Invasive species are one of the biggest threats to our park’s ecosystem health. They outcompete native plants, decrease biodiversity, increase wildfire occurrences, and magnitude. Join the new Desert Defenders program to help us find and remove these plants!

Desert Defenders is a citizen science program focused on finding, mapping, and removing invasive species while hiking at Maricopa County Parks. The Invasive plant species that we will be removing have severely impacted our park’s natural ecosystems and contributed to our most recent wildfires. The data collected through the mapping work and the invasive species removal efforts will help reduce the invasive plants and reduce wildfire potential within these parks.

Please bring gloves, water, a snack, and dress in long sleeves, pants, and closed-toed shoes. We will be removing invasive species by hand pulling or using hand tools, bagging them to be placed in trash receptacles.

Date – April 16

Time – Beginning & Ending 8 am-11:30 am

Location – Cave Creek Regional Park.  Meet at the Nature Center parking lot.

How many people do you want at your event?  20

What should the volunteers bring? – Shovels, Gloves, water, snack, sunscreen, hat trash bags, safety glasses, etc.

What equipment will be provided? Trash bags, some tools

Name of person-in-charge of clean-up event? Ranger Mark Paulat

Contact information of person-in-charge – mark.paulat@maricopa.gov

Event Description – Invasive Species removal by hand pulling or digging out with tools, bagging and disposing. Hiking and carrying weed bags will be required.

COVID-19 precautions? Yes

Programs with less than 5 registered volunteers will be canceled at least one day prior to event-Registered Volunteers will receive an email stating event cancelled.

To register, please click on the link https://signup.com/go/AniuKOa.