State Parks unveils online story map, calls jubata and pampas grass removal a "winnable battle"

California State Parks told the Monterey County Byways Committee on a presentation that it has produced an online ArcGIS story map to educate residents, visitors and landowners about invasive jubata and pampas grasses and how to help remove them. Liz Smith, an intern with California State Parks’ Monterey District, led the presentation and said the story map is intended to be shared widely online and incorporated into local outreach.

The story map explains how jubata and pampas—ornamental plants brought from South America—escaped cultivation, spread along the coast and outcompete native plants. Smith said the map includes interactive layers showing large infestation polygons and points and that a parcel-level layer can be provided to managers who request it. “Aidan Sarbeck…is the owner of the content,” Smith said, and she offered to place his…