City Nature Challenge 2021: Dallas/Fort Worth's Journal

29 April, 2021

More events!

Check out the journal post by @lisa281 !
https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/50659-city-nature-challenge-2021

Arbor Hills Nature Preserve
Friday morning, April 30, 2021
9:30am - 12:00pm
6701 W Parker Rd
Plano, TX 75093

Frisco Commons Park
Saturday morning, May 1, 2021
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
8000 McKinney Rd
Frisco, TX 75034

Oak Point Nature Preserve
Sunday morning, May 2, 2021
8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
5901 Los Rios Blvd
Plano, TX 75074

Mothing at Beaver Run Park
Sunday evening, May 2, 2021
9:00 PM - 10:30 PM
110 Elisabeth Way
Fairview, TX 75069

Stewart Creek Wetlands
Monday morning, May 3, 2021
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Teel Parkway (south of Lebanon Drive where it dead ends)
Frisco, TX 75034

Posted on 29 April, 2021 17:30 by sambiology sambiology | 1 comment | Leave a comment

27 April, 2021

iNat leaderboards for the CNC!

During the challenge, here is the Texas leaderboard:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/texas-city-nature-challenge-2021-cities

Here is the global project (like 400 something cities involved):
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021

And here is the ID page for DFW observations (will start to populate when the CNC starts):
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?project_id=93268

Posted on 27 April, 2021 20:58 by sambiology sambiology | 0 comments | Leave a comment

10 April, 2021

May 1st and 2nd - Visit SPRING CREEK FOREST PRESERVE - GARLAND, TX

For a series of in-person field trips and an opportunity to help us increase our biodiversity species count on iNaturalist. SCFP has recently updated and added trails to their property. Visit SCFP.ORG and select Trails to view or print the map.

SATURDAY, 5/1

BIRD WALK AND ID – REBA COLLINS
5/1, Saturday, 8:00-9:30 a.m. at: 1787 Holford Road, Garland, TX
Spring Migration Bird Walk with Reba Collins, Master Birder/Master Naturalist
Limited to 15 people, Must RSVP to rcollins20@verizon.net. Please specify Saturday or Sunday. Both volunteers and public participants must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet apart.

We will try to answer the question: What birds are in Spring Creek Forest
Preserve in late spring? Will we see migrating wood warblers? Come for a
morning walk and find out. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring
binoculars. If there has been heavy rain, rain boots may be appropriate.

BUTTERFLY WALK – DAVID & SHARON PARRISH
5/1, Saturday, 12:00pm at 1787 Holford Road, Garland
David and Sharon Parrish (Team Parrish) will provide an overview of the Texas Butterfly Monitoring Network (TBMN), a socially distanced Statewide citizen-science volunteer project of the Texas Master Naturalists. They will introduce walk participants to the survey methods and their monitoring route along the Limestone Loop Trails at Spring Creek Park Preserve, 1787 Holford Road, Garland, TX. Along the way they will identify some of the common butterflies of North Texas. Several fellow members of the Butterfly Garden Docents group at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge near Sherman, TX are participating in the TBMN to help keep their butterfly identification skills sharp until we meet again. Both volunteers and public participants must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet apart.

FOREST SYSTEMS – DANA WILSON
5/1, Saturday, 2:00-3:00pm at 1770 Holford Road, Garland
Like animals, plants have strategies to survive within their respective ecosystem.

We will discuss the different layers and relationships that make up a healthy forest. What are the benefits or dangers these plants impart on each other? Join Dana Wilson on a walk through the forest to examine how forests thrive.
Both volunteers and public participants must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet apart.

FROGS AT NIGHT – JESSICA CROWLEY
5/1, Saturday, 6:30pm at 1770 Holford Road, Garland
Join us for an evening hike listening and looking for frogs along Spring Creek. Spring Creek is one of the cleanest creeks in the metroplex. This means that we have an excellent population of creek creatures, including frogs.
In addition to listening and ID by sound, Jessica will bring some frogs from her collection. We will be on trails, so wear appropriate footwear. Both volunteers and public participants must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet apart.

SUNDAY, 5/2

BIRD WALK AND ID – REBA COLLINS
5/2, Sunday, 8:00 - 9:30 am at 1787 Holford Road, Garland, TX.
Spring Migration Bird Walk with Reba Collins, Master Birder/Master
Naturalist. Limited to 15 people, Must RSVP to rcollins20@verizon.net. Please specify Saturday or Sunday.
We will try to answer the question: What birds are in Spring Creek Forest
Preserve in late spring? Will we see migrating wood warblers? Come for a
morning walk and find out. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring
binoculars. If there has been heavy rain, rain boots may be appropriate.
Both volunteers and public participants must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet apart.

INVASIVE PLANT ID AND REMOVAL – ROBERT KAAA
5/2, Sunday, 2:00pm – 3:00 pm at 1770 Holford Road, Garland, TX
Invasive Plant ID and Removal Strategies with Rob Kaaa, Master Naturalist. We will venture down the trails to identify invasive plant species and their impact in the Preserve. We will discuss the removal strategies that we employ and perhaps some hands on experience with a "Stump Popper". Both volunteers and public participants must wear masks and social distance by at least 6 feet apart.

Posted on 10 April, 2021 02:13 by judya judya | 0 comments | Leave a comment

04 February, 2021

May 1st: City Nature Challenge event

Join the Biodiversity Education Center for an interactive City Nature Challenge event. Follow a trail map to different learning stations located throughout Coppell Nature Park where BEC staff and volunteers will help you utilize the iNaturalist platform to make observations and share their knowledge about the local wildlife you encounter. All ages are welcome - children must be accompanied by an adult. This program is FREE of charge - registration is not required. Social distancing and face covering are required at all times.

Date: Saturday, May 1st

Time: 2 – 4pm

Location:
The Biodiversity Education Center
367 Freeport Parkway, Coppell, TX 75019

Contact the Biodiversity Education Center for more information: http://www.coppelltx.gov/bec

Posted on 04 February, 2021 19:22 by nature-nerd nature-nerd | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 17th: Getting Started with iNaturalist event

Join the Friends of Coppell Nature Park for a presentation on “Getting Started with iNaturalist”. This program will begin with an introduction to citizen science and the City Nature Challenge. Then we will practice utilizing the iNaturalist platform among the trails. The entire event will be held outdoors. Social distancing and face coverings are required at all times.

Date: Saturday, April 17th

Time: 10:30am – 12pm

Location:
The Biodiversity Education Center
367 Freeport Parkway, Coppell, TX 75019

Age requirements: All are welcome

Cost: FREE of charge

Registration is required and space is limited: https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/coppelltx/activity/search/detail/14785?onlineSiteId=0&from_original_cui=true

Contact the Biodiversity Education Center for more information or assistance: http://www.coppelltx.gov/bec

Posted on 04 February, 2021 18:51 by nature-nerd nature-nerd | 0 comments | Leave a comment

28 January, 2021

City Nature Challenge - April 30 - May 3. Mark those calendars and cancel all plans. You've got to spend time in nature!

Hey friends!

So, the city nature challenge is coming up again at the end of April! I predict that it will be more of a 'collaboration' than a 'competition' -- although on the group call yesterday, the trash talk coming out of Houston (wink wink @habitat_jaime !) was painful to my ears... ;)

Mark those dates on your calendar -- April 30 - May 3 for observing, May 4 - 9 for ID'ing/uploading (you've got to have your observations uploaded by May 9th for them to 'count'). If you need a doctor's note to get out of work/school/family time, let me know. Just put the word "NATURE" on these days! Engage with nature as much as you can during this weekend -- and hey, if you're able to make a few observations, that's cool too. Just engage with nature!

Like last year, I predict that many of our public events will be slightly limited... COVID's still raging, and who even knows what April will be like. Nonetheless, stay tuned for public events -- I'll definitely post them in this project if there are any going on. Join this project if you want to be updated!

Relevancy: I've used last year's City Nature Challenge in DFW a lot... It's convincing when I'm talking to a city council or park board when I show them that over 1300 people sought out nature during a pandemic. There is biodiversity in the DFW metroplex. We seek out natural areas in our backyards and in public parks, and there's data to show it: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-dallas-fort-worth Nature is clearly essential to us all, and this data is some useful conversational ammunition to the folks that make land management decisions.

I do hope that you participate in the city nature challenge, but most of all, carve some time to engage with nature however you need to. It's our refuge during odd times too!

Posted on 28 January, 2021 21:06 by sambiology sambiology | 55 comments | Leave a comment

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