Invasive Species Surveying Training Course

Date/Time
Date(s) - Thursday 25 Jan 2024
10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Location
Colne Valley Visitor Centre

Invasive species surveying training
We need your help! Due to the presence of multiple non-native invasive species throughout the Colne Valley and the Colne Catchment area, we need to develop a way of monitoring and surveying their presence so that removal can be organised effectively. This is where you come in! Please join us for the invasive species training event, to learn about the different invasive plant species present, how to identify them and how to survey them.

What are invasive species and why are they a problem?
Invasive species are species that are non-native to a given area that are causing problems, either environmentally or economically. For instance, they can predate or outcompete local species, leading to loss of local wildlife, alter habitats increasing issues like sedimentation into rivers and flooding, as well as cause harm to human health such as by producing harmful sap that can cause burns. Therefore, it is essential we manage these species! Currently, there is limited monitoring of these species, leading to issues they cause escalating.

About the Course
This will be an interactive training course, where we first learn about key problematic invasive species and how to identify them, followed by a walk and survey using mobile phones (you will need a smart phone) in the Denham Country Park. We will meet in the community room next to the Cafe in the Denham Country park to start the training course, and will finish with the survey practice.

After the Course
This is a great opportunity to learn new skills as well as become involved with contributing towards our citizen science initiatives. Following the training you will have the opportunity to sign up to particular survey routes, where you can then monitor your stretch of the river for these invasive species and direct action to help us tackle this problem!