City Nature Hour BioBlitz

Let's explore together every month until March we all gather to show the World that South Florida has the most amazing nature around it. City Nature Hour helps us prepare for The City Nature Challenge, an annual international effort for people to find and document plants and wildlife in cities across the globe. It’s a bioblitz-style competition where cities are in a contest against each other to see who can make the most observations of nature, who can find the most species, and who can engage the most people.

Why participate? 

There is nature all around us, even in our cities! Knowing what species are in our city and where they are helps us study and protect them, but the ONLY way to do that is by all of us - scientists, land managers, and the community - working together to find and document the nature in our area. By participating in the City Nature Challenge, not only do you learn more about your local nature, but you can also make your city a better place - for you and other species!

What is a Bioblitz? 

A BioBlitz is an event that focuses on finding and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period of time. At a BioBlitz, scientists, families, students, teachers, and other community members work together to get a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity.

How To Participate 

• RSVP
• Visit iNaturalist.org
• Download the app from the AppStore or Google Play (IT'S FREE)
• Sign in
• Start sharing your observations
• Get feedback from actual scientists, experts, and other naturalists

 What will we be doing? 

We will be hiking through the Virginia Key Bicycle Trails, shorelines, nature trails and other areas taking of what we find.

Where we I meet? 

Sign in at our adventure hub, the Virginia Key Outdoor Center. For detailed directions visit vkoc.net/directions

What to Bring? 

• Sneakers, water shoes, closed toe shoes 
• Phone (activate location services, if possible), or camera 
• Insect repellent 
• Sunscreen 
• Bottle of water 
• Flashlight for night event
• Get ready to GO OUTDOORS and capture your observations.