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We’ve spent three years restoring this beach.
Now we’re finding out who lives there.
Over the past three years, Olympic Fly Fishers of Edmonds has helped organize nine restoration events at Picnic Point. The work got done because hundreds of neighbors, students, and conservation-minded community members showed up to do it. Preschoolers. College students. Families from nearby neighborhoods. People who'd never heard of our club but cared about this shoreline.
Together we've planted natives, pulled invasives, and mulched our way through seasons of rain and sun. The habitat is measurably better for it.
On April 25, we're taking the next step. The City Nature Challenge gives us a chance to document the wildlife that depends on what we've all been protecting. And the same community that restored this place is invited to help us find out who lives there.
ABOUT THE EVENT
What Is the City Nature Challenge?
The City Nature Challenge is a global community science event co-led by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County. What started in 2016 as a friendly competition between San Francisco and Los Angeles now spans cities and regions worldwide.
Last year, more than 100,000 participants logged over 3 million observations and identified more than 73,000 species. Those observations help researchers track wildlife population changes, detect invasive species, and inform conservation decisions.
The Seattle-Tacoma metro area — all of Snohomish, King, and Pierce counties — participates as a regional team, organized locally by Woodland Park Zoo. Olympic Fly Fishers of Edmonds, in partnership with our friends at the Snohomish County Healthy Forest Project, is hosting its own designated site at Picnic Point within that challenge.
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“Three years of restoration—now we see what's taken root.”
Helena Puche, Conservation Chair
OUR SITE
Why Picnic Point?
Since 2023, OFF has partnered with the Snohomish County Healthy Forest Project to restore the fragile shoreline and creekside habitat at Picnic Point. Together we’ve planted natives, removed invasives, mulched, and cared for this ecosystem season after season.
This bioblitz is the next step: learning more about the life that depends on it. From native plants and fungi to insects, birds, and marine life — we want to know what calls this beach home.
Every observation we log becomes part of a permanent scientific dataset. That record matters. It helps researchers track species populations, detect invasive threats, and build the evidence base behind conservation funding and habitat protection policy.
EVENT DETAILS
What to Expect
DATE
Saturday, April 25, 2026
GROUP HOURS
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Drop in anytime. Come for an hour or stay for both.
LOCATION
Picnic Point Park
7231 Picnic Point Road, Edmonds, WA 98036
TERRAIN
Shoreline, creek edge & forest margins
FORMAT
Family-friendly, go-at-your-own-pace
OFF members and Picnic Point Forest Stewards on site to help
Can’t make it April 25?
Any observations made anywhere in Snohomish, King, or Pierce County between April 24–27 count toward the regional challenge. And the identification phase runs through May 10, so there’s still a way for you to contribute even after the event. Learn more →
GETTING STARTED
How to Participate
No experience required. If you have a smartphone and some curiosity, you’re ready.
1.
Download iNaturalist
Search “iNaturalist” in the App Store or Google Play. Download the app called iNaturalist — not iNaturalist Classic. Create a free account (must be 13 or older).
3.
Upload Your Observations
Post your photos to the “City Nature Challenge 2026: Seattle-Tacoma Metropolitan Area” project in the iNaturalist app. Doing so makes sure that your observations, made April 24–27 within Snohomish, King, or Pierce County, will be added to our regional total.
2.
Come to Picnic Point on April 25
Photograph any wild plant, animal, or fungi you find — or evidence of one. Tracks, shells, scat, and feathers all count. Pets and captive animals don’t.
4.
Help identify what others found
From April 28 through May 10, return to iNaturalist and help identify observations posted by others. You don’t have to be an expert. Every identification — even a broad one like “bird” or “plant” — helps scientists and fellow participants narrow things down.
Everything you see on this page has been found at Picnic Point. What will you find?
BEFORE YOU ARRIVE
Get the Guide
The How To Participate Handout, produced by Woodland Park Zoo, walks you through everything you need to participate in the City Nature Challenge, from downloading iNaturalist to uploading your first observation. Print it, share it, or pull it up on your phone before April 25.
The guide is available in six languages. Every version is the same guide. Choose yours:
FOR EDUCATORS
Bring Your Class
The City Nature Challenge is a ready-made field experience for students of any age. Preschoolers can photograph their first beetle. High schoolers can contribute observations to a global scientific dataset that researchers actually use. Every age finds something real to do here.
The City Nature Challenge offers a free educator toolkit with lesson plans, activity guides, and grade-specific resources designed to extend the experience before or after your visit.
Planning to bring a group?
Our conservation chair, Helena Puche, is happy to help.
Frequently Asked Questions
BEFORE YOU GO
Let Us Know You’re Coming
No gatekeeping. Just planning. Pre-registration helps us know how many people to expect so we can be ready.
Questions? Contact Olympic Fly Fishers →