City Nature Challenge for 2024
Kia ora koutou,
The 2024 City Nature Challenge is on Friday 26 April to Monday 29 April, inclusive. The boundary for Wellington this year is the area of the Greater Wellington Regional Council, meaning it also takes in Kāpiti Coast and Wairarapa.
Please join the 2024 Wellington project for more information and updates. (Rest-assured that any observations made within the region on those dates will count towards the City Nature Challenge, regardless of whether the observer is part of the project.)
The councils and other organisations will be running public events during the City Nature Challenge – stay tuned for more details.
Some of us will be participating in those events, and some will be doing their own exploring. Some of us like to observe by ourselves, but if you’d like to hear what others are planning and perhaps meet-up, please leave a message below about your availability during the City Nature Challenge and any plans that you have.
We are thinking about a social gathering before the City Nature Challenge. The current plan is on Saturday 13 April to have dinner at Thorndon’s Sprig and Fern followed by making night-time observations on nearby Te Ahumairangi (aka Tinakori Hill). Te Ahumairangi is steep in places, but interesting. Message me if you’d like to join this.
Additionally, we’re wondering about a Signal or Whatsapp messaging group for sharing plans about iNaturalist for the City Nature Challenge and beyond, as an improvement to tagging people in iNaturalist journal posts. Message me or @svendhansen if that is of interest.
Thanks, @leonperrie and @naturewatchwidow
(Tagging the top c. 60 observers from the 2023 Wellington CNC)
@tony_wills @kiwihunter @ecoelijah @leonperrie @naturewatchwidow @jeanro @svendhansen @chrisclose @amanhunt @peta_mcmillan @nifta @dianne_and_gordon_purdie @ecojimmy @lisa_bennett @heidimeudt @ktbday @pwarren @christopherstephens @sophia_lopez @henkels @schneehagen @kiwialli @kate_mcalpine @gneissnz @adam_groenewegen @debh2023 @lindammead @haymay @dougalt @sunita @shaun_thompson @jwhite @nzembo @bridget_h @bugshroom @benjansss @richard87 @james595 @bexinawalowalo @carolwest @berardom @tessa_islandbay @pamstapleton @ellenwgtn @colin_miskelly @dbiaggio @rosanna75 @russelleo @nigel_charman @dannali @liammca @tomjmayo @jilljillgoodwin @joe1549 @shoelessgirl @anniey @sharonkiwi13 @michelle517 @jonathan369 @erinaceus @jacobl @candler @kate39
(Tagging the top c. 100 observers from the wider Wellington region from 2021 onwards)
@christopherstephens @benjansss @berardom @joedillon @leonperrie @dr_dj_king @naturewatchwidow @lisa_bennett @svendhansen @schneehagen @andrewmaungakotukutuku @tony_wills @jeanro @amanhunt @mattward @williambrockelsby @jonocrehan @jacog @luca_dt @wild_wind @richardlitt @parkecology @tom_beard @chrisclose @mckee2r @jacobl @rhondabillington @eyrezer @bugshroom @dougalm @ecojimmy @kiwihunter @andymckay @rempson @surfersoph22 @mesoplodon @shaun_thompson @heidimeudt @kiwipom @benknight @erinaceus @grievesone @dianne_and_gordon_purdie @dougalt @rasshamra @nigel_charman @johnvandenhoeven @dannali @ecoelijah @richarddavies1 @rolandwirth @kiwi_plays_bongos @carolwest @cmwb @rubenmita @dolphinonkeys @peta_mcmillan @sunita @tbay @adam_groenewegen @arnim @aline301 @kate_mcalpine @waynemitchell @seahare123 @rogerlatham @linds-nz @robert42956 @ktbday @kate39 @nifta @sheriff_woody_pct @albeer23 @kowhaitreehugger @pwarren @jacksonfrost @candler @mothbrain @pamstapleton @nzric @smpl @caqalai @marcsladenz @michaelmichaelnz @tessa_islandbay @ellenwgtn @henryjmorse @mossy @mattbrownsky @yokosonz @siobhanleachman @andy_wech @tomfeild @deleon14 @vitexlucens @judyo1 @skipperdogman @jwhite @suz_patterson @bridget_h @esmeraldadoris @chrystal1914 @pdbellbutler @jennyfraser @sarahmilicich @zanegillgren @stephen_hartley @britt_fb
Kommentit
At this early stage, it looks like @naturewatchwidow and I can't travel far on the Friday, Saturday, or Sunday as we've got public events around Wellington city. We'll try to include a night-time explore for invertebrates somewhere (e.g., the Zealandia fenceline or Te Ahumairangi), and rock-pooling or maybe even a swim, along side some roaming of city streets for weeds and interesting garden plants. Monday might be our chance to go further afield, such as up Mount Climie or into the Akatarawa forest if others haven't already been there during the event.
I'd have loved to have taken part but sadly now live in Invercargill, so won't be able to, sorry!
Would the Tararuas count too?
@johnvandenhoeven - yes, up to about Mt Bruce (we went up Mt Holdsworth last year, which added heaps of species). There is a map of the boundary - https://inaturalist.nz/projects/city-nature-challenge-2024-te-upoko-o-te-ika-wellington
Ok that excludes the Northern Tararuas around Herepai,Cattle Ridge etc.Further south like Blue Range or similar would fit though
Thank you Leon!
Katie and I are keen to join the social gathering at Sprig & Fern and the night walk.
We're planning to be fairly active in the challenge, mostly around Wellington city, except for the Saturday where we're going to Porirua for their new beer festival (Porirua Rocks), but will probably try to make it to the beach while we're up there. On the Sunday we're hosting a Nature Safari in our little Cashmere Reserve, where we also do weeding and planting restoration work. We'll be inviting the local residents to take part, but it would be cool if anyone else would like to join in documenting what we can find in this not-very-researched area. Message me for more information.
For communication we're considering Signal or Telegram, to ensure everyone's privacy is looked after. They are simple to use and you can either share your phone number, or create a user name that you share, in case you would prefer not to share your phone number with all the other participants. Do let me know if you're interested or have any questions about either of these.
Currently I'm available Friday and Saturday. I've got a commitment on Sunday early afternoon and am unavailable on Monday. Keen to do some observation excursions either with the organised events or by myself to contribute to Wellington's count.
I would love to come along, but living in Portugal these days. So unfortunately a bit far to travel. Interesting having to change my mindset about certain species. Rabbits are a threatened species over here, and there are many indigenous species of gorse and broom! Hi to anybody that I know, and will look forward to seeing the results.
I will hopefully join the social sprig & fern thing and night walk (with a parent - they both have inat accounts though!) and also Katie and Svend's nature safari in cahsmere reserve.
Thanks to everyone who organising is these events!
I will likely already be in the bush for Thursday and Friday, but would be happy to help with any events on Sunday. It'll be great to meet up at the Sprig & Fern and night walk so count me in for that!
I'm out for the Challenge itself (away for the weekend - don't worry not contributing to another city's count!) but keen for the social thing on 13 April.
Hello @svendhansen, @ktbday, @kowhaitreehugger, @seahare123, @kate39, @naturewatchwidow,
Thanks for your interest in having a warm up 😉 next Saturday for the City Nature Challenge.
How about we meet at 5.30 pm on Saturday 13th April at the Sprig & Fern in Thorndon? To meet, talk, and have dinner (likely pizza.) If you can still make this, please let me know (below, or direct message me, or text me at 027 419 1378) - it'll be good to have a clear idea on numbers as I will try to book us a table.
Then we'll head out for a look around Te Ahumairangi perhaps around 7 pm. Bring a good torch!
@shaun_thompson FYI
@keen2learn FYI
Im going to be up at Jumbo Hut that weekend too so should hopefully get a load of observations then.
Good stuff @johnvandenhoeven.
Katie and I will be there! :)
Looking forward to seeing you all, and lots of species :D
I've created a Telegram group for us to communicate :)
You should be able to join it via the below link. You'll need Telegram installed (you can get it for Android, iOS or PC (Win or Mac), and I imagine the link you guide you to install it on your platform if you haven't got it :)
https://t.me/+zCRJkU1ZBuNkNmVk
@leonperrie thanks for the invite, I'll be at the Sprig and Fern and join for the torchlight Te Ahumairangi explore
Sorry, but it turns out I won't be able to make to the social meetup this weekend. Hope the meetup goes well for everyone!
I think I haven't received the notification for the social event... so sad, I was available last Sat.
Anyway, any plans for the upcoming challenge week-end ? I am planning as usual to do the following:
night spotting in Days Bay for stick insects (mainly) and other critters (track going to the ridge at the end of Ferry Road + fairy doors track)
night spotting in Karori (probably around Wrights Hill / Zealandia)
birdspotting in Porirua/Wairarapa lake
night rockpooling in the marine reserve
snorkeling somewhere around Welly depending on the wind and swell
happy hour in a bar somewhere to have a break :p
Feel free to contact me if you like to join !
Hi @jeanro,
Sorry you missed the meet up. Would have been cool to have had you there!
Yeah, this platform isn't great for notifications, but if you join the Telegram group, we can communicate a little better through that:
https://t.me/+zCRJkU1ZBuNkNmVk
We'll post our CNC plans on there later today :)
Cheers,
Katie and Svend
Lisää kommentti