Citizen Science Saturday: EDDMapS Training

EDDMapS (Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System) is a web-based mapping system for documenting invasive species and pest distribution. 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.

Beach vitex, Vitex rotundifolia, is native to the Pacific Rim and was introduced into the continental United States in the 1980s as a beach stabilization plant.It is a deciduous, woody invasive shrub that does not grow tall but forms thick patches by long runners at the soil surface.Thick clumps of stems and leaves formed by beach vitex on the front dunes and upper beach may contribute to the nesting decrease of the federally threatened loggerhead sea turtle in South Carolina. After an eradication effort several years ago, beach vitex has been found to be regrowing and becoming an emerging issue. Learn how to use EDDMaps to help to document the locations and extent of beach vitex so that eradication and due restoration efforts can be planned.

Please register for an account at eddmaps.org and download the phone app prior to the training.