Identifying Invasive Species in the Ottawa River Watershed
Help spot invasive species! Get to know the ones present in your region of the watershed so you can be on the look out.
Invasive Species are a threat to native biodiversity. These are species introduced to a region where they were not naturally found, through intentional, unintentional, or accidental human activity, and that are known to be harmful to native biodiversity.
There are many invasive species throughout the Ottawa River watershed, but some are more of a threat than others. Tracking these invasive species is important so that we get a clear picture of their impact, as well as how to avoid spreading them further.
We’ve developed training information and quizzes to help residents identify and report the species we are most concerned about. Select your region of the watershed with the map below, and get started sending in reports to our invasive species observation program.
Click on the map below to select your region of the watershed
About Invasive Species
Invasive Species are a threat to native biodiversity. These are species introduced to a region where they were not naturally found, through intentional, unintentional, or accidental human activity, and that are known to be harmful to native biodiversity.
Learn a bit more about invasive species with our video explainer!
There are many invasive species throughout the Ottawa River watershed, but some are more of a threat than others. Tracking these invasive species is important so that we get a clear picture of their impact, as well as how to avoid spreading them further.
Check out Ottawa Riverkeeper’s Invasive Species Monitoring Guide to learn more about the species we are monitoring. You can also learn to identify them by taking our interactive quizzes. Just select your region of the watershed on the map above to get started!
Reporting Invasive Species
Reporting an invasive species sighting is as easy as 1-2-3:
- Identified an invasive species? Snap a photo!
- Where did you spot it? Make a note of your GPS location
- Submit your observation using our Survey 123 monitoring app or on either WaterRangers or iNaturalist!
If you are interested in participating in long-term monitoring, you can sign up to participate on our volunteer management platform, VOME, or contact CBM@ottawariverkeeper.ca to learn more.