Call for Citizen Science Invasive Species Volunteers: Join the effort to help locate and eradicate invasive plants from WA State!

•

About the Program

The PNW Invasive Plant Council is a non-profit conservation group (http://www.pnw-ipc.org/)

working in partnership with the Washington Dept. of Agriculture (WSDA) and other state and local conservation groups on a Citizen Science EDRR (Early Detection Rapid Response) program. With funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, we are in our second year and are very excited to recruit new volunteers and inspire our current volunteer base to search for newly emerging invasive plant populations within our target areas. Our target areas are on public lands (e.g., National Forests, Wildlife Conservation Areas, and Natural Area Preserves etc.) within ten WA counties (Jefferson, Clallam, Grays Harbor, Mason, Pierce, Thurston, Lewis, Kittitas, Yakima and Klickitat). If you are hiking, boating, kayaking, horseback riding or working in these areas and are interested in participating in our program, you are invited to attend one of our two upcoming trainings on May 5th and 6th (1pm – 3:30pm).

Training Locations and Dates for 2013:

Sunday, May 5th; 1pm – 3:30pm at NorthwestTrek Wildlife Park in Eatonville, WA

11610 Trek Drive East, Eatonville, WA; Specific location of training will be sent to participants who sign up for the trainings. General location information about Northwest Trek can be found at http://www.nwtrek.org/

Monday, May 6th, 2013; 1pm – 3:30pm at LOTT Clean Water Alliance Center in Olympia, WA

500 Adams Street NE, Olympia, WA; Specific location of training will be sent to participants who sign up for the trainings. General location information can be found at http://www.lottcleanwater.org/directions.htm

***Capacity is limited so if you would like to attend one of the trainings, please RSVP to Julie Combs at pnw.ipc.org@gmail.com (or call 615-812-5295) to reserve your place! We look forward to seeing you there.

Citizen Science EDRR Volunteer Training

Our mission is to train citizens to identify a suite of invasive plants and to take basic data on their location and population numbers so we can inform land managers of their presence which will help lead to their eradication before they spread. We will train volunteers to identify 30 EDRR plants in a 2.5 hour training which will include a PowerPoint presentation and an opportunity to examine herbarium species of target species. Live material will also be used if possible. Volunteers who sign up for the program will receive a training booklet to help ID species in the field along with survey forms. EDRR trainings are free. Trainings are intended to equip volunteers with the knowledge necessary to conduct EDRR plant surveys in target areas. We hope that each volunteer who attends the trainings can commit to at least two surveys over the 2013 field season.