Who’s Living in Your Neighborhood?
Coachella Valley Urban Refugia
The Coachella Valley is an important intersection of people and protected landscapes - the “Wildland Urban Interface” - where wildlife and people must learn to live together. Animals may either retreat or thrive in these new urban refugia. Join the project and get to know your wild neighbors!
Here’s how to participate:
1. Observe
Find wild animals living in your yard, park, and neighborhood. Butterflies visiting a flowering plant in your garden, birds eating leftover crumbs in the market parking lot, and spiders in the corner of your office are all part of the diversity of life in the Coachella Valley.
2. Record
Take a picture with your smartphone or camera. Try to get as close as possible, without scaring critters away, and take pictures from multiple angles. You can also record bird sounds with your phone.
3. Share
Using a free iNaturalist account, upload and connect with the community to learn more about your discoveries! Tap the badge below to download the free app from your app store and create an account to get started.
Next Steps
Once you start adding observations, visit the project page and click the “Join” link near the top right of the page to recieve project updates and track your participation.
Explore the “Observations” and “Species” tabs to see recent and commonly observed critters in the Coachella Valley, and consider planting a native desert garden to attract even more wildlife to your area!
We are a SciStarter affiliate! Tap the badge below to add this project to your dashboard and discover more community science projects you can participate in.
