By: Kacey Shiflett
Serving with the WV Division of Forestry

The West Virginia Division of Forestry (WVDOF) and Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area (AFNHA) are both partner agencies in the Rivers and Gorges Cooperative Weed and Pest Management Area (RGCWPMA). The RGCWPMA is a partnership between federal, state, and local agencies, community associations, non-profit organizations, and private landowners aimed at coordinating efforts and programs for addressing the threat of invasive species. CWPMA members are dedicated to invasive species management. Their mission is to protect and preserve the unique and diverse landscapes of south-central West Virginia through the control, management, and eradication of invasive species, to promote environmental education and outreach, and to create coordinated efforts between federal, state and local organizations and members.

AmeriCorps member Kacey teaching at field trip

Every March the WVDOF organizes 4 citizen science lessons for 5th graders at Petersburg Elementary School. These lessons are about Non-Native and Invasive Species (NNIS). We use PowerPoint presentations and activities to teach these students what non-native and invasive species are, how they spread, how to identify specific species, and how to use GPS data to locate, track, and record information on them. These lessons are followed up by a hands-on learning field trip to Seneca Rocks Discovery Center every May.

Lesson 1 is about defining non-native and invasive species. A non-native species is a species that is not originally from the area or any species living outside of its natural range. An invasive species is a species that is non-native but also spreads in an uncontrolled manner and causes harm to native species. We emphasize the difference between non-natives and invasives because all invasive species are non-native but not all non-native species are invasive. After establishing these terms, we have a hands-on activity called Means and Modes that helps show students all the different ways invasive species can spread. Some invasive species are introduced intentionally (intentional relocation) and some accidental. The most common way invasive species are spread is by human activity. Other ways invasives can be spread are by firewood, cars, animals, boats, on clothes, and on boots.

Lesson 2 is about teaching the students how to identify invasive species. We show the students some unique features/characteristics of specific invasives that help them when identifying. We cover a little bit about invasive insect species such as Emerald Ash Borer, Spotted Lanternfly, Spongy Moth, and Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. But the invasive plant species we focus on the most are Autumn Olive, Garlic Mustard, Japanese Knotweed, Japanese Stiltgrass, Mile-a-Minute, and Tree of Heaven. Autumn olive leaves are green on top, but the underside is silver. This plant blooms white in the spring and has red berries in the fall. Garlic mustard is biennial meaning it takes 2 years to reach maturity. In its first-year garlic mustard is small, kidney shaped leaves that are coarsely toothed. The second year this plant can be 2-4 feet tall and blooms with little white flowers. Japanese Knotweed can be found in riparian areas, the leaves are usually broad with a flat/squarish base, and the stems are hollow with a zigzagged pattern. Japanese Stiltgrass gets a few feet tall, has a silver stripe down the center of the leaf blade, and has shallow roots. Mile-a-Minute grows like a vine with tiny thorns on the stems, has triangular shaped leaves (or as the students say “Dorito shaped”), and develops blue berries in the fall. Tree of Heaven has compound leaves with multiple leaflets. Each leaflet has small thumbs that stick out on the base, these thumbs have glands that produce an odor. The branches of the tree of heaven grow up towards the sky. You can find these invasive plant species taking over spaces throughout WV. Their seeds can easily establish themselves in disturbed soil. They spread quickly and outcompete our native plant species for space and other resources.

Lesson 3 is about GPS and mapping. We teach the students about GPS location, coordinates (latitude and longitude), and how the spatial data can be used to locate and track invasive species. We show the students how to use the Wild Spotter app which is a citizen science app that people can use to report sightings of invasive species. Certain agencies have used technology and apps to record data and use it to try to control the spread of invasives. Once agencies find where the invasive species are growing and spreading, they can go in and try to eradicate them with methods such as digging them up, controlled burns, and chemical spraying.

Lesson 4 is a review day where we review everything from the other lessons. After we review, the students play the web of life game. During this activity each student is an organism in the ecosystem, and they create a food web. When invasive species are introduced into the ecosystem, they see how the food web collapses. This is a fun hands-on activity that demonstrates the negative impact invasive species have on our ecosystems.

Every year these 5th grade students get to wrap up their school year with a citizen science field trip to Seneca Rocks Discovery Center. The field trip is a great way to tie all the citizen science lessons together. In previous years students were able to participate in a Garlic Mustard pull to help eradicate the invasive species near the discovery center. This year we had the field trip on May 20th. We had 5 stations: Fallen Log, Nature Journaling, GPS Scavenger Hunt, Water Wonders/Oh Deer, and Nature Hike. At the fallen log station, the students learned about what happens when a tree falls over. They learned about decomposers such as insects and fungi while they were dissecting dead tree logs with screwdrivers (while wearing safety glasses). This ties in well with NNIS lessons because invasive species such as Emerald Ash Borer, Spotted Lanternfly, Spongy Moth, and Hemlock Woolly Adelgid can be spread through firewood. At the nature journaling station students got to make their own nature journals. The students decorated their journals and wrote about what they were seeing and hearing. At the GPS station students used iPad to identify, take pictures, and report sightings of invasive species along the Trout trail. At the water wonders station the students made a bracelet while pretending they were water molecules moving through the water cycle. Then students played a game called Oh Deer that was adapted into an invasive species version. Some students were native plants, some students were resources within the habitat. The game was demonstrating how some habitats have limited resources and the native plants that did not get enough resources were replaced by invasive species. This activity shows students how invasive species outcompete our native species for resources. And at the nature hike station the students are walking along a nature trail looking at different plant and animal species. When looking at the plants they are paying close attention to see if they spot any invasive species. This year’s field trip was successful, and students learned while having a lot of fun.

There were 87 5th grade students that we taught at Petersburg Elementary School this year. The whole purpose of this project is to get students outside involved in the local forests and help their understanding and appreciation of the natural ecosystems around them.

Citizen Science Education Program on Non-Native and Invasive Species

Proud Partner of the National Park Service