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National Invasive Species Information Center
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Home » Resources » Resources by Subject » Community Action » What You Can Do

What You Can Do

Spotlights

  • After a Blight, the Trees that Survived Need Your Help (Feb 25, 2020)

    USDA. Blog.

    Humans adores trees. But humans also migrate and trade, habits that led to the accidental introduction of insects and diseases that harm trees and alter the landscape. Examples are easy to find and may be outside your front door: American elms that once dotted streets across America succumbed to Dutch elm disease. Now all colors of ash species – black, green, white, pumpkin, and blue – are threatened by emerald ash borer. The already uncommon butternut tree, also known as white walnut, faces the possibility of extinction from a mysterious attacker. Many invasive insects and fungi come from regions where native trees have evolved to resist their attacks. When these species enter the United States, they find trees that lack this resistance. There's no immediate end to this dismal pipeline, but there is hope on the horizon.

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 What You Can Do.

Council or Task Force

Commit to be Invasive Free
Invasive Species Council of British Columbia.
  • Don't Let it Loose! Be a responsible pet owner.
  • Commit to be PlantWise! Choose non-invasive alternatives for your garden.
  • Clean, Drain, and Dry your boat and equipment.
Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! - How You Can Help

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force. Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers.

Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers is an ANS Task Force public awareness campaign intended to educate the public on aquatic nuisance species (ANS) and stop or reduce unintended spread of ANS to new habitat by recreational activities such as boating, fishing, swimming, waterfowl hunting, SCUBA diving or snorkeling, windsurfing, seaplane operations, personal watercraft use, and recreational bait harvesting. This campaign is supported by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Partnership

Be Plant Wise
Great Britain Non-Native Species Secretariat.
The Be Plant Wise campaign, launched by Defra and the Scottish Government, is designed to raise awareness among gardeners, pond owners and retailers of the damage caused by invasive aquatic plants and to encourage the public to dispose of these plants correctly. We have developed resources with advice for gardeners and pond owners and are working closely with retailers of aquatic plants to provide information in stores. These pages contain the detailed information you need to Be Plant Wise.
Eyes in the Field: Citizen Scientists
TexasInvasives.org.
The Invaders of Texas Program is an innovative campaign whereby volunteer "citizen scientists" are trained to detect the arrival and dispersal of invasive species in their own local areas. That information is delivered into a statewide mapping database and to those who can do something about it. The premise is simple. The more trained eyes watching for invasive species, the better our chances of lessening or avoiding damage to our native landscape.
Montana Invasive Species - What Can I Do

Upper Columbia Conservation Commission; Montana Invasive Species Council.

To prevent and stop invasive species we need your help. You can take simple actions to help prevent the introduction and spread of noxious weeds and invasive species.

Oregon Invasive Species Online Hotline

Portland State University (Oregon).
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.

Federal Government

Defending Favorite Places: How Hunters and Anglers Can Stop the Spread of Invasive Species
USDA. FS. Invasive Species Program.
The documentary video, Defending Favorite Places, was produced on DVD as part of the National Invasive Species Threat Campaign. Linking invasive species management principles with the hunting and angling conservation ethic is critical as invasive species threaten the future of hunting and fishing.
Invasive Species - What You Can Do
DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Welcome to the What You Can Do page of the USFWS Invasive Species Web Portal. Invasive species is a global problem and everyone can play a part in preventing the introduction and spread of invasive species. The goal of this section is to provide information for the general public, via USFWS content and links to existing information, on what they can do for invasive species prevention.
Traveler Information
USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
This site can help you determine what items can be brought into the U.S. Bringing food and other items back from your travels could impact the health and safety of American agriculture and natural resources. For example, travelers cannot bring in most fresh fruits and vegetables because they can carry plant pests or diseases. Just one pest could devastate multiple agricultural industries.
 

State and Local Government

Reduce Invasive Hitch-Hikers
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Do you hike? Boat? Or camp? Check out these fact sheets for tips to reduce the chance of spreading invasives when you recreate on DCNR lands and in your own backyard.
Statewide Eyes

Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Do you hike, ride, bird, camp, fish, or otherwise recreate in state parks, forests or wildlands? Lend YOUR eyes to help Maryland's biodiversity! The Maryland Natural Heritage Program designed Statewide Eyes to allow volunteers and researchers alike to collect more information about invasive plants on state lands quickly. Volunteers (like you!) use a free mobile application called the Mid-Atlantic Early Detection Network (MAEDN) to identify, photograph and map the location of invasive plants, focusing on ecologically significant sites.

Academic

Professional