Past Projects

Special thanks to all of the citizen scientists who have taken part in a past project. You’re contributions have made a positive impact in our community and have allowed us to better understand our local species of plants and animals.

Border BioBlitz

The Border BioBlitz is a binational effort to document the natural beauty of our borderlands. It takes place in the early spring along the U.S. - Mexico border. Observation groups run from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego through the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Texas. The Nat, runs observation areas and helps facilitate a Marine survey at Border Field State Park. Check our website in January every year to learn how you can take part.

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City Nature Challenge

April 26-29, 2019

We are thrilled to announce that out of 159 competitors, San Diego ranked in the top 10 for all three categories: most observations of nature, most species documented, and most people engaged.

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Shot Hole Borer Beetle Survey

The Nat, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the San Diego River Park Foundation, worked with citizen scientists to monitor for the invasive Shot Hole Borer Beetle along the San Diego River Watershed.

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City Nature Challenge 2018: San Diego County

More than 1,000 San Diegans participated in the 2018 City Nature Challenge: San Diego County. As a result, San Diego placed in the top three for all categories, including number of species observed, number of observations, and number of participants.

Bird Atlas of San Diego County

Citizen scientists scoured every corner of San Diego County to help Nat researchers document San Diego County Birds. Published in 2004, the San Diego County Bird Atlas establishes a new benchmark for knowledge of birds in this region—a region that has more species than any other in the country. With this atlas, the birds of San Diego County are now among the best documented in the world.

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Balboa Park BioBlitz

The first Balboa Park BioBlitz was hosted by The Nat in 2008. Over 50 scientists and volunteers combed Balboa Park for 24 hours to discover all of the wild plants and animals in the Park. Ten years later, The Nat hosted the 2018 Balboa Park BioBlitz, which yielded a total of 2,359 observations of 593 species.

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Border BioBlitz 2020

March 28 - April 30, 2020

Border BioBlitz group events have been cancelled. With ongoing concerns about the spread of COVID-19, commonly known as the coronavirus, Border BioBlitz partners are following best practices related to increased sanitization efforts, including cancelling events that bring people physically together unnecessarily. We are encouraging staff, volunteers, and visitors to follow recommended protocols related to staying healthy..

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City Nature Challenge

April 24-27, 2020

This year, the City Nature Challenge was a worldwide collaboration to collectively celebrate the healing power of nature by documenting all the species we can find! People across the globe slowed down, tuned-into their surroundings, and took the time to connect with nature.It was an unquestionable win for all those who took part.

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2022 City Nature Challenge

April 29 – May 2, 2022

Globally 1,694,877 observations were made. Over 50,176 species were spotted, and 67,220 people participated. And some of San Diego County's observations were even featured in the summary of results.

2023 City Nature Challenge

April 28 – May 1, 2023

Globally 1,870,763 observations were made. Over 57,227 species were spotted, and 66,394 people participated. San Diego County had over 20,000 observations!