March 10, 2025

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact: Amber M. King, Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater Baton Rouge, amber.king@me.com, (225) 772-9138.

The Baton Rouge City Nature Challenge 2025

The 10th Anniversary logo for the global City Nature Challenge.

BATON ROUGE– Grab your phone and your friends and explore the outdoors during the 10th annual City Nature Challenge, April 25-28, 2025. The Baton Rouge region is competing in the global contest to collect photos of wild plants and animals in the iNaturalist app and iNaturalist.org website. Discover our incredible wildlife hiding in plain sight!

The Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater Baton Rouge need your help to document nature in the following parishes: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Lafayette, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana.

Taking part is easy!

  • Find wildlife or plant life anywhere outside. (Wild only - no landscape plants or pets, please. It’s for science!)

  • Take photos of what you find with your phone or camera during April 25-28.

  • Great job, go find more!

  • Upload the photos you took April 25-28 as “observations” to the iNaturalist mobile app or iNaturalist.org website before May 4.

The more participants, observations, and species we find, the better the Baton Rouge Region will compete against 800+ other cities around the world. The event is 24 hours a day for 4 days, so charge your flashlight and look for nocturnal critters too!

The Baton Rouge Region City Nature Challenge is a community effort spearheaded by the Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater Baton Rouge. The global organizers of the City Nature Challenge are the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Resources:

Master Naturalists Michelle Melancon and Sean Golden photographing moths and insects that were attracted to the lights at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens for the City Nature Challenge 2024. Photo by Amber M. King.

Participants in the City Nature Challenge 2024 stop for a moment between photographing plants and wildlife at BREC Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center. Pictured: Brandon Johnson, Janie Braud, Katrina Hashagen, Alok Kharey, Janine Kharey, Amber King. Photo by Alok Kharey.

A young Virginia Opossum spotted near Jones Creek during the City Nature Challenge 2024. Photo by Dennis Demcheck.

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30 local organizations have partnered together to help promote and participate
in the City Nature Challenge - join us!