City Nature Challenge dates
City Nature Challenge 2026 will run April 24–27 and invites citizens in Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer to observe and record urban biodiversity — an easy, low-effort way to get outside and contribute data. (naturealberta.ca)
Nature Calgary is running the local program and has posted an events hub that lists volunteer roles, partner outreach, and a growing schedule of field trips and community-led surveys. (naturecalgary.com) The global event uses iNaturalist and operates in two parts: a four‑day observation window followed by an upload-and-identification period that runs through May 10, with global results slated for announcement on May 13. (citynaturechallenge.com) Edmonton’s iNaturalist project explicitly maps its metro boundary to include neighbouring municipalities such as St. Albert, Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Enoch, Fort Saskatchewan, Sherwood Park, Beaumont, Nisku, Leduc and Devon. (inaturalist.org) The Red Deer-area iNaturalist project covers Red Deer County and Lacombe County and lists towns included in its zone of reporting, including Lacombe, Blackfalds, Innisfail and Sylvan Lake. (uk.inaturalist.org) Nature Calgary’s event calendar already shows specific outings, for example a Freshwater Friends Club survey along the Elbow River in Bragg Creek with a scheduled 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. session. (naturecalgary.com) The challenge has grown rapidly: the 2025 iteration reported participation across roughly 669 cities with about 103,000 people contributing some 3.3 million observations, and organizers say more than 600 cities are on the approved list for 2026. (nbn.org.uk) City registration for this year has closed, and the global organizers are already inviting people to consider local organizer roles and sign up for 2027 planning via the official City Nature Challenge pages. (citynaturechallenge.com)
