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ITP is pleased to announce that Sawfly GenUS is now complete. Developed in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Sawfly GenUS is an interactive identification tool for all sawfly genera found in the United States and Canada. This tool is intended to help recognize exotic sawfly introductions and provide access to general information on affected plants, range, and diversity of these insects. This tool should be useful for port identifiers and screeners, provincial and state departments of agriculture, university extension professionals, and any non-expert with an interest in sawflies.

Identifying the leading edge of an invasion can be difficult, especially when the invader is a native transplant, or if the invader is not well-known. This tool allows a user to upload a biological dataset collected anywhere in the conterminous U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, or Island Territories to screen for occurrences of non-native and invasive aquatic species tracked by the NAS Database.

Help us record life in the Smokies as a community scientist! Use the iNaturalist app to record any animal, plant and other lifeform you find in the National Park. Want to take things up a notch? Look for the 100+ high priority species found in our Smokies Most Wanted Guide.

Discover Life in America, the nonprofit research partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is inviting the public to participate in its latest project, Smokies Most Wanted, an initiative that allows visitors to help conserve park species by recording sightings of animals, plants and other organisms from their smartphones. Powered by the nature app iNaturalist, Smokies Most Wanted encourages park visitors to document any organism they encounter while hiking, camping, or otherwise enjoying the park — from birds to wildflowers, insects to lichens. DLiA then uses the data collected through iNaturalist for a variety of functions, like recording new park species or detecting invasive ones, learning about under-studied or rare species, and mapping species across the park.

For more information about the Smokies Most Wanted project, visit dlia.org/smokiesmostwanted — or browse the list of Smokies Most Wanted species at inaturalist.org/guides/9115.

The Southeast Early Detection Network (SEEDN) app brings the power of Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) to your smartphone. Now you can submit invasive species observations directly with your smartphone from the field. These reports are uploaded to EDDMapS and e-mailed directly to local and state verifiers for review. SEEDN is more than just a smartphone app; it is an integrated invasive species reporting and outreach campaign for the Southeastern United States that includes the app and the EDDMapS website.

See related resource: Data Visualization Tools to explore plant and animal health management data and interactive story maps

The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was an iconic tree that is now functionally extinct. For a hundred years, researchers from multiple organizations have been working to restore this tree. A free online course – An Introduction to the American Chestnut – is now available. The course covers chestnut taxonomy, silvics, historical importance, ecology, and its demise. A second course in development will cover American chestnut restoration and management.

See related resource: Data Visualization Tools to explore plant and animal health management data and interactive story maps

Ticks may not seem dangerous, but they can cause disease and even death in livestock and pets. There are hundreds of tick species in the world, about 10 percent of these species are found in the United States. Now there’s one more to watch out for. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the presence of the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis). It probably arrived in the United States in or before 2010. Exactly how or when is unknown, but one thing is certain: it may have entered on domestic pets, horses, livestock or people. While we know the impact of this tick in other parts of the world, we are still studying how they may affect U.S. agriculture, and our environment.
See related resource: Data Visualization Tools to explore plant and animal health management data and interactive story maps

An interactive story map of the USDA’s history of combating the infestation and the continuing efforts to protect ash trees in the U.S.
See related resource: Data Visualization Tools to explore plant and animal health management data and interactive story maps

New website delivers spectacular images and details of some of the world's bees. ARS scientists need your help in monitoring and protecting our important pollinators. The Exotic Bee ID website, designed and developed as a screening aid to support identification of non-native bees, offers spectacular views of some of our most important and not so important pollinators with stunning clarity. Watch the  video to learn more about this new tool.

Exotic Bee ID was designed and developed as an interactive screening aid to help those that monitor and intercept non-native bees in the U.S. Theintention is to help reduce the loss of valuable native pollinators through early detection of possible invasives.

Citizens with an avid interest in environmental matters will be able to 'sea' their environmental reports using mobile technology. The first of its kind in Trinidad and Tobago, the Institute of Marine Affairs' new Integrated Environmental Incident Software Platform and mobile application, called the Lionfish SeaiTT, allows users to report environmental incidents with the touch of a button. The development of this mobile application was part of a 2014 Green Fund project entitled 'Control and Management of the Invasive Lionfish in Trinidad and Tobago' which aimed to raise awareness on the arrival of the marine invasive species, the lionfish, Pterios volitans, to the territorial waters around Trinidad and Tobago, and the imminent threat the species pose to domestic marine ecosystems.

The dynamic story map will be updated with new developments as they happen. 

The Invasive Alien Species in Europe app allows you to learn and share information about Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in Europe. It provides details of about 66 IAS that are considered to be of interest to the European Union. You can become a scientist yourself and record pictures of potentially Invasive Alien Species and add information to them. Find out more on the EASIN - European Alien Species Information Network. Download the app for iOs or Google Play, or check out the EU Science Hub.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Invasive Species Program provides essential research and tools to help resource managers reduce or eliminate the threat of invasive species.
See also: Geonarratives for all USGS geonarrative / story map resources

The United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species ( US-RIIS ) serves as a national inventory for all non-native and invasive species that are established (naturally reproducing) within three localities of the United States: Alaska, Hawaii, and the conterminous (or lower 48) United States.
See related resource: United States Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (US-RIIS)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) delivers high-quality data, technologies, and decision-support tools to help managers reduce existing populations and control the spread of invasive carp in the Nation's waterways.
See also: Geonarratives for all USGS geonarrative / story map resources

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) delivers high-quality data, technologies, and decision-support tools to help managers reduce existing populations and control the spread of invasive carp in the Nation's waterways.
See also: Geonarratives for all USGS geonarrative / story map resources

Science conducted by the USGS and the White-nose Syndrome (WNS) Response Team. Our scientists are tracking the fungus as it spreads and characterizing the effects of WNS on hibernating bat populations in North America.