In King County, we are fortunate to have beautiful forests, rivers and mountains right in our backyard. It’s hard to beat the great feeling we get from hiking away from civilization and experiencing the outdoors in all its wildness and wonder. Unfortunately, invasive weeds often follow in our footsteps (literally sometimes) and they have the potential to overwhelm native species and alter the ecosystems we are trying to protect for future generations. If you love to hike and look at plants (and hate weeds!), consider attending a training to learn to identify and map invasive plants on our region’s trails and wilderness areas.

On Monday, May 16, King County Noxious Weeds is teaming up with Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Council (PNW-IPC) to host a training class for volunteers to learn to identify and report invasive weeds on trails and backcountry. The class is from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm in Seattle at the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulture.

This training is a great way to improve your weed identification skills and find out how to hike with a purpose all at the same time. There’s no obligation to volunteer if you attend a training, but we are definitely hoping to inspire you to do so! To be successful in remote areas, early detection and rapid response (EDRR) needs as many boots on the ground (and in the woods) as possible.

PNW-IPC is also holding training classes in other locations in Washington and Oregon, so check out their website for full details. To sign up for a class or for more information on the PNW-IPC EDRR program, contact Julie Combs. To find out more about weed watching opportunities in King County, including upcoming group hikes and additional plant ID training, contact Joe Neumann at King County Noxious Weeds.