Education Everywhere — Grand Rapids is joining more than 700 other cities around the world in the 10th annual City Nature Challenge starting April 25. The John Ball Zoo is leading the charge for Grand Rapids and has created guides on how everyone in West Michigan can participate.
The event is a “bio-blitz,” which has participants find and identify as many species as possible over a short period of time in a specific area. That means finding as many plants, animals and fungi as possible in Allegan, Barry, Kent and Ottawa counties through April 28 at noon.
To participate, download the iNaturalist app on your device and start taking photos of wildlife. On the app, join the “City Nature Challenge 2025: West Michigan” project to submit photos and observations. Tell others about the project and invite them to participate.
The John Ball Zoo is having a friendly competition with the Detroit Zoo to see which region gets the most observations. To help with finding nature in West Michigan, the zoo encourages participation in any of these four events:
April 25 – 28, All day — Self-guided scavenger hunt at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Barry County.
April 25, 5:30-7 p.m. — Family Nature Night at Winstrom Park: Walk, bike or hike your way through Winstrom Park in Ottawa County. Stroll the trails and snap photos. FREE
April 25, 8-9 p.m. — Blandford Nature Center Frog Walk: Collect data and learn the calls of different frogs that live there. FREE, but please register at the Blandford Nature Center website.
April 25, 8:30-10 p.m. — Twilight hike at the Upper Macatawa Natural Area in Ottawa County.
April 26, 8-10 a.m. — Bird walk at Grand River Park in Ottawa County
April 26, 8-11 a.m. — Mist-netting at Outdoor Discovery Center: Help document with bird banding, and check out the flora and fauna. FREE
April 26, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. — Earth Day celebration at Pigeon Creek Park South in Ottawa County. FREE
April 26 — Bald eagle walk at Grand Ravines in Ottawa County. Starts on the hour from 1 to 4 p.m.
April 27, 2-3:30 p.m. — Sunday stroll at Hemlock Crossing in Ottawa County.
The City Nature Challenge has also created a toolkit for educators who wish to have their classes participate in the events.