Flora and Faunathon 2024

Count for a Cause April 27 – 28!

Whether you live in the woods or in the city, nature is all around us! Join us on April 27 – 28 to count for a cause and celebrate Earth Day 2024 by getting outdoors and counting as many plants and animals as you can, share what you find, and raise money to support education for a healthy planet!

         

Whether you are a lifelong naturalist or simply want to appreciate and count the species in your neighborhood, Flora & Faunathon is for you! Enjoy a beautiful weekend outside exploring nature. From noticing the trees and squirrels in your neighborhood, to finding rare species of birds (this will be nearly the peak for bird migration) or woodland flowers on a local hiking trail (some spring ephemerals will still be out) enjoy getting out and finding nature all around us.

If you like, you can even compete for prizes. Can you find the most bird species? Or raise the most money? Take the coolest picture?

Explore your neighborhood, your backyard, nearby hiking trails, or a city park. Go alone or go with friends! It’s the perfect family activity. Get your networks to sponsor your explorations and help support the Hitchcock Center’s work developing hopeful, creative problem solvers who can take on the challenges of climate change.

Raise money to support the Hitchcock Center’s mission to educate and to inspire action for a healthy planet. Hitchcock Center staff can help you set up a peer-to-peer fundraising page – you can send a link to your family, friends, colleagues and neighbors through an email or social media post.

  • Register on April 1: as an individual or as part of a team. The registration fee is $30 and includes a Flora & Faunathon fanny pack. 100% of your registration is tax-deductible and supports education for a healthy planet
  • Set up your personal fundraising page using our easy templates. Ask your family, friends, and neighbors to contribute and help you reach your fundraising goal. Here is a toolkit to help you with setting up your page and making your goals.
  • Seek/find/explore over the weekend of April 27 & 28. Set your personal Flora & Faunathon goal using one of the lists we have provided or one of your own. Whether you want to get out exploring 4 times or aim for finding 100 species, you’ll be helping to raise awareness and funds for education for a healthy planet
  • Share your adventures on social media using #Floraandfaunathon24 and tagging @hitchcockcenter. We’ll also share your pictures on Facebook and Instagram. You can also email your photos to shelly@hitchcockcenter.org and we will share them for you.
  • Track your outings/species identification Share your outings on social media and track the species you find on iNaturalist.  Here is the link to the Flora and Faunathon event on iNaturalist.

Registration is $30 and includes a Flora & Faunathon fanny pack (while supplies last). There is no fundraising minimum, but those who fundraise will be eligible to earn prizes. For questions about registration contact shelly@hitchcockcenter.org.

Yes! (Everyone loves prizes!) All registrants will receive a Flora & Faunathon fanny pack- to carry your phone, pen, and notepad, when you head outside- while supplies last. F&Fers who raise $300 or more will also receive a Hitchcock Center t-shirt, baseball cap or water bottle.

Here are the prize categories:

Team Prize - Most Flora and Fauna found - Each team member will get a Hitchcock Tshirt

Individual Prize - Most flora found

Individual Prize - Most fauna found

Individual Prize - Most money raised

Individual Prize - Most sponsors/supporters

Absolutely! You can fundraise as a team, and you can seek/find/explore together or apart. You’ll see there’s an option to join or create a team when you register. Each member of your team must register as an individual. You will receive one fanny pack per individual registration, and each individual on the team will be eligible for the individual prizes.

Absolutely! Everyone can participate! Choose an area or walk that is right for you! Nature is all around us, everywhere! You can find some suggestions for accessible trails here and here.

Anyone can participate! There are no age restrictions. You don’t have to live in the area to participate. Even if you know nothing about different species you can seek/find/explore! We will provide lists of accessible flora & fauna to search for at various knowledge levels. The use of iNaturalist can help guide you, too.

You can find plants and animals everywhere! In your backyard, walking down the street, in the woods, even in the city! Any state, any trail, any mountain. You can find suggestions on these websites, or follow us on Facebook for recommendations from other hikers. Here are some websites with trails to check out.

https://www.alltrails.com/

https://myhikes.org/

https://www.mass.gov/lists/dcr-trail-maps

https://www.amherstma.gov/1282/Conservation-Area-Trail-Map

Of course! You can choose to sponsor a hiker (or several!) or you can make a general donation here.

Yes! Sponsorship opportunities are available for any business that wants to support the event. Contact Kim Snyder.

For questions about registration contact shelly@hitchcockcenter.org.

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Hitchcock Center for the Environment