Lincoln Park Zoo BioBlitz @ Night: Bats, Birds, & Bugs - CNC 24

From April 26th through April 30th, 2024, thousands of people worldwide will be sharing their photos of urban flora and fauna.

Join participants from over 350 cities around the world contributing to the City Nature Challenge by using the free app iNaturalist to share observations of wild plants and animals in the Chicago Metro area. Your observations become data that helps scientists better understand and protect nature for all of us.

The purpose of a bioblitz is to get an overall count of the plants, animals, fungi, and other living things that make their home in a certain area. Bio is a Greek word for life, and blitz is German for lightning. How many species do you think you can identify over the course of a week?

Participants - individuals, families, a group of friends - collect data at the Nature Boardwalk with Lincoln Park Zoo staff from the Urban Wildlife Institute, Horticulture, and Learning teams to investigate plants and animals in our backyard. After this event, you can continue to contribute observations from anywhere in the Chicago Metro area.

While the City Nature Challenge continues to occur across the city (and the world!) throughout the weekend, this event will take place Friday, April 26th, from 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm.

We will use the free app iNaturalist to collect data to participate in the Chicago Metro Region of the City Nature Challenge.

There is no cost to participate. Any optional donations will go towards supporting Lincoln Park Zoo.

What do I need to participate? A device with an internet connection and the iNaturalist app, as well as a curiosity for urban wildlife and a sense of adventure!

I have never used iNaturalist before. Will you teach me? Yes! BioBlitz 101 will occur at the beginning of the event with a walkthrough of how to use iNaturalist to collect community science data.

Does this event take place at the zoo? In part. On Friday, April 26, Zoo staff will meet with those who register at the Nature Boardwalk for the event. Nothing will take place on Zoo grounds, aside from the Nature Boardwalk.

Things to note before registering:

• There will be no bathrooms readily available. We will be off Zoo grounds, and there is a private event happening at Cafe Brauer.
• We will be observing and collecting data on local species of bats and moths, as well as many other nocturnal or crepuscular species (species active at night and species active at dawn and dusk). Please be aware of this before registering.
• This event is weather-dependent and will be canceled if the weather is below 50° Fahrenheit or there is active precipitation.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Ulysses S. Grant Monument, 2045 North Cannon Drive, Chicago, United States