Walk for Wildlife is a celebration of our vital natural resources and an inspiring opportunity to joyfully embrace the natural world. Throughout October, this highly anticipated event brings individuals and teams together in the spirit of friendly (and fierce) competition for the most species identified, most places with wildlife habitat visited, and most miles walked along the way. It’s open to individuals, adult teams of no more than 10 and youth teams of any size (youth teams are free). Everyone from anywhere around the world can participate, including you! Plus, the data you gather is shared with iNaturalist and used in ongoing environmental studies, making you and all your team members volunteer community scientists!

1. If you want to join the official competition, you’ll need to download the iNaturalist app if you don’t already have it. This is how you and we track the species you identify throughout the event. (If you’re not interested in competing and just want to go out and find as many species as you can, iNaturalist is not required.)
2. Create an iNaturalist account or sign in and jot down your iNaturalist ID. You’ll need that when you register if you want to be part of the competitive portion of Walk for Wildlife.
3. Register for Walk for Wildlife as an individual or as part of a team. See the “How to Register (and WHY)” section below for more info. The cost is $50 per adult member (18 or over). Those 17 or younger are free. If you’re forming a team, be creative with those names!
4. Once registered, log in to iNaturalist. From the menu, click on “Projects,” search for the “Walk for Wildlife 2026 LWC” project, and join it. (Note that the project won’t officially open until Oct. 1.)
5. Once Oct. 1 arrives, start logging your observations through iNaturalist, and they’ll be added to your totals in the Walk for Wildlife 2026 LWC project.
6. Note that iNaturalist is only used to track the number of species you identify during the month. Keep track of the names and number of places you visit and the miles you walk, too. You need to enter those on this Google Form, and you can do that throughout the event.
7. Although it’s not part of the competitive portion of the event, we also ask you to track the number of hours you spend making your observations, and you can provide those on the Google form, too. Why do we ask for hours? Because the data you record in iNaturalist is used in a variety of wildlife studies. That makes you a volunteer community scientist for LWC, and we want to make sure those hours are credited!

For full information on Walk for Wildlife, visit the FAQ page right here. There you’ll find full information on event rules and prizes, how to log and share your data, information on our Kick-Off and Closing Celebration events, and more. Still have questions? Email us at walkforwildlife@loudounwildlife.org.

To register, click on the appropriate gold buttons below.

Registration for adult individuals and members of adult-formed teams is $50 per person. Team members 17 or younger and youth teams (teams made up of kids 17 or younger) are free. What does the registration fee get you?

• An event T-shirt (must register by Sept. 25; shirts must be picked up at our Kickoff or Closing celebrations)
• One free entry into our Walk for Wildlife Raffle for a great prize! (Winner will be drawn at the Closing Celebration, but you don’t need to be present to win. Prize yet to be determined, but it will be a great one! Stay tuned for more.)
• Admission to our Kickoff Celebration on September 26 at our offices in Waterford
• Admission to our Closing Celebration on November 15 at Lost Rhino Brewing Company (catered by Savoir Fare)
• The opportunity to win some great prizes as one of our top 3 individual or team performers, including gift certificates to Virginia State Parks (or the state park of your choice) and our online “Wild Shop.”
• The chance to win some fantastic door prizes at our Closing Celebration (more info coming soon)

 But wait, there’s more! (And these are the best benefits of participating.) You’ll also gain:

• A deeper knowledge and love of nature
• Quality bonding time with friends and family … outside!
• The pride that comes with making a positive difference as a community scientist
• The knowledge that your support helps keep our vital work at Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy thriving

As mentioned above, “Youth-Only” teams (all team members are 17 or younger) can register for free again this year! Note that members of youth teams will not receive a T-shirt, raffle entry, or the same prizes as adult individuals or members of adult-formed teams. All youth team members will, however, receive a special Walk for Wildlife patch (which must be picked up at our Kickoff or Closing Celebration), and winners will receive a special certificate at our Closing Celebration. Click the “Youth Team Registration” button below for full details.

Sponsoring Walk for Wildlife is an incredible way to take advantage of more than a full month of visiblity for your brand with our thousands of passionate supporters. Want to “walk for wildlife” with us as a sponsor this year? We’d be honored to have you. Learn more here.