Venture Outdoors to Observe and Learn About Nature

Mark Your Calendar for the “City Nature Challenge 2021: Corpus Christi Area”

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – It may not surprise you that studies find that excessive screen time as well as too much time indoors keeps kids and adults disconnected from nature. But did you know that time spent outdoors makes you healthier, happier and smarter? We invite you to join our challenge to reap these positive benefits of nature.

            From April 30 through May 3, 2021, Coastal Bend residents will have the opportunity to venture outside and connect with nature during the 2021 City Nature Challenge.

            This four-day competition is part of a statewide network of city nature challenges that individuals, couples and families can join. All that is required is your smart phone and a sense of curiosity. Simply snap a photo of wildlife in your backyard, at local parks, green spaces, nature preserves or wildlife refuges using the iNaturalist app. Every photograph submitted adds to the project’s biodiversity count. For this challenge, photographs of captive or domestic organisms are strongly discouraged; only photographs of wildlife should be submitted. The Texas city or county with the greatest number of research grade identifications is declared the 2021 champ for the state.

            Local coordinators Miranda Lopez, with Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve, and Kim Ogden, with Nueces Delta Preserve, are excited to bring this competition back to the Corpus Christi metro area and San Patricio County. It allows individuals and families to participate in a larger effort while staying safe against COVID-19. People can participate without forming large groups by venturing outside with their household family or solo. Mustang Island has a city nature challenge of their own for people wanting to venture there.

            The week following the competition, there will be a chance to continue participation in the project by helping to identify the wildlife observations.

            To learn more or to join the challenge, visit Texas City Nature Challenge 2021 Cities · iNaturalist, then click on City Nature Challenge 2021: Corpus Christi Area. For more information, contact the local challenge coordinator Miranda Lopez at (361) 826-3947 or mirandal3@cctexas.com.

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