City Nature Challenge Update

Hello All,

I’m reaching out to you because you are on of Harris County’s top 50 observers on iNaturalist! The 2018 City Nature Challenge is quickly approaching and will be held April 27 to 30, and we need your help to get Houston to the top again! If you haven’t participated in City Nature Challenge, it is an awesome opportunity to get out and make as many observations and identifications as possible during the designated time period. Houston is competing with cities across the nation to try and get the most observations, highest number of species, or other categories. Last year Houston came in first for highest number of species!

I wanted to share some CNC links for both new participants and experienced participants to help get ready and spread the word about this awesome event. A special thanks goes out to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for coordinating this event statewide and providing these resources.

First, if you have any events to promote CNC or coinciding with CNC, you can submit that information to be included on the master list of all events for Texas. Currently, Dallas has many more events listed than we do. The form to list your event is found at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfFHxkKLxxmkrD34V1pTLq6lEuHFNgGlQqdIApAqkxGGBDRsQ/viewform. If you are interested in seeing what events have already been posted, you can view the list at the TPWD City Nature Challenge page at https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/texas_nature_trackers/naturechallenge/. If you want us to share your event even further, we are also happy to share it on the Houston City Nature Challenge Facebook page!

There are a few changes to the City Nature Challenge this year, including the fact that photos can be uploaded and identified all the way up to May 3. This gives us more time to get those IDs in, helping us get the highest numbers possible. Because of this, we are looking for experts to invite to an “identification party” sometime between May 1 and 3. If you know of anyone who would be a good resource for this event, please send them our way.

And, if you are new to iNaturalist, be sure to create an account online and/or download the app. To learn more about iNaturalist, visit https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/getting+started, or check out the iNat PDF instructions attached. To officially join the Houston City Nature Challenge through iNaturalist, visit the 2018 Houston Project page (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2018-houston) and click “join project” located at the top right of the page.

Finally, we would like to thank all of our committed partners who are helping spread the word and are working to make this an incredible event (and help Houston win)!

Citizens Environmental Coalition
City of Pearland
Coastal Prairie Partnership
Environmental Institute of Houston
Galveston Bay Area Chapter – Texas Master Naturalists
Galveston Bay Foundation
Harris County Precinct 4
Houston Arboretum and Nature Center
Houston Native Prairies Association of Texas
Houston Parks Board
Houston Parks and Recreation Department
Houston Wilderness
Katy Prairie Conservancy
Memorial Park Conservancy
Native Plant Society of Texas-Houston
Nature Discovery Center
Student Conservation Association
Texas A&M Forest Service

Thanks so much, and please let me know if you have any other questions!

Best,
Anna Vallery
Conservation Specialist
Houston Audubon

@anewman @laurenjansensimpson @dan_johnson @farkleberry @michaelgol @japlaca @gtguy @jennformatics @artemis224 @joanle0828 @bschrock2 @japearce @dwverser @corvid81 @keithcbiologist @drbh2o @terrywoodward @coeller @kelly99 @birdbug62 @greenamigo87 @ hanc_botanybattalion @grbfrog @ian @talkbirdytome @mabernathy @bobromero @bradyreed @cjohnsonstu @rjnjr @glmory @johnschneider @paulines @rednat @treichard @carol59 @jasonnaivar @mewaters @habitat_jaime @texaskingbird @erinnovak @seastar451 @stevebrennan @legolaws @brian1946 @lizzy3 @noreenhoard @jhamby184 @cassidyjohnson

הועלה ב-אפריל 2, 2018 06:46 אחה"צ על ידי avallery avallery

תגובות

I'll be giving a short presentation regarding the CNC at Galveston Bay Oasis (@UHCL) on Sunday April 22 (Earth Day). I'm hoping to get some new users involved there. I might also arrange a bioblitz at Exploration Green for Sunday afternoon on the 29th but I'll have to see if I have the time. Outside of that I'll be visiting a number of parks covering multiple biomes all day every day while the competition is going on.

Please let me know if I'm understanding this correctly:
Photos can be taken between 4/27 and 4/30. We can upload and ID during this time as normal.
From 5/1 to 5/3 new photos will no longer count towards the competition but we can continue to upload any photos taken from 4/27 - 4/30 and ID them to be counted as valid?

Looking forward to this!

פורסם על-ידי sonorabee לפני כמעט 6 שנים

I've been recruited by San Diego, so maybe I should just go out there at enjoy 70 degree weather and no humidity? Thoughts?

But seriously, I am taking off work the whole time. Will be out in Liberty/Montgomery Co. 1st day, then Chambers, then Harris last two days getting some plants that are out of bloom but I know their locations. If 2-3 people want to go with me (especially bug heavy folks), shoot me a PM to join. I'll prob start at Marysee Prairie in Batson, then spend several hours in NE Liberty Co in Trinity River bottomlands. Saturday will be Smith Point/Winnie/Coast. Sunday, bayous in morning for escaped non-natives, then KPC property for Saline barren endemics then Austin Co for blackland prairie species. Monday is a floater day that I will likely play clean up on areas I know really well for any misses in hard to get plant species. Prob target wetland species in morning and deep sand species in PM.

פורסם על-ידי anewman לפני כמעט 6 שנים

@anewman: don't scare us like that. ;)

I'm suffering from a suddenly-changed work situation and a competing commitment in the week leading up to the CNC, so I'm not being as active in the planning as I had wanted to be. But I have several people who come to me for CNC info, so I'll be watching the event listings avidly, and I've told the other committment that I'm disappearing for as much time as I possibly can that weekend.

I'm very glad to see that we're targeting coastal folks and insect folks especially. Has anyone specifically contacted the Cradle of Texas TXMN chapter? I went to their training event in January and they've got some amazing beachcombers down there -- that could get us whole phyla we probably wouldn't see otherwise (and that definitely don't occur in any of the other major Texas metropolitan areas).

פורסם על-ידי jennformatics לפני כמעט 6 שנים

I will be giving a presentation over the City Nature Challenge and how-to for iNaturalist this coming Thursday (April 5th) evening for the monthly program of the Coastal Prairie Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists. Rosenberg Civic Center (3825 TX-36, Rosenberg, TX), social time at 6:30pm, program begins at 7pm. All are welcome.

We are also planning a field trip on the 28th, when we get the details firmed up I will add it to the list.

פורסם על-ידי amberleung לפני כמעט 6 שנים

I was hoping to do some blacklighting every night. Friday, we will be doing it at KPC (it's on the list). I was thinking that Saturday, I might do some blacklighting in the Sam Houston National Forest. I also was hoping to do some in a coastal area and maybe Brazos Bend or somewhere further south.

I'd recommend others do some insect light trapping and photograph what comes in. Even if you can't identify it, somebody else might be able to.

פורסם על-ידי farkleberry לפני כמעט 6 שנים

@farkleberry , I was planning on doing the same at Exploration Green.

פורסם על-ידי sonorabee לפני כמעט 6 שנים

Excellent, bugs is how we win! I've got some folks at Trinity NWR going to help out. Trying to get some other hardcore ecologist out.

פורסם על-ידי anewman לפני כמעט 6 שנים

I've set aside that weekend to look for bugs,...specifically odes, lepidoptera and beetles in Sam Houston National Forest and Sheldon Lake State Park.

פורסם על-ידי birdbug62 לפני כמעט 6 שנים

@bschrock2 You've got it!

Pictures can be taken anytime between April 27 and April 30. These photos can be uploaded and identified until May 3, though! This gives us much more time than last year to get all of those IDs taken care of!

@anewman @jennformatics @amberleung @farkleberry @birdbug62 It sounds like you all have some awesome events and trips planned! If you are looking for people to join you, shoot me an email with the details and I can add it to the Houston City Nature Challenge Facebook page.

@amberleung I will share the information about your iNaturalist training session on Facebook this morning.

@jennformatics Great idea! I will reach out to their chapter with some of the CNC information.

Thanks everyone! You are going to make this an awesome event!

פורסם על-ידי avallery לפני כמעט 6 שנים

@birdbug62 @farkleberry I don't think Sam Houston National Forest is within the CNC zone for Houston. You might want to check that.

cc @avallery

פורסם על-ידי johnschneider לפני כמעט 6 שנים

@johnschneider Parts of it are and parts of it aren't. I was going to run an adapter out of my car off of the lone star hiking trail: (TH#3 http://lonestartrail.org/maps/simple/01wilderness.pdf).

פורסם על-ידי farkleberry לפני כמעט 6 שנים

The thing that stinks about Sam Houston is all the good blackland prairie areas (Topeka coneflower, etc.) are all in Walker Co. If someone has a chance to get to Austin Co. You can find similar plant communities along roadways around Industry. Not sure I will have time, I am currently refining plans but think I will be in Liberty Co. all day Friday in riparian/flatwoods then salt dome Trinity floodplain in pm. Should be able to get several species of plants most won't have chance at (Bastard oak, nutmeg hickory, hairy primrose-willow, few species of Carex).

Anyone good at bryophytes/fungi? Another area that hugely under reported last year.

פורסם על-ידי anewman לפני כמעט 6 שנים

I'm leading Coastal Prairie Chapter TMN to Brazos Bend State Park and just added the Nash Prairie for Saturday April 28th.

פורסם על-ידי amberleung לפני כמעט 6 שנים

@anewman -- @farkleberry is actually the lead Harris County fungus ID'er by a wide margin! We can hope he'll be scouring the Arboretum during the day while he waits to start the blacklighting at night. :)

פורסם על-ידי jennformatics לפני כמעט 6 שנים

@amberleung make sure you try to get Amsonia repens and Cyperus cephalanthus at Nash. One of only places in count area you can find either species. If someone is good at shrubs, you might be able to find Crataegus texana at Brazos Bend in woods.

פורסם על-ידי anewman לפני כמעט 6 שנים

SAVE THE DATE

Expert ID Party!
City Nature Challenge
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
5pm-8pm
Nature Discovery Center (7112 Newcastle)
Snacks, pizza, soft drinks, and beer provided
BYOL (Bring your own laptop)

Last year, many folks made observations on iNat for the City Nature Challenge, but far fewer were able to make IDs. This year, we are gathering experts in their fields and iNat power users to spend a few hours making IDs in an enjoyable setting. Space is limited, so please do let us know if you plan to attend or if you recommend another expert (ok, you don't have to be "expert," just able to make some good IDs!). Email Sarah Flournoy, sflournoy@houstonaudubon.org, to confirm your attendance.

The Nature Discovery Center is a wonderful park with abundant plant, insect, and bird diversity, so we recommend arriving early or taking breaks to enjoy the park itself. Staff naturalist, Eric Duran, will be present that evening to help with IDs and highlight features of the park to anyone interested. We will have a bunch of field guides on hand, but please bring any of your own that may be helpful.

Remember, the event itself is April 27-30 (for observations). The photo upload and ID period extends to May 3. Then it is the moment of truth to we see where we stand...

Thanks for helping the Houston area represent well for this world-wide event. I hope you can make it May 2 to enjoy some IDing with good company and tasty refreshments!

פורסם על-ידי sflournoy לפני כמעט 6 שנים

I'll be hanging out close to the coast all four days, hopefully the weather will create some issues for the migrating birds. I've been recruiting Galveston Bay Master Naturalists to participate. I will spend some time on coastal prairie looking at plants when I am not chasing flying creatures. I will participate with folks doing either beach or bay walks at Galveston Island State Park to record some of the life in the waters around Galveston. I'll also be looking for odes and leps while I'm out.

פורסם על-ידי scottbuckel לפני כמעט 6 שנים

At night, I'll be focusing on insects. In the daytime, I'm open to focusing on either insects or birds, but probably not both.

פורסם על-ידי johnschneider לפני כמעט 6 שנים

I'm planning on Moths at night and early morning; Odes, and other insects during the day along with birds.

פורסם על-ידי birdbug62 לפני כמעט 6 שנים

@avallery or anyone else: If something is ID'd to genus only, can it still potentially count toward the species total? E.g., if I submit a wasp that gets ID'd as Signiphora sp., and it's the only member of that genus to be submitted for Houston, is that a +1 for our species total?
I asked this question on the Houston CNC Facebook page last year, but never got an answer.

[Edit: I think I figured it out. Oddly enough,it's apparently a +1 for the "species" total on the city's page, but NOT for the species total shown on/used by the leaderboard to determine our leaderboard ranking.]

[It's also not a +1 for the individual observer's species total, from what I can tell.]

[Post-challenge update. The numbers used for the final rankings on citynaturechallenge.org DO include higher taxa, even though the numbers on the leaderboard don't.]

פורסם על-ידי johnschneider לפני כמעט 6 שנים

@johnschneider: I know a genus record can be Research Grade if it has a consensus ID and is marked non-improveable, so I figure it should count as a unique taxon in the absence of more specific records...but I don't know how they're actually going to do the counting. Maybe we should generate (or find) a record like that, add it to a project, and see if it increases the species count.

פורסם על-ידי jennformatics לפני כמעט 6 שנים

Thanks, @jennformatics. I think I figured it out. See my edited comment above.

פורסם על-ידי johnschneider לפני כמעט 6 שנים

Any tips for night-time insect ID? Is there a specific type of light that insects will approach that is not harmful to them? I'd really like to try doing some ID tomorrow night.

פורסם על-ידי sonorabee לפני כמעט 6 שנים

Go team! Lets rock this! So happy to see all the mentions of insects and fungi on here. Lets show @sambiology that DFW that the cross timbers and blackland prairies ain't got nothing on the pineywoods and coastal plain! I tried to get him to add Hardin Co. to balance out Austin so we could really showcase this area (aka wet acidic areas)

פורסם על-ידי anewman לפני כמעט 6 שנים
פורסם על-ידי sflournoy לפני כמעט 6 שנים

We've had a few questions about the project:

Make note: Any iNat observation made within the Houston project boundaries automatically gets added to your CNC tally. No need to join the project or add observations manually…which means more time for making more observations!

International Leaderboard: https://www.inaturalist.org/proj…/city-nature-challenge-2018

Houston details:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2018-houston

פורסם על-ידי sflournoy לפני כמעט 6 שנים

@sambiology Sam, @johnschneider has an interesting question above regarding species counts versus genus and family counts. For example, if he identifies a moth to genus and it's the only member of that genus for Houston, will it count as a +1 for CNC? Inquiring minds want to know! If you have any insights, please share. We know you are out there raking up observations and IDs right now, so we'll let you get back to it!

פורסם על-ידי sflournoy לפני כמעט 6 שנים

If you're looking to make IDs and want to filter observations/species by taxon, an easy way to get to that screen is to click on the pie-type species chart on the Houston CNC page. (It wasn't obvious to me at first, so I thought I'd let folks know!)

פורסם על-ידי johnschneider לפני כמעט 6 שנים

I had the exact same thought, @johnschneider; I'm going to generate some taxon-specific URLs and other "aids" for the ID party and see if that helps streamline things.

פורסם על-ידי jennformatics לפני כמעט 6 שנים

Reminder:
Expert ID Party!
City Nature Challenge
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
5pm-8pm
Nature Discovery Center (7112 Newcastle)
Snacks, pizza, soft drinks, and beer provided
BYOL (Bring your own laptop)
RSVP: sflournoy@houstonaudubon.org

פורסם על-ידי sflournoy לפני כמעט 6 שנים

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