Recreational activities represent a significant and growing source of aquatic invasive species movement between lakes. Fishing and boating activities that entangle invasive organisms on fishing gear, boat hulls and outboard engines, or use non-native species as live bait, serve as modes of introduction. Human behavior related to the spread of invasive species in lakes is currently understood using sparsely conducted in-person or mail-in surveys with limited scope, but mobile phone-based technology – including posts to social media and anonymized cellular location data – now offers a close to real-time understanding of human movement behavior and provides cost-effective monitoring.

Recreation on public lands is expected to both increase and shift across space and time in response to climate change. However, the extent to which changing temperature and precipitation patterns may influence the intensity, location and timing of water-based recreation on lakes remains unknown. Understanding climate impacts on aquatic recreational activities is critical for estimating future risk of aquatic invasive species introductions via human-mediated pathways.

In this project, Rachel will partner with natural resource managers from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Parks and the Washington Invasive Species Council to identify waterbodies at highest risk of invasive species introductions. They will combine user-generated location records from mobile phones with fine-scale weather data and records of invasive species distributions to assess how the intensity and location of boater and angler activity across lakes in the Puget Sound lowlands may change due to shifting temperature and precipitation patterns. The project team will also explore connections between waterbodies related to the intensity, direction and timing of angler and boater movements, with the goal of identifying potential invasion hubs. By identifying specific waterbodies at highest risk of invasive species introductions, the results of this project will allow these partners to prioritize locations for preventative measures such as educational signage, boat inspection stations and gear cleaning services.