Outreach and Awareness | National Invasive Species Information Center

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Provides resources created to assist in increasing awareness of invasive species issues. See our Educator Resources for teaching materials. See our What You Can Do section to learn about general volunteer opportunities and ways the average citizen can help to control invasive species.

Spotlights

Habitattitude: Protect Our Environment (U.S.)

Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council; DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service; DOC. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Habits, Attitude, and Habitat—together they comprise Habitattitude. This educational campaign with the uncommon name addresses common concerns of private enterprise, state and federal natural resource agencies, and responsible pet owners: protecting our environment from the impacts of invasive species. Habitattitude seeks to inspire and empower people to explore the connection between responsible pet ownership and environmental stewardship.

See Habitattitude Prevents Pet Release in Wild (Press Release - Jun 12, 2019) announcing the re-launch of the Habitattitude educational campaign. Habitattitude’s website provides guidance for proper pet selection and care, along with sections on aquarium fish and water gardening. The new section on reptiles and amphibians addresses the variety of species and basic considerations and requirements for habitat, diet and health concerns. Another new component focuses on animals and plants in classroom education, and caring for them outside the home environment, in response to concerns about the potential for classroom pets to be released at the end of a school year.

Hungry Pests: Partner Tools

USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Provides partner tools to get the word out about how to help stop the spread of harmful invasive plant pests. Please download, print, and use these materials in your state outreach efforts. Includes promotional materials, featured articles, pest cards, state-specific brochures, infographics, print and online ads, and other materials.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this subject, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Outreach and Awareness

Council or Task Force

Education and Outreach

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.

Partnership

First Detector Program - Empowering Educators

National Plant Diagnostic Network.

As an Educator, you can play a unique role in protecting U.S. plant resources. Educators are trained First Detectors who recruit and train other individuals to notice and report exotic plant pest and pathogen activity.

GloBallast Partnerships Programme

GloBallast Partnerships Programme.

Building Partnerships to Assist Developing Countries to Reduce the Transfer of Harmful Aquatic Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water, simply referred to as GloBallast Partnerships (GBP), was initiated in late 2007 and is intended to build on the progress made in the original project. This was initially planned as a five-year project, from October 2007 to October 2012, but was extended until June 2017.

Habitattitude: Protect Our Environment (Canada)

Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada; Environment Canada.

Welcome to Habitattitude, a web site dedicated to invasive alien species for aquarium hobbyists, backyard pond owners, water gardeners and others who are concerned about conserving our natural aquatic environment. Introduction and spread of harmful plants and animals in our waterways as a result of these activities, is a growing concern. While most aquatic invasive species do not survive when released into the environment, some may, and if left unchecked, can cause irreversible damage to the environment by degrading our aquatic resources and making waters unusable for recreation. If you are an aquarium hobbyist or enjoy backyard pond and water gardening, you can learn more on this website.

Play Clean Go: Stop Invasive Species in Your Tracks

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; USDA. Forest Service.

Interagency partners in Minnesota have launched PlayCleanGo, an education and outreach campaign for outdoor recreationalists. The goal is to encourage outdoor recreation while protecting valuable natural resources. The objective is to slow or stop the spread of terrestrial invasive species (those that occur on land) through changes in public behavior. See how you can take action and stop invasive species in your tracks.

Resource Materials

Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program (Canada).

Provides free DVDs, watch cards, magnets, brochures, and other outreach materials.

Spread the Word

TexasInvasives.org.

Tell your friends and family about invasive species! Share videos, brochures, photos and other materials. Texas is a big state, and we can't get the word out to everyone without your help. You can either fill out the form to order them, or you can download versions from this website.

Take Action

United Soybean Board.

Take Action is a farmer-focused education platform designed to help farmers manage herbicide, fungicide and insect resistance. The goal is to encourage farmers to adopt management practices that lessen the impacts of resistant pests and preserve current and future crop protection technology.

Federal Government

APHIS Campagin: Defend the Flock Program

USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The Defend the Flock program provides information and resources from USDA and other experts for keeping poultry healthy. It includes practical tips from growers like you, veterinarians, state agencies, scientists, and industry professionals for practicing biosecurity every day. Biosecurity is a team effort. We have to work together to defend our nation’s flocks.

APHIS Campaign: Hungry Pests

USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

When it comes to preventing the spread of invasive pests, every one of us can play a big role. By doing the right things we can all help stop this threat to so much that we value. Please do your part and learn what you can do to leave Hungry Pests behind.

Non-native Invasive Species - Communication Tools

USDA. FS. Eastern Region.

Templates for fields guides, brochures, pamphlets, outdoor signs to be used to create quality materials to increase awareness and protection.

State and Local Government

Aquatic Invasive Species Outreach Materials

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Outreach materials are provided to help organizations and individuals promote aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention activities in their communities. Minnesota DNR's Invasive Species Program provides printed materials and design files, as well as providing review of AIS materials created by other organizations.

California Invasive Species Action Week (June 6-14, 2020)

California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The goals of the California Invasive Species Action Week (CISAW) are to increase public awareness of invasive species issues and promote public participation in the fight against California's invasive species and their impacts on our natural resources.

Prevention is the most effective strategy in managing invasive species. However, hundreds of invasive plants and animals have already established in California and are rapidly spreading each year. These invaders are negatively impacting our waters, our native plants and animals (some of them rare, threatened, or endangered), our agriculture, our health, our economy, and our favorite recreational places. Help us celebrate California's Invasive Species Action Week, and more importantly, help stop the spread of invasive species, by volunteering to take action.

Florida Plant and Apiary Industry Videos

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Division of Plant Industry.

The Division of Plant Industry produces informational videos, training videos and public service announcements as part of its mission to protect Florida's native and commercially grown plants and the state's apiary industry from harmful pests and diseases.

Academic

West Coast Ballast Outreach

University of California - Davis.

Professional

Invasive Species Tools and Resources

Wildlife Forever.

Wildlife Forever provides many full scale, turn-key, media, marketing and advertising services. Industry contacts save partners time while taking advantage of deep discounts. Wildlife Forever also pools funds to coordinate regional and multi-agency outreach programs. Wildlife Forever is committed to stopping the spread of invasive species with the necessary resources to provide outreach and educational materials, as well as an extensive network of partners with specialized skills and high impact marketing services for on-the-ground strategies targeting recreational users.