Be Part of Protecting California’s Biodiversity During Invasive Species Action Week

This is a press release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

Get involved to help prevent the harmful impacts of invasive species that threaten our state’s natural resources, ecology and economy during California Invasive Species Action Week (CISAW), June 6-14, 2026.

The week will offer opportunities for people across the state to come together, get their hands (or gloves) dirty and take action to protect California’s biodiversity. Educational talks are also in the lineup for those who would like to learn more about how invasives are bad news for native species, and how to identify and report invasive species.

Find the full list of CISAW events online (PDF), some which require participants to register in advance.

Events planned for the week include but are not limited to:

• June 6: Plant and maintain native plants and remove invasive non-native plants with the Golden Gate Bird Alliance at Pier 94 in San Francisco. The Salt Marsh Wetlands there are home to the endangered native plant California seablite, a host plant for the endangered Western pigmy blue butterfly.
• June 7, 8 &14: Join the Ventura Land Trust at Harmon Canyon in Ventura where volunteers will be working to remove noxious and invasive weeds to restore the native landscape to support native plants, pollinators and other wildlife.
• June 8-12: Tune in to the UC Cooperative Extension’s Lunchtime Talks webinar series, where each weekday experts will take on invasive species topics focusing on concerns and strategies for managing them.
• June 9: Take the League to Save Lake Tahoe’s Eyes on the Lake Training in South Lake Tahoe, where participants will learn to identify native versus non-native aquatic plants and how to report aquatic invaders that damage Lake Tahoe’s ecosystem.
• June 10: Volunteer with the Mendocino Land Trust at Navarro Point Preserve and Scenic Trail to pull invasive plant species, pick up garbage and maintain the trail.
• June 11: Remove invasive plant species at Guerneville River Park with Sonoma County Parks. Invasive plants crowd out native plant communities that wildlife depends upon for food and shelter.
• June 13: Learn how to identify common local invasive plants, properly remove them and help restore native pollinator habitat with the Sacramento Valley Conservancy as part of Sacramento County Regional Parks’ Family Health & Fitness Day at Camp Pollock.
• June 14: Help members of the Milo Baker Chapter of the California Native Plant Society as they work in Bodega Head State Park to remove South African ice plant that was once used for erosion control along California’s coast and is now smothering our native plants.

Be a part of the effort to remove invasive species and restore wildlife habitat throughout the year by volunteering through the California State Parks Foundation and other local organizations.

Californians can also help stop the spread of invasive species by taking small, everyday actions, such as landscaping with native plants, not releasing unwanted pets into the wild and to “Clean, Drain, Dry” gear when recreating in bodies of water. The CISAW page lists simple actions Californians can take all year long while visiting natural areas, boating, fishing and even at home.

Invasive species threaten the abundance of native species through competition for resources, predation, disease transmission or by causing physical changes to the invaded habitat. Impacts of invasive species on natural ecosystems, agricultural and other developed lands, water delivery and flood protection systems, may also negatively affect human health and the economy.

The mission of CDFW’s Invasive Species Program is to reduce the impacts of invasive species on the wildlands and waterways of California. The program is involved in efforts to prevent the introduction of these species into the state, detect and respond to introductions when they occur and prevent the spread of those species that have established.

For questions or more information about CISAW contact [email protected].