Join Jo Russell to hear about various plants used by First Nations Peoples for food, fibre and medicine, planted at the Westmeadows Indigenous Community Garden. We will also wander into Broadmeadows Valley Park to record more plants and any animals or insects for City Nature Challenge.

Car parking is available at the end of Redan Court, Westmeadows and enter the community garden through the rear gate.

Encourage your family and friends to join you in the great outdoors, connecting with nature.

City Nature Challenge 2024

This community biodiversity survey is for the global City Nature Challenge (CNC) running from Friday 26 April to Monday 29 April 2024. It’s free, easy, and fun to get involved.

Bring your mobile phone or digital camera to take pictures of the wild plants, animals and fungi you see, or make sound recordings of frog or bird calls. Any observations taken over the four days, need to be uploaded to iNaturalist by Sunday 5 May, to be included in the City Nature Challenge 2024. These observations are automatically added to the CNC projects.

In this worldwide BioBlitz, over 485 cities are participating; for some cities it is a competition to make the most observations of the most species by the most people. Hume City is collaborating with over 25 local government areas and several organisations to form the Greater Melbourne project. Everyday people with no expert ecological knowledge can contribute as citizen scientists to help nature, and also learn more about the local environment.

Here are links to the iNaturalist project leader boards for CNC 2024:

• Global Cities
• Greater Melbourne
• Hume City

To prepare for the guided walks and talks

• Install the iNaturalist app on your mobile phone and create an iNaturalist account
• Make sure your phone battery or camera is fully charged on the day
• To learn more about iNaturalist and how to set up an account, view this recording of an iNaturalist training webinar with Dr Luis Mata from 2021
• Wear weather-appropriate clothing, bring a rain/wind-proof jacket, and wear safe, fully-enclosed walking shoes to go in long grass
• Bring your own drink bottle and snacks
• Some binoculars will be available to borrow, or bring along your own
• Hard copies of the Birds of Hume and Fauna of Hume will be available at the event, or find digital versions at Discover Nature in Hume.

Contact for more information

Melissa Doherty

Urban Biodiversity Officer, Hume City Council

melissado@hume.vic.gov.au

(03) 9205 2200, 0409 702 086

Important City Nature Challenge 2024 dates

26 April to 29 April: take photos of wild plants, animals and fungi in your garden, local park or creek

5 May: upload all your observations to iNaturalist

26 Apri to 5 May: identify observations submitted to iNaturalist

6 May: global winners announced

Online Community Training Webinar

An iNaturalist training session is being held in the lead-up to City Nature Challenge to help people get familiar with using the app and website, and understand how to take great photos of plants, animals and fungi.

• Tuesday 23 April, 7.30pm to 9pm City Nature Challenge 2024 how to use iNaturalist and explaining why to get involved – hosted by Hume City Council.

Hume City's Guided Nature Walks and Talks

• Friday 26 April, 1.30pm to 3pm – Guided bushwalk with the Land and Biodiversity team into Wanginu Park, Sunbury.
• Saturday 27 April, 9am to 11am – Guided bird and flora bushwalk with the Sustainability Engagement Team at Mt Ridley Nature Conservation Reseve, Mickleham.
• Saturday 27 April, 6.00pm to 9.00pm – Guided spotlight walk with the Urban Biodiversity Officer at Woodlands Historic Park, Greenvale.
• Sunday 28 April, 9.30am to 12pm – Guided bird walk and water bug survey with the Urban Biodiversity Officer at Jacana Wetland.
• Sunday 28 April, 1.30pm to 3.30pm – Guided bushtucker walk with Jo Russell at the Westmeadows Indigenous Community Garden.
• Monday 29 April, 1.30pm to 3pm – Guided bushwalk with the Land and Biodiversity team into Broadmeadows Valley Park, Westmeadows.