2022 City Nature Challenge! Heart of Texas Area
Hello again everyone! My name is Aaron Lincoln. I'm a Texas Master Naturalist from the Heart of Texas Chapter in Waco. Thank you to everyone who helped participate in our event last year! It was very successful! Here's a link in case you want to check out how we did:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-heart-of-texas
For anyone who isn't aware, the City Nature Challenge, is a wonderful time during April when cities across the world have a friendly competition to see who can make the most observations and find the most species. Apart from being a lot of fun, the challenge makes a real contribution to science and helps guide policy sometimes in bigger cities once decision makers see what kind of organisms are present in the area. You can find more info here:
http://citynaturechallenge.org/
Everything is done on iNaturalist, so you don't have to do anything different, just get out there and make observations. There's usually 4 days for observations followed by a week to upload and make identifications. I really think that our area with Hillsboro, Waco, Temple, Killeen, Belton, and outlying areas really have something to offer, especially as the area continues to grow and development replaces natural areas.
Last year's results were impressive, but I think we can do even better this year. Getting the word out to as many as possible and increasing our participants is key. Please feel free to tag anyone you can think of in this post and promote whenever possible. I'm also working with folks at NPAT to get access to several prairies in Falls County that I never knew existed.
It's still early in the planning phases, so I will continue to make updates as they come. Observation dates will be April 29th through May 2nd with identifications being made the following week. Our area includes the following counties: Somervell, Bosque, Hamilton, Hill, Coryell, McLennan, Bell, Milam, and Falls. Here is the link to the project page for this year:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022-heart-of-texas
Σχόλια
Woooo hooooo!!!!! :-D
It's about that time folks! Beginning some tagging so we can spread the word. Starting with some of those who participated last year.
@lovebirder, @dusty_in_vilas-tx, @lanechaffin, @alflinn329, @baylorbear78, @connlindajo, @marianmarie, @jsolana, @chenderson, @jjcrump, @johnfairlie, @laughing_lemur, @cadcock53, @andrealiles, @jenna_bug, @m_kiss20, @rotehexe82, @lfairlie, @jfcthornton, @alejandrodbrot, @kellyannblanchard, @chalkbluffchristine, @jamey13, @de_and_amelia, @cjackson, @cozyant, @sarahmcc23, @eaneubauer, @jenn040574, @aggieamanda, @laurawhipple, @supercilium, @reedmjr, @alekzandr27, @jessica881, @bcvi, @nanotyrannus, @erintx, @highhoperanch, @cloeyedwards, @katetay, @dajiang, @sonya75, @ms_kara, @ensiform, @haneybee, @skkg, @highscalereptiles, @lisasilas, @hawleyclan
Please feel free to tag anyone else y'all think might be interested!
@p_n_e
@lake_waco_wetlands_254
Looking forward to it!
We can also post our plans here to avoid overlap or to meet up. I plan on hitting Meridian State Park and other Bosque County locations on Friday. Saturday will be various parks around Lake Whitney. Sunday is back roads north of Gatesville, and Monday I will explore the Riesel prairie and Cameron Park in Waco. I'll do mothing each night around Clifton.
I’m looking forward to this…I missed last year. Thank you for the reminder @bosqueaaron
@jeanpoythress
Looking forward to it!
@michelle_lopez @bananalady These two are new Master Naturalists and actively using iNat. You may want to add them to the list.
@plantperson7654, @mammoth_grrl, @sarahmcc23, @cristywade, @toomanyseed, @paul-baldon, @lexibug
@ethynm, @jellyfishmambo, @hansoes, @geospyder, @analyst14, @gabcleve
@bananalady @lindabu are interested
Great!
On Friday, April 29th, Sandy from High Hope Ranch in Glen Rose is going to allow us access. From 9:00 to 10:30 am she is having a "nature lollygag" after which, we will be free to roam the ranch for CNC. With over 20 miles of trails, and 400 acres if I remember correctly, there'll be plenty to observe at the prairies, ponds, hills, overhangs, seeps, and wooded areas. This is a good opportunity for someone new to iNat to be with others and get some pointers. Chime in if anyone is interested! Here's the link to a project for the ranch
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/citizen-scientist-at-high-hope-ranch
@squaylei2000 I know you're not from this area, but I see that you come down to Glen Rose and Meridian often. Maybe you'd be interested in joining us along with @obidaddy?
Maybe @jwn wants to turncoat and join us too?
@djvalkyrie
I'll be participating! My usual areas are Lake Waco Wetlands, Mother Neff SP, Cameron Park, and/or McLennan County Park. I'd include the Carleen Bright Arboretum but that has been closed for months now and I've no clue when it will reopen.
@squaylei2000 see the post a few lines above this.
I'm keeping High Hope Ranch in mind for that Friday. For sure during the CNC, I will be in SW Hamilton County on private property and I may make it to City Lake, the (sometimes) wetlands on 211, City Park and Pecan Creek Park in Hamilton.
@theherper
I hardly ever see anything but I love to try
The Lake Waco Wetlands will be hosting night hikes each Friday in April at 7:00pm, one of which is during the CNC. Hosted by Cameron Park Zoo staff, it's a great chance to see some night life at the wetlands.
@sally429
Good news! Dr. Back, entomologist and professor at Baylor will be bringing his mothing gear to the night hike at the Waco wetlands on April 29th. That should be a blast and, as far as I know, there hasn't been any mothing at the wetlands, so we should see some neat things!
@curicta
@jamey13
Hopefully, the small amount of rain we just got (1/3 inch in Hamilton) will help things pop out this week! In Hamilton County, we are in Exceptional Drought and most of our Heart of Texas CNC area is in Extreme to Exceptional Drought. It looks like Milam, Bell and Falls are in a little better shape.
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?TX
We got an inch here in Bosque, and it's started up again. Lookin good! The High Hope event and later at the Waco Wetlands is still on for anyone who wants to join!
3353 Co Rd. 2009
Glen Rose, TX 76043
is the address to the High Hope Ranch tomorrow for all interested parties. Anyone going to the Lake Waco Wetlands just google it.
Whew! That was exhausting! I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. Looks like we found some neat stuff. I'll be uploading and helping with IDs over the next week.
I don't know if I am missing the link on the project page to identify observations in the project, but I think this link works:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?project_id=124418
We have through the end of Sunday, May 8 to get everything uploaded and identified, right?
Yes, that's correct. The link looks good too.
Holy cow! I think I've got all my observations submitted! I'll go back through to make sure I didn't miss anything. Now, more id-ing!
Link to identify moths: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?project_id=124418&taxon_id=47157&without_taxon_id=47224
Huge thanks to everyone who participated! My family had some medical emergencies this week, so I was a little late getting everything uploaded. Got my last one in at 11:54 on Sunday and @lovebirder was right there IDing them as they came in! Thank you! Everyone else also id awesome jobs helping with IDs. We should see some preliminary numbers coming in the morning, but we're definitely all winners here. I know I saw lots of neat, new stuff and even added several birds to my life list.
There's a lot to sort through, but if anyone has, or saw especially rare or great photos, the organizers would like to share them with the rest of the CNC crowd. Just go ahead and share the link/s on here and I'll pass them along.
Thanks again!
Thanks for organizing it. I don't come close to the totals for the top observers, so I look for new things to me, and I had fun doing it.
There were so many cool observations! I know we found some new species in our area, which is incredible. Thanks, Aaron, and everyone who contributed in in any way. Very fun and informative. Now, time to rest;)
Just for fun, here's the link to the D/FW challenge if anyone wants to see how they did.
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022-dallas-fort-worth
For potential use by organizers:
First Texas iNat observation of Timulla dubitata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/114274932#activity_identification_6362d16c-712a-4ba2-9fa7-301a328309ea
First Texas iNat observation of Asphondylia betheli: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/114274639
Wow. Those are cool. Thanks!
https://cuefornature.wordpress.com/2022/05/10/summary-of-the-city-nature-challenge-2022-lower-rio-grande-valley/
This is a really neat work-up done by our friends in the RGV. Shows some of what can be done with the data we gather during the CNC.
Craig Hensley at Texas Nature Trackers sent me a neat work-up of the final summary of our project in pdf format. If anyone would like me to email it to them, send me your address :)
I'd like a copy of the work-up. My email is hendersonins@sbcglobal.net. Thank you in advance. Carolyn Henderson
Fantastic. I requested via email. Thanks, Aaron
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