PA iMapInvasives Citizen Science Initiative To Map Specific Invasive Species Challenges Coming Up

The Pennsylvania iMapInvasives program has two citizen science challenges coming up in July and August that will help identify and map invasive species in Pennsylvania.

iMapInvasives will also have a webinar on May 28 on how you can help control invasive species.

May 28 Webinar

The May 28 Give Invasive Species The Boot! Webinar will help participants learn how to manage common invasive species often found in Pennsylvania as well as document your efforts in iMapInvasives as digital treatment records.

Click Here to register and for more information.

July Water Chestnut Chasers Challenge

Participate in a special month-long challenge in July to search for and report your findings, both presence and absence, of invasive water chestnut.

A June 24 webinar is a prerequisite to participate in the challenge and will provide information on how to identify water chestnut as well as how to enter your findings into iMapInvasives. 

Click Here to register for the webinar and for more information.

August Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt

During the month of August, challenge yourself to learn how to identify and report your findings, both presence and absence, of specific invasive species as part of a scavenger hunt hosted by the Pennsylvania iMapInvasives program.

A webinar will be held July 23 as an introduction to the scavenger hunt and is a prerequisite to participate in the month-long effort.

This webinar training will highlight a specific checklist of invasive species that participants will be asked to search for during August.  The invasive species include--

-- Terrestrial/Wetland Plans

-- Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)

-- Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)\

-- Policeman's helmet (Impatiens glandulifera)

-- Wavyleaf basketgrass (Oplismenus undulatifolius)

-- Common reed (Phragmites australis)

-- Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata)

-- Alligatorweed (Alternanthera philoxeroides)

-- Mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata)

-- Aquatic Plants

-- Eurasian water-milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum)

-- Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata)

-- Brazilian elodea (Egeria densa)

-- Animals/Insects

-- Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis)

-- Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)

-- Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)

-- New Zealand mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum)

In addition, participants will learn how to document presence and absence findings in the iMapInvasives database. All species on the checklist are considered to be invasive in Pennsylvania and/or surrounding states.

Participants will be given the entire month of August to search their local natural areas and document their findings in the iMapInvasives database. 

All participants who complete their checklist will be entered into a drawing to win one of 20 FREE copies of "Pennsylvania's Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species."

Click Here to register for the webinar and for more information.

For more information on the program, visit the Pennsylvania iMapInvasives website.  Click Here for other PA iMapInvasives events and education sessions.

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(Photo: Water Chestnut.)

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[Posted: May 22, 2020]  PA Environment Digest