Today marks the last day of National Invasive Species Awareness Week.
As you know, controlling invasive plants across the region takes a group effort. But there are many simple ways that every day citizens and neighbors can help improve the environment in their communities. Invasive plants can show up almost anywhere — in backyards, farms, forests, and streams. One can start in one’s own backyard by choosing only native species to plant in the landscape.
Also keep a lookout for invasive plants that have snuck into favorite places. If caught early, many invasive plants can be controlled mechanically by pulling them out. If one belongs to a community group, think about scheduling a “clean up” day to remove invasive plants — it’s a great way to get outdoors and make a difference.
One can also help by becoming a “Citizen Science” volunteer for the Allegheny Plateau Invasive Plant Management Area cooperative (APIPMA). The group is looking for eager volunteers to help the organization monitor and map invasive plants in and around the Allegheny National Forest and in many other areas within the Allegheny River watershed. With assistance, the group will be able to find the most critical areas in the region to target invasive plant control and eventually offer assistance to private landowners as well.
To get started, APIPMA will be offering free training this June to help participants learn how to identify a variety of invasive plants and develop a map to track their locations. This free training, brought to you through the generous support of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, will include hands-on lessons to learn the key characteristics for identifying a variety of invasive plants. Participants will receive a free copy of the book “Invasive Forest Plants of the Mid-Atlantic” published by Penn State Extension to take home.
There will also be additional training courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy on how to map and record invasive species locations using the iMapInvasives app for a smartphone or tablet. This tool allows one to record, download and post invasive plant locations to the internet, for all to see. To see how it works, visit www.imapinvasives.org/.
In exchange for this free training, the group asks participants to help by donating time to help monitor and map invasive plants in key areas around the region.
If interested, contact Kimberly Bohn, Penn State Extension (kkb29@psu.edu or 814-887-5613) or the McKean County Conservation District at 814-887-4001 for more information and registration details.
(Bohn is with the Penn State Extension and Groshek is with the McKean County Conservation District.)
