City Nature Challenge: The Wasatch

Finding urban nature is as easy as taking a photo!

Nature is all around us in Northern Utah – especially in our urban settings, and each spring we join hundreds of cities around the globe to photograph nature during The City Nature Challenge! This annual international effort encourages people to find and photograph plants and wildlife in cities around the globe using iNaturalist. We call our "city" The Wasatch (a combination of Box Elder, Cache, Davis, Salt Lake, Summit, Utah, Wasatch, and Weber Counties).

2021 CNC: An international success!

The 2021 City Nature Challenge ran from April 30-May 3, 2021, and was another record-breaking year of nature observations. Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, on a global scale there were over 10,000 more people participating compared to last year, and for the first time ever, we collectively made over one million observations in the four days of the challenge! In Utah, communities throughout The Wasatch rallied to make over 5,900 observations of local nature, including 14 rare/endangered/threatened species. One Utah observer found this vulnerable Maguire's Primrose (Primula cusickiana var. maguirei), endemic to Cache County (meaning it doesn't occur anywhere else!). Of Utah's roughly 600 rare plant species, it is one of only 25 that is protected by the Endangered Species Act. You can see more exciting observations from this year's challenge by exploring the graphic at the bottom of this page, or browsing our iNaturalist project page.

We'll be back for City Nature Challenge 2022 - April 29-May 2nd!

City Nature Challenge FAQ's.

Keep exploring local nature using iNaturalist:

Take Photos of Wild Things

What does this include? ANY plants, animals, fungi, etc. that you see in and around your city.

Add Photos to iNaturalist

It's a free platform you can use on a phone or computer. Learn more.
NHMU iNaturalist tips

Collage of plants, animals, and insects.

Stay Connected

Follow The Wasatch iNaturalist project to see results from the 2021 CNC
Help ID what people find.

Revist 2021 Virtual Programs

Neighborhood Nature: Spring in Utah! Presentation with local biologists
Stay Curious Utah lessons for students

Continuing Education Resources:

Explore results, continue to discover local biodiversity, and prepare for the 2022 Challenge with this City Nature Challenge Education Toolkit
Host a bioblitz around your home with National Geographic Backyard Bioblitz
Explore Common Utah Birds with this guide from the Tracy Aviary
Explore nature in and around your home