Trainings & Events
Want to learn more about invasive species and how you can use iMapInvasives to help to protect NY natural resources from their impacts? Register for one of our free trainings and events below. Most of our trainings are recorded and uploaded to our YouTube Channel.
Self-Guided Training
Would you like to get started with iMapInvasives or learn more about advanced data entry on your own? We've created several help documents and tutorials to get you started using iMapInvasives. See below for the top resources, or check out the full:
For other resources including invasive species identification help, newsletters, lesson plans and more, view our Resources page.
iMapInvasives Training Network
Interested in protecting New York State's natural resources? The iMapInvasives Training Network is a guide on how to plan and execute your own trainings for the various tools and functions provided by iMap. The Training Network includes resources including templates, guiding documents & recorded trainings designed to teach professionals and volunteers how to monitor for and report invasive species. Contact us to request a training, or if you need assistance in planning your own.
How to conduct your own training
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Fill out training class details form (for first time training)
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Host a training!
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Let us know how it went
Project Importance:
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The more information we have about invasive species, the more effective our efforts are to minimize impacts on the places we love. The iMapInvasives Training Network helps by growing the number of people knowledgeable about, and looking for, invasive species, which boosts our ability to catch new invasive species early.
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Who can host a training?
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Anyone! If you feel confident in your ability to use iMapInvasives and want to host a training, we have everything you need to plan it out. These resources are designed so environmental professionals, educators, volunteers or community scientists can utilize them to teach others.
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History
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The iMapInvasives train-the-trainer program began in 2017 as the Certified Trainers Network (CTN) and aimed to fill the growing need for iMap trainings as the use of the database expanded in NY. The network was established by Brittney Rogers as a part of her Master's thesis work at SUNY-ESF. The CTN certified over 50 people through its 5+ years, which allowed for the delivery of hundreds of trainings to thousands of individuals. After the success of the CTN in making iMap synonymous with invasive species management in New York, the program was rebranded to the iMapInvasives Training Network in 2024, and was adjusted to make it more accessible to anyone who wants to train others.