City Nature Challenge: Western Mass
Prep for the CNC with Pollinators!
Practice your iNat skills and help us be the best Bee Campus we can with this event from Western Mass CNC collaborators:
Earth Day Campus Pollinator Tour!
Have you ever watched a bee buzzing around a flower and wondered—what kind of bee is that?
How many bee species call the UMass campus home? How can you tell a bee from a wasp? How can YOU support these vital pollinators? Come find out!
To learn the answers to these questions and many more please join us for a Campus Pollinator Tour with Nicole Bell the UMass Pollinator Extension Specialist, and graduate student researchers Aliza Fassler (Environmental Conservation Dept.) and Mike Amato (Regional Planning Dept.). Brought to you by the UMass Bee Campus Committee and the UMass Grounds, Facilities, and Campus Services Department.
When: Tuesday 4/22 from 3:00-4:00PM
Where to meet: Meet by the Minute Man Statue next to the campus pond.
What to bring: Bring comfortable clothes/shoes for a ~1mile walk. Bring your phone to document bees we observe, iNaturalist observations are encouraged on this tour!
Route: We will meet at the minute-man statue, tour the campus pond, head to the Franklin permaculture garden, and end at the spring-blooming trees by Stockbridge Hall (Bowker Auditorium).
Accessibility: This will be an outdoor tour along a paved route, with periodic stops. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to accommodate you on this tour by reaching out to abolesfassle@umass.edu.
To sign up please RSVP here
Invite the Organizers
Would you like to have someone speak to your group about the City Nature Challenge? Or host an event, such as a workshop on how to use iNaturalist or a nature walk?
Please reach out to Melanie Radik with any requests, or interest in having a conversation. Contact info below.
Science and Engineering Librarian
Intro Video
Events
City Nature Challenge: Western Mass is pleased to organize the following events. They are free and open to the public.
Who
Everyone!
Observers: If you are in western Massachusetts April 25 - April 28 and can add observations to iNaturalist please do!
IDers: If you want to contribute species IDs to observations in western Massachusetts, you can do that from anywhere from April 25 - May 4! Go to the City Nature Challenge 2025: Western Mass iNaturalist page starting April 25, click on Observations, and then the Identify button to start IDing observations contributed to the Western Mass project.
What
The City Nature Challenge is a friendly competition* among cities across the globe to see which city can find and document the most wildlife (plants, animals, fungi, microbes - anything wild!) over a four-day period.
*In these challenging times the focus of the event has shifted from competition to community building. Let's all get out there and see what we can find!
When
2025
April 25 - April 28: Collect Observations
April 29 - May 4: ID Species
Where
Western Mass, Massachusetts, USA: Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, and Berkshire Counties
See the Where Can I Find Wildlife? page for a more detailed and interactive map.
Why
There is nature all around us—even in our cities. Last year’s challenge saw almost two and a half million (2,436,844) observations made by more than 83,000 people around the globe. By making wildlife observations, you are contributing data to scientists and your community, which helps the study and protection of local species. Previous years' participants have documented species in their areas that were completely surprising, species they did not know were there.
Plus, it's true always but especially in this stressful time as we come out of the pandemic, nature is good for you! Taking a walk in the fresh air, getting some (but not too much!) sun, letting your senses engage with nature, and letting your mind focus on something other than worry are all good for your health. Exercise is good for you, sunshine gets you necessary vitamin D, using your eyes and ears to focus on a variety of things rather than just your screen is scientifically proven to be good for them, and taking breaks to de-stress is more important than ever.
Last Year's Results
Western Mass
Observations = 4,328
Species = 1,046
Participants = 314
Brought to You By...
Western Mass participation in the 2025 City Nature Challenge is co-hosted by Melanie Radik and Lynn Harper.
We are sponsored by the UMass Amherst Libraries.
The overall City Nature Challenge was dreamed up and is coordinated by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences. The very first Challenge in 2016 was just between LA and San Francisco.
