Transcript SE-EPPC’s Invasive Plant Mapping Program

EDDMapS:
Invasive
Species Mapping Made
Easy!
Karan Rawlins, University of Georgia
Trish Gramajo-St. John , The Nature Conservancy
Andrea Mitchell, The Nature Conservancy
Part I
 EDDMapS overview
 Goals for CISMAs
 Entering Data
•EDDMapS is a Tool
•IPAM is a Project
•FNAI is a Program
•CISEH is a Program
EDDMapS is a Tool
 Early Detection & Distribution
Mapping System created by CISEH
 Chosen by FISP for CISMAs
 Chosen by Florida Fish & Wildlife for
Invasive animals data
 Easy to use
 Easy to add images
 EDRR tracking
IPAM is a Project
 Invasive Plant Atlas of the MidSouth
 Designed to accomplish a specific
goal
 Funded for a specific time frame
 Mapping tool created to accomplish
the goal
FNAI is a Program
 FNAI: Florida Natural Areas Inventory
 Has several goals
 Mapping invasive species in Florida’s
natural areas is one of the goals
 Requires more GIS knowledge to use
CISEH is a Program
 CISEH: The Center for Invasive
Species and Ecosystem Health
 EDDMapS is a mapping tool created
by CISEH
 Two way sharing of data with other
projects and programs
 Entirely Grant Funded
EDDMapS Shares Data With:
EDDMapS Partners
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National park Service
USDA Forest Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council
Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council
Alaska Natural Heritage Program
The Nature Conservancy
Missouri River Watershed Coalition
Center for Invasive Plant Management
Center for Research on Invasive Species & Small Populations
USDA NRCS Plants Database
River to River CWMA
Florida Invasive Species Partnership
Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Florida Natural Areas Inventory
Invasive Plant Atlas of the MidSouth
Texas Invaders
Other CISEH Projects/Tools
 www.forestryimages.org
 www.invasive.org
 www.ipmimages.org
 www.insectimages.org
•103,000 images available in multiple
resolutions from 1500 photographers
•Launch web interface in 2001 with 3,500
images
Goals for each CISMA
Steps to get started
1. Create a local Early Detection list
2. Add EDDMapS to annual plant ID
training
3. Find a local verifier (or two)
4. Create a list of audiences to train
1. EDRR
Early
Detection
& Rapid
Response
Simple EDRR Flow Chart
Species reported (Create a List)
Species verified
Rapid assessment
RESPONSE
Control & Containment
Strategies/Priorities
Outliers
Advancing Front
Special
Habitat
Severely Infested
Zones
South-wide Early Detection Zone for Cogongrass
July 2008
2. Annual EDDMapS
Training
Why EDDMapS?
 Fast and easy to use - no knowledge
of GIS required
 Web-based mapping of invasive
species distribution to help fill gaps
and identify “leading edge” ranges
 Facilitates Early Detection and Rapid
Response implementation with online
data entry forms, e-mail alerts and
network of expert verifiers
 One Database for both local and
national data
 Data can be searched, queried and
downloaded in a variety of formats
 Cooperates with and aggregates data
from other invasive species mapping
projects
 Custom/hosted applications can be
quickly and inexpensively developed
Levels of Data
 County-level data
 Point data
Verified
 Herbarium voucher - Highest
 Photograph
 Expert observation
 Unverified
 Report without specimen, photograph or
verification by expert
Uses of Data
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More complete distribution data
Early detection of new invaders
Identification of “leading edges”
Refinement of lists and priorities
Clearer picture of invasive species
problem
 Justification of need for management
and resources
3. Find a Local
Verifier
Why is it important?
What do they do?
 Everything goes in as unverified until
someone reviews it
 When something is reported an email is
automatically generated and sent to verifier
 Verifier reviews report
 If trusted observer or clear pictures verify
 If not follow up with observer
 Worst case – verifier or CISMA member
visits location
What is It?
This animal was photographed in
Northeast Georgia. Can you tell us
what it is and if it is just an albino of a
native species or, in fact, a non-native
animal?
Thanks for you help.
Jake Reid
Photos by Jake Reid
Photos by Ricky Layson Photography, Bugwood.org
Photo by Michael Lusk
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
4. Create a List of
Audiences to Train
Florida Invasive
Species
Working Groups
Stakeholder Groups
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DNR
Master Naturalists
Master Gardeners
Scouts
DOT
???
Entering Data
•Helpful Hints
•Common Questions
Showy rattlebox, Crotalaria spectabilis
60 feet
100 feet
60 feet
100 feet
60 feet
100 feet
Future Enhancements to
Distribution Maps
 Show County or CWMA/CISMA
boundaries on Google Maps
 Map Negative Data – over 1
million records from Alaska
 View Data by Year
 Select area on map and view
multiple species
Future Enhancements to
Tools and Training
 Advanced Query Tools
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By State or Multiple States
By User
By Habitat
Any Attribute or Combination of
Attributes
 Download custom data
 Map custom data
Future Enhancements to
Tools and Training
 View species reported in surrounding
states/counties but not in selected
state/county
 Online Training Course with CEU’s
 Better Field and Electronic Forms
Future Enhancements to
Report Sightings
 Add unlisted species
 Certainty of Identification
 Report without having an user account
 Save a Location
(My Favorite Locations)
 Better Error Checking
 EDDMapS Mobile
Part II
 How to Collect Data
 Good Images
 Herbarium Specimens
How to collect data
 GPS unit: set to
degrees decimal
 Digital camera
 Check your equipment
Geotagging of Photos
Field Safety
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Avoid walking through areas where you cannot see your feet. Thick
vegetation may hide venomous animals or uneven terrain from view.
If searching for species patches from a vehicle, always go in teams.
Vehicle drivers should pay attention to the road. Passengers can look
for target species.
When surveying on roadsides, pull vehicles far off the road, taking
care to park on a firm surface. Be aware of passing traffic and stay
clear of traffic lanes while collecting data.
Bring a cell phone (but be aware that many remote areas are out of
service range) and carry a topographic map or trails map of the area in
which you are hiking.
Always hike with at least one partner and inform someone not in your
party of where you are going and when you plan to return.
Bring sufficient water and sun protection.
If you have known allergies or other medical conditions that might
require you to take medications in the field, then bring your
medications with you.
Field Kit
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Backpack
Camera
Camera memory card
USB card reader and cable
Extra batteries
GPS Unit
Clipboard
Blank data sheets
Species ID cards (if available)
EDDMapS handbook
Pencils/sharpie pens
Maps
Seed removal brush
First Aid kit
Good Images
 Choose your
subject : what
are you trying
to show?
Focus
 sure the subject is in focus
Light
 Usually having the sun behind you,
rather than behind your subject is
best.
Plants:
Site
Infestation kudzu, Pueraria
montana var.
lobata
photo by Karan Rawlins,
University of Georgia
Plants:
Close-up
Shrub - Chinese
privet, Ligustrum
sinense
photo by Chris Evans,
University of Georgia
Identifying
characteristics
Tree-of-heaven,
Ailanthus altissima
glandular notch
at the base of
the leaflets
photo by Chris Evans, University of Georgia
Identifying characteristics
Animals: Site
Identifying
characteristics
Head
Markings
Color
Shape/size
General hints
 Take multiple photographs of the same subject and choose the best
for uploading
 Look for unique features such as pointed rhizomes on cogongrass,
or glandular notches at the base of tree-of-heaven leaflets
 Position yourself so the sun is over your shoulder for the best light
(Frontlit image)
 Automatic settings on digital cameras work very well for most
situations
 Digital cameras usually have a macro setting for close-ups
 Remember the images will be used to validate your report to
EDDMapS, so good images make all the difference.
 Have fun!
Be prepared
Know your camera – read the manual
Take extra batteries and memory
cards with you
iPhone Web App
Other Mobile Platforms
Herbarium Specimens
 Plant collecting guidelines
 Using a plant press
 Buying or making a plant press
 Mounting guidelines for herbarium
samples
Plant Collecting Guidelines
 Collect only native or naturalized
species from natural environments
 Try to collect fertile plants only
(currently producing flower or fruit).
 Do not collect a plant if there are only a
few like it in the area, take a picture
instead.
 Collect as many identifying
characteristics of the plant as you can
(i.e. flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, etc.).
Collect Identifying
Characteristics
Plant Press
 When filling your plant press, begin at the bottom
and work up.
 Place each plant in a single fold of newspaper on top
of a blotter (larger newspapers such as The Wall
Street Journal work best).
 Do not over stuff plant material into a press. Be neat.
 Make sure the plant fits nicely into the press. If
needed, bend plants into a 'V' or 'N' shape.
 Layer with a blotter, then cardboard and then
another blotter before pressing the next plant.
 After arranging all specimens in the plant press,
place the top on the press and secure down tightly
with the fasteners.
Example herbarium label:
PLANTS OF GEORGIA
Solanum nigrum L.
TIFT Co. Grass verge at north west corner of Moore Hwy. at the I-75
overpass . N lat. 31.475963;
W long. –83.523216.
Highly disturbed roadside area. Several invasive species present.
Partially shaded by native and invasive trees and shrubs.
K.A. Rawlins
22 October 2009
Solanaceae
Now it is your
turn!
Thank You!
www.eddmaps.org/florida
www.floridainvasives.org