About the Invaders Program

The rise of biological invasions by harmful exotic species of plants and animals is a growing and very real problem. Exotic species — organisms that evolved in one area of the world that now occur in other areas — are becoming increasingly worrisome. One reason behind the worry is that we, humans, are the major intentional and/or unwitting agent of transportation for these marauding plants and animals. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is one of many public agencies and private organizations working to confront this problem.

Invaders of Texas
The Invaders of Texas Program is an innovative campaign whereby volunteer "citizen scientists" are trained to detect the arrival and dispersal of invasive species in their own local areas. That information is delivered into a statewide mapping database and to those who can do something about it. The premise is simple. The more trained eyes watching for invasive species, the better our chances of lessening or avoiding damage to our native landscape.

Early Detection and Reporting
The Early Detection and Reporting (EDR) Initiative supports the creation and perpetuation of a network of local citizen scientist teams who seek out and report outbreaks of selected environmentally and economically harmful invasive species. These teams, coordinated by Strange Days consortium partners, will contribute important data to local and national resource managers who will, in turn, coordinate appropriate responses to control the spread of unwanted invaders. The Invaders EDR Initiative is designed to move the target audience beyond awareness to action on invasive species.

Program History
The national pilot program, Invaders, was developed by a consortium of Botanic Gardens, Natural History Museums, Zoos, and Aquaria in partnership with Sea Studios Foundation, National Geographic and Vulcan Productions. It was launched on April 20 when National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth TV series premiered its opening episode about invaders on PBS. The first Invaders program, Invaders of the Sonoran Desert Region, was developed by the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (ASDM).

Invaders Consortium

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower
Missouri Botanical Garden
New England Aquarium
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Woodland Park Zoo