Early-detection, distribution-mapping system will help locate AB pests

Megan Evans, Alberta Invasive Species Council Executive Director is excited about getting the word out on invasive species in the rural areas.

With today’s mass information highway, getting the word out is important as different invasive species enters in and near waterways and the prairie areas.

One way to keep track of all these many different invasive species is the EDDMapS which is an interactive and informative app for your phone and computer: neighbours helping neighbours.

“We were brought online fully in Alberta in 2012… it was called ED Map Alberta. It was an Alberta specific app. It has evolved over the years,” explained Evanswhose base office is in Blairmore.

“This month we have launched a new version of the app. Eventually we are going to faze out EDD MapS Alberta and we are only going to offer the EdMapps. This is a nation-wide app, cross the country to bring it online which is pretty exciting.

“The first thing you would do is to download it on your phone and can also use the web interface as well. You want to set up an account. The idea is that they will set up invasive species reports. We need to have their contact information to get in touch with them about follow-up and that sort of thing. If you are out and about, you can use this EDD Maps app. So you don’t even need to be in cell coverage. You can be out in the middle of no where, you see something, you take a photo of it. There will be a quick pop-up, where you are, the infestation and when you are in cell coverage you just hit upload. The report comes to us. We will verify it, so we will use the photos you sent to verify the species and then we will send to the local authority for follow up. This is can be really great of you are recreating in parks or protected areas or public areas or even in urban parks in areas or anywhere. You can literally make these reports from anywhere.”

Evans says it could be a really important tool. It’s really good for that early detection aspect: people can play a major role in helping prevent the establishment of new invasive species in Alberta. The other reason that people should use it is that it is a jam-packed with a ton of information about the invasive species we are on the look out for in the province. It has tonnes of information about the invasive species that Alberta Invasive Species Council is on the look out for that they currently have in the province

It has tonnes of information on how to identify plants, the biology of the species and she adds there are loads of photos.

“You can even access the current distribution maps for those species which are comprised of all the reports that have been submitted. So each time a report comes in, it gets added to this provincial distribution map which with each addition is a growing resource, it becomes a more robust and more valuable resource,” explains Evans. “There’s a number of reasons why it is a great tool. The distribution maps are publicly available as well. We cover all invasive species: we cover whirling disease, we have invasive fish, basic plants species, insects, you name it, it is all in there.

“This is a great thing to do during COVID, you can learn to identify your invasive plants and invasive species and recreating in our parks and our public lands. I think it is a great thing to help those land managers who manage these vast open areas to help them report, track and monitor these invasive species. Because there is so many more people out there because it is such an easy tool — you literally have it on your smartphone, your pocket. It is a great COVID activity, but I think it is a great activity regardless.”

According to the website EDD MapS is a web-based mapping system for documenting invasive species and pest distribution. It is easy to use, “and doesn’t require Geographic Information Systems experience. Launched in 2005 by the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia, it was originally designed as a tool for state Exotic Pest Plant Councils to develop more complete distribution data of invasive species. Since then, the program has expanded to include the entire US and Canada as well as to document certain native pest species. EDDMapS’ goal is to maximize the effectiveness and accessibility of the immense numbers of invasive species and pest observations recorded each year. As of May 2021, EDDMapS has over 5.2 million records. EDDMapS aggregates data from other databases and organizations as well as volunteer observations to create a national network of invasive species and pest distribution data that is shared with educators, land managers, conservation biologists, and beyond. This data will become the foundation for a better understanding of invasive species and pest distribution around the world.”

The documentation app is used by scientists, researchers, land managers, land owners, educators, conservationists, ecologists, farmers, foresters, state and national parks, etc. She says the idea is for ordinary people, landowners and those in agriculture in general to be on the look out for plants they know are trouble or out of the ordinary.

“We are talking about being on the lookout for new things, we are looking for new and novel invasive species because we want to eradicate those.

So if it’s something we don’t have yet, that we know is problematic, so when people do something out of the ordinary, they should submit it. We’re happy to look at it with them as again, it is part of the verification process,” explains Evans. “So we’re here to help people seeing something out of the ordinary, we always recommend they reach out, and we’re happy to figure out what it is with them.”

She notes that everything from hawkweed, Canada Thistle, Tall buttercup, and oxeye daisy is on the table.

“There are some of the more common ones that people might come across, and there’s always value in reporting those as well because that’s again some people may not know they have them, or you’re adding data to the situation that’s inherently valuable. So I would say the best piece of advice I can give to you is that if you see something that was out of the ordinary, report it and definitely the best way to get the biggest bang for our buck by eradicating things early on, than just letting them spread right and you can have very costly time consuming to control and eradication isn’t even possible in a lot of cases, if things have spread to any extent.”

Because the new version of this app will be launching soon, Evans says she wants people to get into it right away and when the times comes, they get into it.

She added, it is not only weeds and plants that are a problem, domestic fish are an issue too.

“Because we’re launching a new app, we’re having a bunch of contests this year, so what part of this is going to be highlighting a species of the month. So we’re going to kick that off in June… we actually talk about goldfish. So we know that, that there’s a major problem with people releasing their goldfish into stormwater ponds in Alberta thinking it is the humane thing to do… this is really terrible, we have goldfish infestations across the province. I know, many, many, many of our stormwater ponds have these fish in them, and we’re getting reports of these fish in the Bow River. Can they survive? What kind of risk is this you know, maybe there’s diseases and there’s all kinds of consequences that can come along with this. We want to promote messaging like don’t let them loose, there’s a lot of risk involved with that.

"So, hopefully, we are going to go in for the month of June and then we’re going to pick another July and then August, September, etc… there will be a lot of ways people can get involved.”