This article was featured in the 2021 Summer Newsletter, contributed by Megan Pistolese-SLELO PRISM. 

Roughly 35,000  pounds of water chestnut are removed through hand-pulls in the SLELO region annually.

Many of our partners organize water chestnut pulls (WCPs) and have a process in which they record their efforts. However, utilizing a centralized platform to record WCP, like iMapInvasives, could better capture regional and statewide efforts and also help to identify data gaps and reduce the replication of efforts.  Furthermore, reporting pull efforts to iMap helps to standardize the data metrics which helps to give a more accurate representation of collaborative efforts.

The effectiveness of a centralized platform and standardized data can be seen in the success of the Watercraft Inspection Steward Program Application (WISPA). This application provides program leaders with an online dashboard to retrieve and analyze data which is used to provide state-wide, regional, and local insights into the effectiveness of the program.

Reporting to iMapInvasives has been made even easier with a step-by-step document and recorded webinar series to help guide you.

You can also reach out to the iMapInvasives team at imapinvasives@dec.ny.gov, 518-402-8941 with questions to learn how to upload your existing WCP data into the iMap database.