Mary and I attended a full-day class yesterday to become trained citizen scientists for the Texas Invasives program.

Texas Invasives is a operated by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and supported by partners such as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and others. The purpose of Texas Invasives is to manage non-native invasive plants and pests in Texas.

What is an invasive species? An “invasive species” is defined as a species that is non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. (Executive Order 13112).

An invasive species succeeds because in its new environment, it lacks predators, diseases, and competitors that would normally regulate its population. As it spreads and takes over ecosystems, it decreases biodiversity by threatening the survival of native plants and animals. Invasives are a significant threat to half of the currently listed endangered species. In addition, they have a large financial impact because of efforts to prevent, monitor, and control their spread.

Be sure to visit the Texas Invasives web page for more information and to see how you can get involved.

The class consisted of learning about the problem of invasives, some of the history, and identifying some of the common problem species in Hays County. We also learned how to record data for a report, including noting the GPS coordinates, taking a photograph for validating the identification, keeping field notes about the size or extent of the patch, and the local conditions. Our instructor was Travis Gallo, who is the Texas Invasives Program Coordinator.

The class consisted of lecture and field work, where we learned to do an actual report.

Travis Gallo, our instructor, discussing filling out a data report.

The report data is entered through a web page and after validation becomes part of the Texas Invasives database which is available to professionals who can assess the problem and decide on what steps are appropriate to manage or control the invasives. The database is accessible through a Google Maps interface so the geographical distribution is easy to visualize.

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

Our local group is called the Hays County Invaders and we’ll be concentrating on reporting in our county. Mary and I look forward to reporting our share of invasives.