An ELEVATE winner’s nonprofit is hosting a citizen-science event. Here’s how to join.
It was just grass.
Or so he thought.
Several years ago, Rufus Cochran pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of grass during his first Indianapolis City Nature Challenge.
But as he looked closer, trying to determine the type, he noticed he was looking at half a dozen different types of ground cover. He got down on his hands and knees.
It made him realize: There was so much more right under his feet.
Since then, the Indianapolis City Nature Challenge has become one of Cochran’s favorite annual events. His nonprofit, Indiana Sciences, will sponsor the project for a fifth year April 29 to May 2.
“It unlocks the wonder, for me, of what all is living around us all the time,” said Cochran, who recently was named volunteer leader of the year at United Way’s ELEVATE awards.
The Indianapolis City Nature Challenge encourages people to become citizen scientists for a few days each spring by documenting wildlife around them. All you need to do to participate: Explore your surroundings, photograph your observations – think plants, animals, bugs – and upload them to the iNaturalist app.
Indianapolis is one of more than 400 cities on six continents to have hosted a City Nature Challenge. Locally, more than 1,000 people have made 15,000 observations in the five years Indianapolis has participated.
The event collects baseline biodiversity data for the city that can be used to monitor and better understand changes over time, including the presence of invasive or protected and endangered species, said Cochran, executive director of Indiana Sciences.
It also reconnects people with the “awe and wonder” of nature and promotes friendly competition between participating cities, he said.
People can join in from their own backyards or meet up with others at an organized event during the challenge. The Indianapolis project includes the surrounding counties.
Don’t live locally? There’s a statewide project that allows anyone in Indiana to upload their findings. And Fort Wayne, Bloomington, Evansville, Lafayette, Michiana and Terre Haute are hosting projects, too.
A handful of organizations are joining Indiana Sciences for this year’s challenge, including Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Indiana Wildlife Federation, Indiana Forest Alliance, Reconnecting to Our Waterways, Indianapolis Office of Sustainability, Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Indy Parks and Recreation.
Cochran is a computer scientist. He said he’s not “nature savvy” or particularly environmentally knowledgeable. Before this event, nature passed him by.
“The first year we did this, it blew my mind,” he said.
Now, Cochran knows how to spot invasive vine species and can tell you how to identify trees killed by Emerald Ash Borers. (Look for their maze-like trails behind the bark, he said.)
He’s spotted foxes and heard their yelps as they played. And he’s watched owls hunt at dusk in Broad Ripple Park.
The Indianapolis City Nature Challenge can open your eyes to the world around you.
All you need is curiosity.
Join in:
Learn more about the event at indianasciences.org/cnc-2022.
Participate by downloading the iNaturalist app from Apple or Google Play. (Cochran said the privacy settings allow you to adjust your anonymity to your liking.)
