On yesterday’s episode of On the Dock, host Rick Smith spotlighted one of Texas’ most engaging springtime traditions—an event that blends community science, outdoor exploration, and the simple joy of noticing the nature right outside your door.

For the 11th year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department—through its Texas Nature Trackers program—is inviting Texans to take part in the City Nature Challenge, a four‑day, statewide effort running April 24–27. Sixteen metropolitan areas across Texas will join hundreds of cities around the world in documenting local wildlife using the free mobile app iNaturalist.

Rick explained how the challenge works: participants step outside—into their yard, a neighborhood park, a trail, or any safe natural space—and photograph the plants, animals, insects, and fungi they encounter. The iNaturalist app helps identify species and uploads each observation to a global database used by researchers, conservationists, and educators.

Whether you join a group outing, explore with your family, or head out solo, the heart of the event is collaboration. Every observation contributes to a shared picture of Texas’ biodiversity, and participants can also help identify others’ findings during the two‑week identification period that follows.

And you don’t have to live in one of the 16 participating metro areas to be part of it. Texans statewide can join the City Nature Challenge 2026 Global Project on iNaturalist and add their discoveries from anywhere nature can be safely explored.

This global initiative is co‑organized by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Texas Nature Trackers encourages participants to share their experience using #CityNatureChallenge on social media or as a tag within the app.

Last year’s numbers show just how powerful this community effort has become. In 2025, more than 660 cities worldwide logged over 3 million observations representing 73,000 species. Texas alone contributed more than 345,000 observations across 93 counties, documenting 9,709 species with the help of more than 9,200 observers.

To help new participants get started, Texas Nature Trackers is offering two free virtual trainings: • iNaturalist 101 on April 20 at 2 p.m. CST • Advanced iNaturalist Training on April 22 at 6 p.m. CST

More information, including links to Texas‑based projects, can be found on the City Nature Challenge website. Questions can be directed to Texas Nature Trackers biologists at tracker@tpwd.texas.gov.

You can catch new episodes of On the Dock with Rick Smith every Wednesday and Friday at 6:15 p.m. on KNCT, and previous episodes are always available at myknct.com/onthedock.