Attention nature enthusiasts! Northwest Trek Wildlife Park and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium have announced the return of the annual City Nature Challenge.

The global event will be held from April 26-29. Participants need to download the free iNaturalist app (or access it on their computer), join the City Nature Challenge Seattle-Tacoma Metropolitan Area iNaturalist project, and snap photos of the wild plants, animals, and fungi around them.

If a participant can’t identify the species right away, the app’s artificial intelligence can make suggestions based on photos and what has already been recorded in the area by others.  

While observations can be made at anytime in iNaturalist, they have to be recorded between April 26-April 29 and entered in the iNaturalist app by May 5 in order to count toward the City Nature Challenge. Each observation needs two identifications to be verified.

Northwest Trek is hosting guided walks with a naturalist at the wildlife park in Eatonville from 10:30 a.m.-11:15 a.m. and 2-2:45 p.m. from April 26-28. Guests will have access to a limited number of binoculars, magnifying glasses, and field guides.  

In addition, naturalists from Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Northwest Trek, and other local organizations are offering a free online orientation using iNaturalist on April 23. 

In 2023, nearly 800 observers took part in the challenge in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties. They submitted more than 10,057 nature observations and identified 1,437 species, a release said.