PREVENTION
YOU can help prevent the spread of invasive plants!
Are you a gardener? Are you interested in environmentally friendly management of shared spaces such as school grounds, public parks, or through a homeowners' association? Are you a professional landscaper? The plants we choose for our managed landscapes and gardens have a profound impact on the introduction and spread of invasive plants. Learn more about what you can do to prevent the spread of garden and landscape invasives here.
Do you enjoy outdoor recreation? Whether you're a hiker, dog walker, camper, birder, hunter, fisher, ATV rider, or boater, there are steps you can take to avoid moving invasive plants from place to place, described here.
Knowledge is power!
One of the best things you can do to prevent the spread of invasive plants is to become familiar with the challenges and harms caused by these plants, and then learn to identify the species that are present and spreading where you live.
- Lists of known invasive and watch plants maintained by state departments of natural resources and invasive plant councils are great resources for learning. MIPN links to these lists through the regional invasive plant list.
- Field courses on invasive plant identification are often available through local parks and forest preserves, nature centers, botany groups, and public gardens and arboreta.
- Once you can identify invasive plants, you can help resource managers track and control these species by reporting sightings via online resources and mobile apps.
- When you have a good handle on invasive plant issues, consider reaching out to your family, friends and neighbors to share what you know. It truly takes a whole community to keep these plants at bay!
- Encourage local organizations with an interest in outdoor recreation and/or natural area management to become PlayCleanGo partners and join the spread prevention campaign "Stop Invasive Species in Your Tracks."
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