The Goshen250 Nature Challenge: We Have a Winner!

This neighborly challenge between West Goshen and East Goshen townships began as the brainchild of East Goshen Township’s (EGT) Conservancy Board. Jason Lang, EGT’s Parks and Recreation director, contacted his West Goshen peer Ken Lehr, who shared the idea with the Sustainability Advisory Committee, and the idea became a reality.

Planning for the iNaturalist-inspired “BioBlitz” began in April, culminating in a live kick-off event on September 20 at East Goshen Park and ending at noon on September 27. Attendees enjoyed a presentation by Peg Friese, who is an iNaturalist Ambassador. Additional information was provided at tables hosted by the Penn State Extension Master Watershed Stewards, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Goshen Tree Tenders, the East Goshen Conservancy Board, the East Goshen Environmental Sustainability Advisory Council, and the West Goshen SAC.

Participants spent the week scouring their respective townships for wild plants, animals, birds, insects, fungi, and other living things to observe, photograph and upload to the mobile iNaturalist app. The results are in, with a total of 1,470 observations made and 603 species identified. With 925 observations and 428 species, EGT surpassed West Goshen’s 545 observations and 345 species to win the challenge—though if the challenge was confined to finding the most poison ivy, West Goshen would have won!

East Goshen’s prize will be a tree of their choosing, purchased with funds from the SAC’s budget. Stay tuned next month when we close the chapter on the 2026 Goshen250 Nature Challenge with details about the tree and its new permanent home in East Goshen.

Special thanks to all who participated and made this fun event possible, including Jason Lang and Ken Lehr, who channeled the idea into the right hands; the planning committee, consisting of Julie Ross, former EGT Conservancy Board chair; Peg Friese; Mary Krueger, EGT Environmental & Sustainability Council chair; and West Goshen SAC Chair Dorothy Verdon. We also appreciate the efforts of EGT Assistant to the Township Manager Ashley Nowak and West Goshen’s PR consultant Dandelions Digital, who were instrumental in getting the word out.

Check out our slideshow video, which includes photos of the kick-off and interesting observations captured by participants.

Article, photography and video creator credit: Dorothy J. Verdon, Chair, West Goshen Sustainability Advisory Committee