in captivity.

For more information:

• City Nature Challenge: https://citynaturechallenge.org/
• iNaturalist: www.inaturalist.org/
• CNCsofl: https://www.cncsoflo.com/

I'm an expert, how can I help?
Observations made between April 28 and May 1 will automatically be added to the City Nature Challenge Boca Raton Project. Before May 9, as many of those observations as possible need to be identified. If you have a strong knowledge of native plants and animals, please consider taking time to identify observations!