About

How it started

Created in 2017, the Bay Invaders project is an innovative county partnership that supports 9th grade students in learning about and actively removing invasive plant species from county community and regional parks. Anne Arundel County Recreation & Parks Department, Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center (a component of Anne Arundel Public Schools), the County Forester's Weed Resistance Program, and a variety of volunteer organizations including Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, and Watershed Stewards joined together to create one of the most extensive environmental education partnerships. The partnership leverages resources across the county to support teachers in delivering a recently enhanced Environmental Science project-based learning curriculum.

How it works

Bay Invaders, coordinated by a small team made up of program partners, works to establish mentor groups each year for all participating county high schools. Mentor groups consist of each schools’ participating Environmental Science teachers, one to two volunteers knowledgeable about the most wanted invasive plant species in our county, and at least two local park rangers who supervise and support students during their visits to the parks. Teachers are also supported by curriculum specialists from Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center throughout the quarter-long project.

The 9th grade Environmental Science curriculum challenges students to learn about local invasive plant species, visit a natural space affected by the invasion of non-native plants, develop a plan to eradicate the plants, and, in some cases, carry out that plan (hand-pulling only, no herbicide use is permitted). Natural spaces are pre-selected by the Bay Invaders partner team where a series of 10x10 meter plots are constructed to allow student groups to focus their learning and effort in a specific area. Most teachers elect to host two field trips to the student plots; one to conduct a plant survey and another to perform an invasive plant pull.

Typically, high schools with adjacent, walk-able county park access experience the greatest success with this program however some high schools have participated in the program by securing bus transportation to a nearby county park for field trip days. After a comprehensive training and kick-off orientation in January or February each year, the mentor teams work together to decide field trip dates and any remaining details needed to ensure field trips are a success. Field trips take place from mid-March to mid-April when many target invasive species are just starting to leaf out.

How it's going

Since 2017, over 2500 students have participated in the Bay Invaders programs pulling nearly 4,000 lbs of invasive non-native plants from our regional and community parks. In 2019, Bay Invaders won the Maryland Recreation & Parks Association Creative Programming Award outcompeting several outstanding programs around the state. Bay Weekly published an article about the program in May 2018 titled, Ripping Out Invasive by their Roots.