Tracking Invasive Species with Pennsylvania iMapInvasives

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Written by Amy Jewitt, Invasive Species Coordinator at the  Western Pennsylvania Conservancy  and the  Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program 

Dear Readers: The  Pennsylvania iMapInvasives Program  is pleased to bring you this latest edition of our newsletter! The goal of this publication is to tell the stories of the many hardworking and dedicated people across Pennsylvania (and from surrounding areas) who conduct specific projects aimed at better understanding and controlling invasive species.

In this edition, encouraging words are provided by Sgt. Jesse Bish of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Also, five authors share their unique stories on a variety of topics, with our featured story discussing the benefits of participating in organized invasive species monitoring programs such as those hosted by the Pennsylvania iMapInvasives Program.

Additional stories discuss the importance of early detection surveys for  hemlock woolly adelgid , species movement as a result of changing climate, how the National Park Service is using iNaturalist and iMapInvasives to stay up-to-date on emerging invasive species, and a challenge for our readers to participate in after the New Year begins.

Happy reading!

Note: If you have questions or comments concerning any of the stories highlighted in our newsletter, please email the story's author(s) by clicking on the button(s) at the end of the respective article you are interested in.

Policeman's Helmet (Impatiens glandulifera)

Sourced from the  Mid-Atlantic Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species  (pages 90-91)

Story written by Martin Friday, Pennsylvania Community Scientist

Anyone with an interest in invasive species notices them in the field and has a mental map of where they occur. Sharing that information as part of an organized monitoring program is an easy and rewarding way to help identify the range and distribution of these species, and to contribute to potential control efforts.

Invasive species have interested me for decades. The ability of a species to not only survive but also thrive following an accidental introduction is an impressive feat. (I have trouble introducing new plants into my yard on purpose!) That resilience and ability to succeed in new environments is also what makes invasive species so alarming, especially when they appear in my yard.  Tree-of-heaven  (Ailanthus altissima) is one such species.

I first became aware of tree-of-heaven about 20 years ago when a few saplings showed up in my lily bed along the road. My control strategy consisted of cutting down the "mother" tree and pulling saplings for the next three years. The method was primitive but effective, and now there are only occasional invaders along the road when new seeds blow in from outside the neighborhood.

Because of my focus on eliminating tree-of-heaven, it is now an embedded search image in my brain, and I find these trees growing everywhere - along highways, farms, city landscapes, utility rights-of-way, and residential developments. I notice them while walking, biking, or driving 70 mph on the interstate. These trees really are prolific!

When the  spotted lanternfly  (Lycorma delicatula) gained notoriety as it spread across Pennsylvania, I started paying particular attention to stands of tree-of-heaven in the area as my early warning sentinels for spotted lanternfly advances. I did so out of personal interest, not part of an organized monitoring effort. That changed last spring when I received an email from Amy Jewitt, the Invasive Species Coordinator at the  Western Pennsylvania Conservancy , about a statewide monitoring program for tree-of-heaven and spotted lanternfly. I was already making casual observations on my own, so I signed up to participate.

It was easy to transition to an organized monitoring program and share my observations in the iMapInvasives database. The monitoring program focused on a statewide network of grids on mostly public land. It just so happened that one of the designated areas was near my house where I frequently go mountain biking - a place that was already part of my informal monitoring network. Other grids covered state forests, state game lands, and parks that I frequent as part of my outdoor time, so I expanded my network to include spotted lanternfly and tree-of-heaven grids in those areas too. I found tree-of-heaven in some of my survey grids, but not many, and there were no signs of spotted lanternfly in any of the locations I searched.

About the time I finished the first round of spotted lanternfly surveys, I received another email from Amy about the upcoming  Invasive Species Scavenger Hunt  (hosted by the Pennsylvania iMapInvasives Program) scheduled for August 2022. I'd been on the distribution list for the Scavenger Hunt notices for years, but never thought about participating. I didn't know much about the event and always thought I was too busy to get involved. But because the spotted lanternfly and tree-of-heaven monitoring program was an extension of what I was already casually doing, I figured the Scavenger Hunt would be the same. That turned out to be true.

I have a mental list of the usual suspects when it comes to the invasive species I encounter on a regular basis. I also know that I overlook some (probably many) species because I'm not familiar with them. In this case, the Scavenger Hunt gave me an opportunity to add a few more species to my search image catalog. I was familiar with about half of the species on this year's Scavenger Hunt list (see full list below), but had to do a little research to familiarize myself with the others.

Unlike the more structured grid network for the spotted lanternfly and tree-of-heaven monitoring, the Scavenger Hunt was free-form for selecting areas to survey. I chose areas I like to visit for recreational purposes, and it only required minimal effort to record the presence or absence of a species as part of my outings. I went mountain biking, kayaking, and hiking with my dog as part of the Scavenger Hunt. I would have done those things anyway, but it was kind of satisfying to share my observations as part of a formal data gathering effort, rather than just make a mental note of them.

The Scavenger Hunt was 'fun with a purpose' and I'll certainly do it again next year. I learned a few new species and have a follow-up list of invaders to research so I know what to look for in the field. Now that I know how to use iMapInvasives, I can add observations (absence or presence) throughout the year. It is encouraging to know that one of those observations might just capture the initial colonization of an invasive species and lead the way to an effective treatment program.

Martin Friday has over 35 years of experience working as a biologist in both the public and private sectors. His work experience includes small mammal research, nuisance wildlife management, fisheries and aquatic ecology, wetland delineations, environmental assessment, and regulatory compliance.

Martin earned a B.S. in Biology from Bucknell University and an M.S. in Ecology from The Pennsylvania State University.

In his spare time, Martin enjoys fishing, hiking, skiing, and mountain biking.

Story written by Tina Toole, Board Member with the  North Country Trail Association 

Right now, across Pennsylvania the invasive Hemlock woolly adelgid is killing off majestic and valuable hemlock forest. Early detection surveys are the key to learning the extent of this pest and finding a way to control it. You can help in the fight against this tiny insect. Join in the race to map the range of the Hemlock wooly adelgid!

The  Eastern hemlock  (Tsuga canadensis) is a valuable and iconic tree in many ways. Historically, it was cut for the tannins in the bark which were used to process leather. It was also, and still is, used as lumber. And in the great state of Pennsylvania, Eastern hemlock has been selected as our state tree.

In the Allegheny National Forest of northwest Pennsylvania, many stream valleys are lined with hemlocks. These valleys are not only scenic, but also provide great habitat and benefits to the animals living there. They provide homes as well as food sources to many creatures including  red squirrels  (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and  red-breasted nuthatches  (Sitta canadensis).

These areas also supply winter cover to ruffed grouse, deer, and other species of wildlife. Additionally, hemlocks protect fish and invertebrates living in streams by reducing erosion entering the stream and provide shade to keep the stream's water cool.

Right now across Pennsylvania, the  Hemlock woolly adelgid  (HWA) (Adelges tsugae) is killing off these majestic and valuable forests of hemlocks. The invasive HWA is native to Asia, but with no natural predators in North America, its population and range has grown dramatically.

Although a tiny insect, it is a lethal pest. The adelgid feeds on the stored food in a hemlock tree, weakening and then killing it over several years.

The key to mitigating the effects of an invasive species is to know where it is. That's where early detection surveys are key. One person cannot map out the extent of an invasive species range, but an army of trained volunteers can!

iMapInvasives is an easy-to-use tool that allows volunteers to gather important data on an invasive pest and provide to the experts, such as natural resource professionals. These experts can then use the data and see where there are gaps in the distribution range of the species. Experts can also direct resources to fill in those gaps and then come up with plans to control the invasive.

For the last four years, I've surveyed the same stretch of the  North Country National Scenic Trail  in the Allegheny National Forest for HWA. Fortunately each year, I've found no sign of the insect. When no sign of HWA is found, the information should still be documented. Not-detected (absence) data is just as important as detected data for determining the range of an invasive species. To easily get this valuable information to the researchers, I turn to the Pennsylvania iMapInvasives database.

Filing a report in iMapInvasives and mapping the location of a survey is easy to do. Once you have a registered account, you can begin logging data for any field-based observations you make for an invasive species. Choose "Create a Record" within the database to be taken through the data entry process one step at a time. Although I only enter data once a year, I find the process to be intuitive and easy to follow. I can quickly file information and make it easily accessible to researchers and land managers.

I love the peace and beauty of the hemlock forests in the Allegheny National Forest and will continue to document the presence or absence of the HWA in order to do a small part in the survival of this majestic forest tree.

Tina Toole has been an Allegheny National Forest (ANF) Trail Coordinator and trail adopter for over 10 years and is also a former ANF Chapter President. She currently serves as a board member at the national level of the North Country Trail Association. Tina has been involved in the North Country Trail Association, ANF Chapter, for over a dozen years. She recently finished her term as the ANF Chapter President and has served as the Trail Coordinator for a decade. The ANF Chapter maintains 100 miles of the North Country National Scenic Trail in the ANF. At the national level, Tina currently serves as a board member of the North Country Trail Association.

Tina taught high school Biology, Earth Science, and Environmental Science for over 20 years in the Warren County School District. Her most popular elective was Entomology! Tina earned a BS in Environmental Conservation and Education from Cornell University in 1978, a B.S. in Education from Clarion University in 1994, and a M.S. in Education from Wilkes University in 2004.

Tina, along with her husband, enjoys spending time on the Allegheny River and in the forest with their children, grandchildren, and friends. They are avid hikers, mountain climbers, and paddle boarders. This year, they completed the challenge of climbing the highest point in each of the lower 48 states, plus Hawaii. Next year they will visit Denali, in Alaska, the 50th state highpoint.

Story written by Amy Jewitt, Invasive Species Coordinator, with contributions from Mary Ann Furedi, Ecological Assessment Manager, both of the  Western Pennsylvania Conservancy  and the  Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program 

The movement of a species from one area to another may not seem like a negative impact of climate change, or even something to be concerned about. However, this phenomenon is causing a plethora of ecological changes, many of which can go unnoticed until they are a serious problem. Learn what you can do to help mitigate the effects of emerging invaders and keep our local landscapes and economy resilient.

Climate change is now a household term that many of us equate with increasing temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, and more extreme weather events like torrential downpours that result in damaging floods. While these are all direct impacts that can be attributed to climate change, the indirect effects, like the northward movement of plants and animals, should cause us to pause and reflect more on what this means for our economy and the future health and well-being of our local environments.

Let's think about it this way: When plants and animals previously confined to warmer climates are able to establish themselves in new northern locations, this movement can cause ecological changes that turn into economic problems. These changes are likely subtle and may go unnoticed until they result in serious issues. For example, loss of habitat for pollinators causes harm not only to the environment, but also to farmers and home gardeners growing crops, fruit, and flowers. Additionally, harm inflicted on native species in our local parks, forests, and waterways can have negative impacts on tourism, recreation, timber production, and much more.

Plants and animals moving and establishing themselves in new locations are referred to as emerging invasive species. Emerging invaders can be classified into any of the following categories:

• Newly arrived in an area
• Thought to be present, but not well-documented
• Not yet present in an area, but expected to arrive

Newly arriving species may have a competitive edge over native species, thus allowing them to thrive and potentially displace desirable natives. This can result in devastating losses of native plants which then can spiral into financial losses, as previously mentioned. Therefore, catching these invaders early before they have the chance to cause harm to our environment and economy is critical to preventing high costs and long-term management associated with their control. This phenomenon can be seen in a simple, yet comprehensive graphic known as the Invasion Curve.

Many species are currently considered emerging threats to Pennsylvania. A few examples include  wavyleaf basketgrass  (Oplismenus undulatifolius),  common water-hyacinth  (Eichhornia crassipes), and  kudzu  (Pueraria montana var. lobata). Maps shown below provide a visual assessment into these species' movement northward.

To combat issues brought on by climate change and emerging invasive species, there are small actions each of us can implement to steward our local environments and protect them from potential harm. One such action is to include more native plants in our yards and gardens. By planting woody native vegetation, like trees and shrubs, we not only help create and fortify the native niches in our yards, but also add to the carbon storage capacity of our local landscapes. Learn what species are native to your area by typing your zip code into one or both of the following online tools:

•  Audubon Native Plants Database 
•  National Wildlife Federation's Native Plants Finder 

When selecting native plants to incorporate into your home landscape, choose species that are more drought tolerant. This ensures less work for you (the homeowner) to establish and maintain these species, along with a higher likelihood of the plants withstanding extreme heat events brought on by climate change.

Climate change in combination with impacts caused by invasive species can mean the loss of important pollinator species. By incorporating more natives into our landscapes that provide bountiful sources of nectar for bees, butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds, we can ensure these animal species continue to serve the environment and our economy by pollinating high value food crops and important native plants in our natural areas and urban green spaces.

Reporting locations of invasive species to online databases such as iMapInvasives is a critical component to natural resources management and the protection of our desirable native plants. By contributing your personal observations of invasive species found in local natural areas, you can help professional land managers make informed decisions on where to direct their efforts. And in the case of emerging invaders, such as those newly arrived in an area, you can help alert land managers to their presence and expedite necessary actions to control or eliminate their spread.

Finally, if and when one or more invasive plants are found in your home landscapes, it's critical to manage them early before they have the opportunity to become well established and potentially spread to new areas. Small confined populations are much easier to treat and eliminate successfully. Then, once an invasive species is eliminated from your area, be sure to incorporate native species back into the area. Leaving bare ground is an open invitation for new invaders to take hold, so it's vital that new vegetation be planted shortly after management occurs.

Keep in mind that eliminating invasive species from a landscape is often difficult to do and eradication is not always achieved in a single season (or sometimes at all). Be sure to check back on an area to ensure the unwanted plants are not reestablishing from the seed bank. As needed, continue management efforts to ensure the target invasive species are being eliminated, or managed at a level where native species can easily co-exist.

In closing, remember that you can make a difference to help our local landscapes and economy be more resilient against the threat of emerging invaders. By planting more native species in your yard or garden, you can provide needed food for wildlife along with plants to sequester carbon. By reporting your findings of invasive species to a database like iMapInvasives, you help inform land managers of key areas to prioritize for management. And by acting quickly to control or eliminate invaders from your home landscapes, you are taking steps to ensure these species do not have the chance to spread further.

Amy Jewitt serves as the Invasive Species Coordinator at the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. She is the lead administrator of the Pennsylvania iMapInvasives Program which offers an online platform to track and record invasive species locations and management efforts across the Commonwealth. Since 2013, Amy maintains a flow of information coming into the database, provides support to new and existing users of the platform, and trains individuals and organizations in the applications of the tool.

From her past involvement as a surveyor for the Pennsylvania Plum Pox Virus Eradication Program and the Massachusetts Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative Eradication Program, Amy has become a passionate advocate for raising awareness of the severe impacts invasive species can have on the environment, economy, and the health and well-being of humans and animals.

Amy's education includes a B.S. in Agricultural Science from The Pennsylvania State University with minors in Horticulture, International Agriculture, and Leadership Development.

Mary Ann Furedi is the Ecological Assessment Manager with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. Mary Ann earned a B.S. in Biology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Ph.D. in Biology from West Virginia University. Most of her work focuses on plants and plant communities. Mary Ann is interested in how species and systems change over time and how long term monitoring can be used to detect changes.

Mary Ann loves that her current position allows her to spend a lot of time in the field doing research. She also enjoys being outdoors during her free time as well. Her favorite activities are anything that can be done with her dogs, like hiking and running, and scuba diving with her husband.

Story written by Ana Casillas Brownson, Biological Science Technician with the  National Park Service  and the  Eastern Rivers and Mountains Network 

The Eastern Rivers and Mountain Network has tapped into iNaturalist as a way to harness the power of the park visitor to look for invasive species. Program platforms are easy to set up and use, and some early invaders have already been spotted. However, as with many new tools, iNaturalist comes with some limitations.

Many of us in the invasive species community know that early detection and rapid response (EDRR) is the best way to control invasive species. We find problematic species quickly and nip them in the bud, or at least that's the plan. Though EDRR is a good goal for natural resource managers to have, finding and eradicating invasive species before they become established can be difficult, especially for groups with limited capacity.

We at the  Eastern Rivers and Mountains Inventory Network  of the National Park Service (NPS) make it a priority to look for new invasive species as we go about our forest monitoring work. However, there are only four of us and we work in nine different parks, in three different states, over the span of four months. Biologists and park managers are also on the lookout for invaders, but they too have limited time and numbers. The conundrum: How can we do a better job of looking for early invaders without being everywhere all at once? The answer: Crowdsource it!

By harnessing the power of the park visitor, we hope to increase our chances of finding recently arrived invasive species before they become established. To start, we created an email alert using  EDDMapS . This was useful as it provided us with periodic notifications of invasive species that were found in our parks, or in surrounding areas. We also set up email alerts using  iMapInvasives  which allowed us to set digital buffers around our Pennsylvania parks. This unique feature will keep us updated on invasive species that are spotted in and near these locations.

Because our scope is regional in nature, we initially relied on our EDDMapS alerts since iMapInvasives does not have active programs that manage invasive species data in New Jersey or West Virginia. Then  iNaturalist  came to our attention. Here was a well-run platform with millions of active users just waiting for us to tap into! For those not already familiar with iNaturalist, this is a free online platform used by people to upload pictures or audio recordings and map and share observations of organisms found throughout the world.

We now have a project set up in iNaturalist for each of our nine parks which gathers all observations of invasive species from visitors to our parks that fall within the park boundaries. ( View park project list .) For reference, a map and list of our nine regional parks is provided below.

It is possible to create a species list within an iNaturalist project so that only target species show up in your project. However, we decided to set our project to include any and all invasive species. This way, if a species that wasn't on our radar showed up in a park, it wouldn't get lost in a filter.

About once a month, we check our project pages to see what's been spotted. We also created iNaturalist guides that list the species on our early detection lists so people can see which species are of concern and how to identify them. (See an  example guide  for the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site.)

One of the best things about the iNaturalist projects is that the park visitor does not have to know about our project at all! Any observation made that meets our criteria is automatically added to our projects, and that goes for observations made before the project was even set up. Also, the observer does not need to know how to identify a species since identification is part of the crowdsourcing of iNaturalist. As needed, identification can be verified by park staff.

In April of 2022, an iNaturalist user observed  jetbead  (Rhodotypos scandens) growing in Friendship Hill National Historic Site in Port Marion, PA. Jetbead, a native to eastern Asia, invades forested areas and creates a shrubby thicket that displaces native shrub species and can shade out understory species. After seeing the observation on iNaturalist, we alerted park staff who then surveyed the area for the extent of the plant. In July, the park gathered a group of eight volunteers from the West Virginia University Science Adventure School to cut and pull jetbead from an area approximately 30 square feet in size. Park staff plan to revisit the area to monitor, treat any resprouts with herbicide, and restock with native species in 2023.

iNaturalist has also alerted us to populations of  lesser celandine  (Ficaria verna) and  Japanese angelica tree  (Aralia elata) growing in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Those observations were passed along to the Northeast Invasive Plant Management Team and treated with herbicide.

iNaturalist is a great way to gather data from many users, but of course, it's no silver bullet. Small parks in our network unfortunately haven't had many observations reported in them over the years. Sometimes months go by without a single new observation. On the other hand, bigger parks are getting many new observations daily, but large areas of particular parks are not easily or often accessed by the public and therefore have few or no observations.

We are trying to increase participation of invasive species data collection in our parks by making visitors more aware of our iNaturalist projects. As an end-of-year roundup for 2021, we wrote brief journal posts thanking visitors for their observations in the parks, explaining what we are trying to do, which species were most commonly observed, and tagging each participant so they will be alerted to the journal post. We hope that visitors that frequent the parks will be more likely to look for invasives and post them to iNaturalist, once they are aware of our projects. We also linked the journal posts to the early detection guides so park visitors can learn about the less common invasive species and keep an eye out for them.

Finally, we are trying to use social media platforms to get the word out as well. The network parks in West Virginia partnered with us to create videos that were shared on NPS park Facebook pages as well as uploaded to YouTube. These videos introduce viewers to iNaturalist, explain our intent, and encourage participation. Also, after jetbead was found in Friendship Hill National Historic Site, we used that as an opportunity to get the word out and posted on the park Facebook page about the sighting and encouraged visitors to use iNaturalist.

iNaturalist has been a good addition to our toolset for detecting early invaders. It has allowed us to utilize data from hundreds of observers with minimal effort, but we acknowledge its limitations. Moving forward, we will keep recruiting new observers and continue the never-ending task of looking for new invaders.

Notes: The iMapInvasives program currently partners with iNaturalist by offering a special map layer (directly in the iMapInvasives database) of the most recent five years of data sourced from iNaturalist.

iMapInvasives also allows its registered users to set email alerts that will source data from both iMapInvasives and iNaturalist.

Ana Casillas Brownson is a Biological Science Technician with the  Eastern Rivers and Mountains Inventory and Monitoring Network  of the National Park Service. She leads the forest health monitoring crew through the forests of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and West Virginia.

Ana and her husband love to travel the world looking for new hikes to go on and awesome plants to admire.

Story written by Amy Jewitt, Invasive Species Coordinator at the  Western Pennsylvania Conservancy  and the  Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program 

Invasive species can hide in plain sight if we aren't honing our plant and animal identification skills and purposely searching for them. Beginning in January 2023, take part in a New Year's challenge by selecting 12 invaders to research and get to know better. Then the next time you're adventuring outdoors, you may spot a new or novel species worth reporting.

How often does this happen to you? You're walking in your neighborhood or along your favorite nature trail and you see a new plant or animal. You stop, get a closer look, take in the details and distinguishing characteristics, and wonder about it. You might ask yourself, "Have I seen this before? What could this be?" You may even take some time to use your preferred identification app and learn more about the species in front of you. For other people, however, the scientific process may end there and you keep going, anxious to be on your way.

The art of wondering is what drives learning, and in the realm of invasive species, it's imperative to always keep learning to ensure we stay aware of new and novel invaders, or common species we might not already be familiar with. In the example scenario described above, the plant or animal you're looking at may be something common in your area, or it could be a species recently arrived or not yet widespread; in other words, a high priority species worth reporting!

The online world is full of practical resources that can educate us on many topics, including invasive species. These digital tools help us stay sharp and aware of species to be on the lookout for.

With 2023 almost upon us, I am proposing a New Year's challenge to all readers of our newsletter. During each month of the new year, educate yourself on an invasive plant or animal you're currently unfamiliar with by digging into the plethora of online information. The following is a suggested list of resources to get you started:

•  PA iMapInvasives Tracked Species List 
•  Western PA Conservancy's Invader Watch List 
•  DCNR Invasive Plant Fact Sheets 
•  Invasive Species of Concern for PA  (PA Governor's Invasive Species Council)
•  Penn State Extension Invasive Plant Fact Sheets 
•  Invasive Plants of Pittsburgh  (online field guide)
•  Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas  (online field guide)
•  Pennsylvania's Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species 
•  Mid-Atlantic Field Guide to Aquatic Invasive Species 

Set yourself up for success by creating a simple Word document that includes all 12 months, and then list the name of an individual invasive species next to each month. Beginning in January and at the start of each consecutive month, research the species you chose by answering the following questions:

• How do I identify this species; what are its distinguishing characteristics?
• What are some of its look-alikes?
• What type of habitat(s) does it prefer to live in?
• Where is it native to?
• Where has it been found to-date in Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region?

Hint: To help answer the last question regarding species distributions, tap into resources including  iMapInvasives ,  iNaturalist ,  EDDMapS ,  USGS NAS , and the  Biota of North America Program .

Now, the challenge... Follow through with your list. Get to know the species you've selected and pride yourself on the knowledge you'll gain from thoroughly researching each plant or animal as best you can.

From this effort, perhaps the next time you're out enjoying nature, you may notice one or more of the species on your list and know exactly what you're looking at. When this happens, remember to report your finding! Documenting a report for an invasive species is crucial to better understanding its geographic distribution and can help natural resource professionals prioritize their future land management efforts. In Pennsylvania, reports submitted to iMapInvasives can be made via our  online database , the  classic mobile app  or  Survey123 app , or by using our  public report form .

If you decide to take part in this challenge, use hashtag #WPCInvasives on social media. Tell us what species are on your list and if you're finding any of them during your outdoor adventures.

Thanks in advance to all who choose to participate in our 2023 Invasive Species Challenge!

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program collectively administer a program in Pennsylvania known as  iMapInvasives , a database which accepts reports of invasive plants, animals, and insects found in the Commonwealth. All reports are reviewed by a species expert prior to being confirmed in the database to ensure data quality.

iMapInvasives is freely available for public use and requires a  login account  to view data.  Public reports  of invasive species sightings are accepted by Pennsylvania iMapInvasives from individuals without registered login accounts.

 NatureServe  is the developer of iMapInvasives. In addition to Pennsylvania, several other U.S. states and Canadian provinces participate in the  iMapInvasives network .