By: Mona Dominguez
AWW Program Director Mona Dominguez was invited to join a panel on Volunteer Citizen-Science Coordination at the 2025 Invasive Species Ambassador Training hosted by Wild Spotter, a nationwide program mapping invasive species. Read on for a recap of Mona’s experience and more about the Wild Spotter program.
By now, it is no secret that invasive species of plants and animals have negative ecological impacts. According to the USDA, an invasive species is a species that is not native to a specific ecosystem and whose introduction has the potential to cause economic, environmental, or human health problems. This definition extends to any seeds, eggs, spores, etc. that contribute to the species’ spread. Invasive species cause billions of dollars of damage in the U.S. each year.
A number of invasive species have been intentionally introduced to an ecosystem because of their aesthetic properties as ornamental plants. In many cases, the introductions occurred at a time when the threat invasives pose to the ecosystem were not as well known. Unfortunately, even today some invasive species are sold in garden centers.
Accidental introductions have occurred when invasive species travel with shipments of goods. For example, imported wood used for shipping pallets or lumber may harbor invasive pests. Invasive mussels or plants that attach to boat hulls can spread from one waterbody to another. Once an invasive species enters a new ecosystem, they become difficult to impossible to eradicate, therefore, we have regulations and recommendations aimed at preventing the spread. Adoption of effective prevention strategies is essential to minimize the negative impacts.
Several years ago, the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, U.S. Forest Service, and Wildlife Forever created the participatory science project, Wild Spotter, with the goal of establishing the first nationwide inventory of invasive species. Volunteers can utilize the Wild Spotter smartphone app to identify and report aquatic and terrestrial invasive species. Once data is submitted through the app, experts review and verify the invasive species identified and eventually publicize the data through a UGA hosted database (UGA Cooperative Extension).
Identifying where invasive species populations exist, quantifying the size of a population, and regularly monitoring population growth or decline can be an extremely time consuming and expensive task. Government agencies and academic researchers who focus on invasive species management often do not have the capacity to collect the amount of data on invasive species needed to inform their decisions. For this reason, citizen science is an extremely important tool that can help fill data gaps that could otherwise lead to gaps in management. Furthermore, citizen scientists engaged in projects like Wild Spotter become local experts who raise awareness in their communities.
To volunteer with Wild Spotter, you simply register online and download the Wild Spotter app for your smartphone. Before you submit invasive species data, you will need to determine where you would like to collect data. There are several ongoing projects in Alabama “Wild Places” that are already established in the app, including our National Forests. However, you can also choose to establish your own “Wild Place” such as a local park or even your backyard. The Wild Spotter website hosts helpful “how-to” videos and other instructions that can help you get started.
In February 2025, I had the opportunity to participate in the second annual Wild Spotter Ambassador Training in Guntersville State Park. During the multi-day training more than 25 speakers shared their expertise on various topics related to partnership building and stakeholder engagement, branding and marketing, innovative tools and technologies, volunteer coordination, and leadership community action. I was able to draw from my experience with AL Water Watch, Alabama Extension’s citizen science program focused on water quality, to share best practices for volunteer recruitment, retention, and management. Participants will utilize the knowledge they gained to incorporate Wild Spotter and additional invasive species education into the programming they conduct for nonprofits, National, State, and City Parks, informal education centers, and Extension systems. Consider applying to be part of the next Wild Spotter Ambassador Cohort to become better equipped to teach others about invasive species and how to utilize Wild Spotter to track their spread. For more information visit wildspotter.org.
