Creatures and plants live in our neighborhoods.
Those bugs, birds and blooming plants outside have native environments, names and specific characteristics.
Matt Schultz brought the City Nature Challenge to Lackawanna County in 2021 to help document that biodiversity in the region.
"The idea is that everyday people, citizen scientists, the general public, goes out into their favorite local area - could be the backyard, it could be a city park, it could be anywhere -and documents, some nature, some observations,” said Schultz.
From April 26 to 29, citizen scientists in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Carbon, Monroe, Pike, Wayne and Wyoming counties can document their environment on the iNaturalist App, which generates data for science and conservation. The bio-blitz style friendly competition began in California in 2016. It has spread to 91 cities in 51 countries around the world. Susquehanna County is hosting its own challenge.
"It could be a robin looking for a worm, it could be the worm that the robin is looking for, it could be a weed in a crack in the sidewalk," said Schultz. "Or it could be, you could go to ... the Nature Conservancy's Eales Preserve and find cool barons plants. So any anything goes."
This is the third year Schultz has organized a local team. He said the phone app changed the way he interacts with nature.
"It's made me pay attention to things I would normally say, 'Oh, that's cool' and just walk by," he said. "Now I just take a picture of it, throw it on iNaturalist, and maybe somebody can identify it for me.”
Schultz will lead a workshop Sunday at the Everhart Museum in Nay Aug Park in Scranton. Participants will explore the park using iNaturalist ahead of the challenge.
Camille Dantone, program manager at the museum, said the challenge fits in with the museum’s mission of natural history, science and art.
"It's a nice opportunity for people to be actually able to see this is what I can do," she said.
The Everhart has an extensive collection of plants that was compiled by Alfred Twining around the turn of the 20th century. Several hundred pieces were added to the collection between 1936 to 1940.
Schultz will also lead local nature meanders during the challenge in the Poconos and Lackawanna County.
The slow-paced guided walks will be held on Saturday, April 27, from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Pocono Heritage Land Trust's Upper Paradise Nature Preserve, 192 Henry's Crossing Road, Cresco. To register, visit https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/Wz73eIXixxdnU6q5iHLNVw.
The second meander is with the Lackawanna River Conservation Association on Sunday, April 28, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Nature Conservancy's Dick & Nancy Eales Preserve off Route 247 in Jessup. Participants will photograph what they see to eventually post to iNaturalist. To sign up, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/city-nature-challenge-2024-northeast-pa-moosic-mountain-meander-tickets-876185754177.
Lackawanna State Park is also hosting two walks to document the biodiversity of the park during the City Nature Challenge.
Springtime Bloomers will be held on Saturday, April 27, beginning at 3 p.m. It’s a leisurely hike to identify ephemeral wildflowers that grow for a short time on the forest floor.
The Vernal Pool Concert is also on April 27, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The short walk will lead to Big Bass Pond and adjacent vernal pools to listen and look for frogs.
