Each year, Tremont’s Virtual Naturalist Week invites people to step outside and rediscover the wonder right outside their door. Whether they explored big city sidewalks, backyard woods, or apartment balconies, our participants made it clear: you don’t need a national park to feel connected to nature—just a little curiosity.

From June 16 to 21, participants of all ages joined us from across the country for our Level Up Challenge, a week-long adventure filled with nature prompts designed to get people outside and observing. The goal? Earn at least 25 points through self-paced, playful activities like cloudwatching, tracking insects, and sharing interesting observations with friends and family. (Check out all the Level Up Challenge prompts!)

And this year, you showed up in record numbers!

  • 105 people completed the Level Up Challenge (compared to our previous record of 60 individuals)
  • Collectively, they earned over 3,395 points (compared to our previous record of 2,100 points earned)
  • Ages ranged from 4 to 78
  • Participants came from 18 different states, with the most representation from Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida

A nature lesson sent to us by 9-year-old Melanie.

A few favorite moments:

“Me and my two sons enjoyed our night ‘hikes’ in the backyard each night looking for different types of bugs. It was like a fun nightly scavenger hunt that we all looked forward to!!”– Coti, Age 42

“I liked to watch the birds and make bird calls. I found it cool that bird calls aren’t the same.” – Milah, Age 7

“It was nice motivation to do some things we’d been meaning to do – and to take time outside observing things!” – Rebecca, Age 38

“I loved the challenge of looking for all of the colors of the rainbow outside. It made me realize how I overlook so many things in my community, and how much harder it is to find certain colors than others! For example, a lot of the places I go grow purple and pink flowers, but orange is hard to come by. I was able to recognize through this that a lot of those pink and purple flowers were the same type, and ones able to grow in Louisiana heat! Little things like this are things I would have never even thought to notice otherwise. I am grateful for the reminder to be more aware of my surroundings.” – Theresa, Age 22

“My favorite activity was thinking of a game to play outdoors! It was fun to imagine something that you have to do outside so you can really seize the day and make the most of weather! My game was: Flower Crown Dash! Each player is timed as they sprint through a field, climb a tree, and then make a flower crown. 10 points extra are given to the person with the best flower crown!” – Clara, Age 14

“I had 4 grandkids for this week, ages 6, 8 and 16. I explained what we were doing and they teamed up and had a blast, the youngest have just moved east from Nevada and seeing fireflies for the first time was so exciting for them. That was my favorite thing, teaching them and seeing the excitement and learning about nature.” – Anita, Age 69

The Big Day

We designated Thursday of Naturalist Week to be The Big Day—a twist on the birding activity where we asked everyone to explore their outdoor spaces and document as many species as they could find. Brandon Everhart, the Bearded Realtor at Realty Executives, generously matched $1 per species found, up to $1,000 – twice our previous Big Day goals! Our summer science team, Kimberly, Maddie, and Noell, served as the hosts for the day, encouraging creative ways to explore and helping people identify their finds.

We heard stories of people exploring with their grandkids, taking time outside during lunch breaks at work, and discovering nature mysteries in their backyards. They found plants, fungi, mammals, insects, arachnids, birds, lichen, and so much more! They used existing knowledge, field guides, internet searches, iNaturalist, Merlin, and crowd-sourcing to identify their finds – and many remain mysteries! Take a peek at their discoveries.

Keep the Connections Going

We deliver experiential learning for youth, educators, and adults through programs that promote self-discovery, critical thinking, and effective teaching and leadership. From our home in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, our research and residential programs investigate the diversity that sustains all life, develop a sense of place, and cultivate a stewardship ethic that will influence lifelong decision-making. Make a donation to support our work.