1. The IPANE Project: Invasive Plant Atlas of New England
Leslie J. Mehrhoff
Invasive Plant Atlas of New England
University of Connecticut

2. IPANE Project Participants
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut
Homer Babbidge Library
Center for Cartographic Analysis
New England Wild Flower Society
Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, US F&WS

3. Primary Funding: United Stated Department of Agriculture –
Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems

4. IPANE Goals New England Early Detection Network
Gather current & historic distributional data
Make information available
Conduct & encourage scientific research
Increase public awareness
Train volunteer spotters
“Interoperability”

5. IPANE Project Components
Atlas of invasive or potentially invasive plants in New England
Interactive website
Volunteer training - NEWFS
Research – UCONN
Outreach - NIPGro
Regional Early Detection Network

6. User Community Academia Conservationists Land Managers
Government Agencies
Regulators & Legislators
Green Industries
Public

7. Before we got started... Convened a knowledgeable committee
Defined our geography
Established parameters for the kinds of data we would, and would not, gather
Established criteria
Established data gathering protocols

8. Data Warehouse IN Herbarium records Current field data OUT
Species Catalog
Collections database
Maps

9. IPANE Collections Databases
Herbarium specimen
20 + regional herbaria
Capture all label data
Geo-referenced – 35 K geo-reference points
Metadata
Current Field Data
Field data from trained volunteers
Geo-referenced from GPS or maps
Verified by IPANE staff

10. Importance of Herbarium Specimens
Document a species’ occurrence in space and time
Permanent record
Verifiable
Good for teaching, demonstration, or as an identification aid
“Herbarium currency”

11. Volunteer Network 450 in 3 years – 25 per state per year
Volunteer coordinator
Staff-run training sessions
Terrestrial and Aquatic species
On-line reporting forms
Verification and Quality Control

12. Spontaneous & Unsolicited Reports
“Report sighting” button on website
Verification
IPANE staff
Regional herbaria
FNA authors
Initiate Rapid Assessment process

14. The Invasive Plant Atlas for New England Website
invasives.eeb.uconn.edu/ipane
Maps & database
Catalog of species
Project information
Announcement and unmoderated lists
Volunteer support
Quizzes and “Weed Wisdom!”

16. IPANE Catalog Scientific and common names
Diagnostic & incursion photographs
Descriptive text
Historical information
Similar species
Hard copy references and hot links
Management links

19. Berberis spp.
Cardamine impatiens

23. IPANE Databases Herbarium records 20+ herbaria Historic perspective
Modeling & pathways

29. IPANE Databases Herbarium records 20+ herbaria Historic perspective
Modeling & pathways
Current field data
Ecological & site specific data
Available shortly

31. IPANE Maps Occurrences Herbarium records & current reports
State, county, town, & site occurrence
?? Automated

40. The IPANE Project: An Early Detection and Rapid Assessment Network for New England

41. Network Components Early Detection Rapid Assessment Rapid Response
Long-term Monitoring

42. IPANE Rapid Responders Database
Field Botanists
Floristic Botanists
Control & Management Experts
Regulatory Officials

43. IPANE Rapid Responders Database
Geography – states and regional
Responder categories
Ecological systems – terrestrial and aquatic

44. IPANE Rapid Assessment page
List of “Early Detection Species”
Table of species’ status in all 6 states
Early detection protocols
How to report a possible new incursion

48. IPANE list of species Approximately 100 species
Includes most of the species that appear on some state or regional list
Criteria used to determine biological potential for invasiveness
Problematic or questionable species

50. Other things on the IPANE website
Project information
Volunteers information
Associated projects
Associated research
Quizzes
Weed Wisdom!

58. Contact us -