Wild Spotter is a citizen science project that aims to protect America's wild places from non-native plants, pathogens, and animals by creating the first-ever nationwide inventory of invasive species.

Wild Spotter is a collaborative project between the University of Georgia, Wildlife Forever and USDA Forest Service, along with numerous national, regional, state and local partners.

You can contact us at mappinginvasives@gmail.com

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Volunteers are a vital part of the Wild Spotter project. To become a volunteer, register either online through the Wild Spotter volunteer registration form or download the Wild Spotter app on your smartphone. Once registered, reach out to your nearest National Forest with the provided contact information on the Places page to discover on-going local projects to volunteer on. Or, just get outside and enjoy America's wild places while keeping an eye out for invasive species!

Partnerships are crucial for designing and implementing our resources as Wild Spotter works to manage invasive species through on-the-ground, community-based projects. To become a Wild Spotter partner, please visit our Partners page to find information about our current partners then fill out our Wild Spotter Partner registration form.

An invasive is any species, including its seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material capable of propagating that species, that is not native to that ecosystem; and whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.

Invasive species often develop large population sizes very rapidly because they are in a new environment, free from natural predators, parasites, or competitors. These high populations can out-compete, displace or kill native species or can reduce wildlife food and habitat. Some also have the potential to disrupt vital ecosystem functions, such as water flow, nutrient cycling, or soil decomposition. Other invasive species cause massive amounts of economic damage to the agricultural business by destroying crops and contaminating produce. Some invasive species can cause direct harm to humans or domestic animals. Check out our Prevention page to learn more.

Check out our What To Look For page for information on how to identify specific species that are threatening America's wild places. While there, you'll also be able to see selected images of each species and collect information on it's distribution, life cycle, and control efforts.

Check out our Where To Look page for specific information on Wild Spotter's priority pathways and vectors to look for invasive species infestations.

Invasive species are introduced through many means some of which are for agricultural or ornamental purposes. Accidental introductions are usually the result of contaminated freight or movement of contaminated wood products (e.g., shipping pallets, bracing and other dunnage), plants, or food products. Check out our Prevention page to learn more about how to prevent invasive species.

The simplest and most important thing anybody can do to help fight invasive species is to prevent their introduction and establishment. Invasive organisms can easily be transported on living plants or fresh products such as fruit. Many pests can be found in recently killed plant material including firewood, lumber, and wooden packing material. Avoiding the long-range movement of these materials is a simple way to slow the spread of pests. Buying only certified pest-free nursery stock is also a good idea. Check out our Prevention page to learn more.

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Infestations are quantified differently based on species type. Plants, generally, are quantified by how much space the plant covers (for example, smaller than a basketball, about car size, or larger than a school bus). An animal is quantified by the number of individual animals within one given area. Diseases can be quantified by the amount of damage that they have caused (for example, number of wilting/dying trees).

All data submitted through the Wild Spotter App goes through EDDMapS, a web-based system for mapping invasive species and pest distribution. EDDMapS provides a verifier network of professionals who confirm the identification of all data submitted. Only data that has been reviewed by a verifier, or an expert outside of the network, will enter the Wild Spotter database.

Check out our promotional video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7vxOfDt46o

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