Invasive species are a threat to native plants and animals, crowding out natives, consuming food sources, or acting as fire hazards. On our public lands, these invaders will grow and grow until identified and eliminated.

The National Park Service has teamed up with EDDMapS (Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System), UCLA, and the Center for Embedded Network Sensing (CENS) to create an invasives tracking system for national parks.

Visit www.whatsinvasive.org to get started. Once you register, you can download free apps for Android, iPhone, and iPad to make it simple to report invasives while you’re hiking in a national park. The technology tie-in makes this a great activity for kids – you can get them into nature and take advantage of the latest technology.

The species you identify will be placed on public map and alert park managers of the spread of these habitat-destroying invasives.