KIB Participates in City Nature Challenge 2019

MEDIA CONTACTS
Indiana Sciences | Rufus Cochran
IndianaSciences@gmail.com | (317) 721-6604

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful | Ashley Haynes
ahaynes@kibi.org | (248) 760-6995

Indianapolis competes with cities around the world to collect the most wildlife observations during 2019 city nature challenge

500 citizen scientists aim to make 10,000 observations of wildlife, placing Indianapolis in the top three Midwest cities for most data collected during this global competition

Indianapolis, IN (April 18, 2019) – Indiana Sciences and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) are challenging Indianapolis residents and surrounding communities to collect the most wildlife observations in the Midwest during the 2019 global City Nature Challenge from April 26 – May 5, 2019.

This year Indianapolis aims to place among the top 3 Midwest cities for participation and number of unique observations (500 participants completing 10,000 observations). In 2018, 239 citizen scientists completed 3,713 observations during Indianapolis’ first year participating in the City Nature Challenge.

For both budding and veteran citizen scientists, participating is easy:

Find wildlife. It can be any plant, animal, fungi, slime mold, or any other evidence of life (scat, fur, tracks, shells, carcasses!) found in your participating city.
Take a picture of what you find, and be sure to note the location of the critter or plant.
Share your observations by uploading your findings on our iNaturalist project!

INDIANAPOLIS CITY NATURE CHALLENGE EVENTS

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful - Great Indy Cleanup
April 27, 2019 | 8:30 am | Christian Park (4200 English Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46201)
It’s time for Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’s annual April Great Indy Cleanup! Let’s get together for some large-scale spring cleaning with My Christian Park in Christian Park, tackling litter abatement, native plant installation, tree planting, a mural, and more. We’ll provide breakfast and a 2019 Great Indy Cleanup t-shirt. Join us for a high impact morning supporting neighborhood cleaning, greening, and wildlife observing!

Eagle Creek Park – Wildflower Weekend
April 27 and 28, 2019 | 9:00 am | Earth Discovery Center, 5901 Delong Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46254
Become a Citizen Scientist at Eagle Creek Park during our first ever Wildflower Weekend! Join us for naturalist led hikes and public programs, all guided programs are free unless listed otherwise. Hikes will vary between beginner level wildflower identification to intermediate level with our expert partners at DNR Division of Nature Preserves.

Indiana DNR - Me, Myself & iNaturalist
April 27, 2019 | 1:00 pm| Fort Harrison State Park
Participate in the Indianapolis City Nature Challenge, a citizen science project in which YOU help monitor biodiversity through the use of the iNaturalist app. Never used it? No problem! The naturalist staff will explain how to use the app before we explore our trails. Smart phone required to use the app, but not required for the hike! Wear comfortable hiking shoes and meet at the Delaware Lake parking area.

Broad Ripple Park - Trailblazer Challenge
April 28, 2019 | 3:00 pm | Broad Ripple Park
The local FIRST robotics team (Tindley Trailblazers @FRC6721) from TIndley Accelerated School will be exploring the park and giving iNaturalist demos.

Other participating organizations: Reconnecting to Our Waterways, SustainIndy, Indiana Wildlife Federation, Indiana Forest Alliance, March for Science Indianapolis, Indy Parks and Rec, and Indiana DNR

Participation in the Indianapolis City Nature Challenge is an easy way for the community to contribute to the City of Indianapolis’ sustainability and resiliency plan, Thrive Indianapolis, as City agencies and community partners ramp up efforts to clean up neighborhoods, build healthy local ecosystems, and foster a vibrant community. Residents and businesses will be encouraged to further invest time and resources in improving and expanding local greenspaces.

As citizen science initiatives increase in popularity and impact on research, this year’s fourth annual City Nature Challenge has expanded to more than 150 cities across the globe. Kicking off April 26 at 12:01 am in each time zone, the Challenge runs through April 30, 11:59 pm. The multi-city, global event calls on current and aspiring citizen scientists, nature and science fans, and people of all ages and science backgrounds to observe and submit pictures of plants and wildlife using the free app iNaturalist. Indianapolis participants should add observations to the “City Nature Challenge 2019 Indianapolis” project in iNaturalist. Results will be announced on May 5.

More Information and Education Toolkit
Visit https://indianasciences.org/events/cnc-2019/

iNaturalist
Signing up is easy and free. Visit https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2019-indianapolis from your browser, or download iNaturalist from the Apple App Store or Google Play store.

Social Media
#CNCIndy
#CityNatureChallenge
Twitter handle: @IndianaSciences and @ScienceMarchIND and @kibiorg

About Indiana Sciences
Indiana Sciences is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization uniting Indiana’s community of passionate science enthusiasts and advocates as a diverse, nonpartisan group to celebrate and communicate science. From “March for Science Indianapolis” and “Books, Booze, and Brains” to “A Day For Science” and “The Science of Science Fiction”, Indiana Sciences is dedicated to fostering a new frontier for science communication and science advocacy. To learn more, visit IndianaSciences.org or follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @IndianaSciences.

About Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. (KIB)
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. is a private nonprofit organization with a mission to engage diverse communities to create vibrant public places, helping people and nature thrive. Annually, KIB works with over 15,000 volunteers on nearly 900 community projects. To learn more, visit www.kibi.org or follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @kibiorg.