Get ready for this year’s #CityNatureChallenge!
Great Parks has teamed up with Cincinnati Parks and a dozen other regional environmental organizations for the international City Nature Challenge! From Friday, April 30 through Monday, May 3, the event encourages the public to help discover, identify and catalog plants and animals in the region. Locally, the City Nature Challenge is an exciting opportunity to learn more about biodiversity in our community. It is also a chance for us to collaborate with other cities across the world in citizen science. In fact, the 2021 event has expanded to more than 400 cities across six continents!
The City Nature Challenge utilizes the free iNaturalist platform to record environmental data. From April 30 through May 3, participants can log in here and download photos of plants and animals they see anywhere in nature. From May 4 through May 9, all the information gathered will be identified and saved to a database. The data collected will be released May 10 and help create community programming, assist in controlling invasive species and help prioritize natural areas in need of further preservation.
Great Parks will be offering free, naturalist-guided opportunities to encourage participation. Click here to learn more about these programs and the City Nature Challenge. (Note: Protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Ohio Department of Health, as well as physical distancing and sanitation recommendations, will be followed.)
Fri 4/30, noon–2 p.m.
City Nature Challenge Drop-In: Winton Woods Fitness Trail/Winton Woods
Fri 4/30, 1–3 p.m.
City Nature Challenge Drop-In: Kingfisher Trail/Winton Woods
Fri 4/30, 4–6 p.m.
City Nature Challenge Drop-In: Hedgeapple Trail/Woodland Mound
Sat 5/1, 10 a.m.–noon
City Nature Challenge Drop-In: Garden Loop Trail/Glenwood Gardens
Sat 5/1, 10 a.m.–noon
City Nature Challenge Drop-In: Wetland Loop Trail/Glenwood Gardens
Sat 5/1, 11 a.m.–2 p.m.
City Nature Challenge Drop- In: Insect Safari!/Great Parks Nature Center at The Summit
Sat 5/1, 1–3 p.m.
City Nature Challenge Drop-In: Great Oaks Trail/Winton Woods
Sat 5/1, 4 p.m.
City Nature Challenge: Wander in the Wetlands/Miami Whitewater Forest
Sat 5/1, 9 p.m.
City Nature Challenge: Spider Spies/Miami Whitewater Forest
Sun 5/2, 8 a.m.
City Nature Challenge: Wildlife Walk/Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve (register by 5/1)
Sun 5/2, 9 a.m.–11 a.m.
City Nature Challenge Drop-In: Feathered Friends/Sharon Woods
Sun 5/2, 1 p.m.
Wildflowers in the Preserves: Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve (register by 5/1)
Mon 5/3, noon
City Nature Challenge: Observations at Oak Glen/Miami Whitewater Forest (register by 4/30)
Mon 5/3, 6 p.m.
City Nature Challenge: Observations at Oak Glen/Miami Whitewater Forest (register by 4/30)
Mon 5/3, 7–9 p.m.
City Nature Challenge Drop-In: Lunken Connector Trail/Otto Armleder Memorial Park
Cincinnati Parks
The mission of the Cincinnati Board of Park is “to conserve, manage, sustain, and enhance parks’ natural and cultural resources and public greenspace for the enjoyment, enlightenment and enrichment of the Cincinnati community.” Our vision is to serve as a leader in using Cincinnati parks to build better lives and better communities. The Park Board’s guiding principles are for the parks to be clean, safe, reliable, green, beautiful and enriching. For more information, please visit https://www.cincinnatiparks.com/.
Great Parks of Hamilton County
A valid Motor Vehicle Permit is required to enter Great Parks of Hamilton County. Cost for residents of Hamilton County: $10 annual/$5 daily; other visitors: $16 annual/$8 daily. Otto Armleder Memorial Park and Fernbank Park are cooperative ventures with the City of Cincinnati; a Motor Vehicle Permit is not required. A Motor Vehicle Permit is not required at Great Parks Nature Center at The Summit.
Great Parks of Hamilton County’s mission is to preserve and protect natural resources and to provide outdoor recreation and education in order to enhance the quality of life for present and future generations. For additional information, visit greatparks.org or call 513-521-7275. Great Parks Forever, the philanthropic partner of Great Parks of Hamilton County, translates an early conservation promise into everyday experiences and lasting legacies. For additional information, please visit GreatParksForever.org.