Great Invader Raider Rally

It’s that time of year again! The 11th Annual Great Invader Raider Rally (GIRR) is happening February 22nd, 2025 at Morningside Nature Center. This is a long-standing community event that has historically engaged hundreds of volunteers in natural areas across Gainesville to remove invasive plants from our ecosystems. Invasive plants cause major damage to our natural ecosystems, and we rely on volunteers to help us remove these invaders.

You will be excited to know that we are reimagining GIRR to making a greater impact on natural resources, by hosting year-round activities that have lasting results! Rather than sending volunteers to remove invasive plants one day of the year, we have now created volunteer events throughout the year through the Gainesville Greenway Challenge (GGC), culminating in the celebration day, GIRR! To date in 2024, we've accumulated over 430 volunteer hours and removed more than 4,270 pounds of invasive plants and trash from our parks! This is already 4 times the number of invasive plants removed in prior one day events, demonstrating the positive impacts to our ecosystem and community of volunteers.

This year’s GIRR celebration is open to the entire community with the goals of increasing community awareness of environmental protection, volunteering, and community building. It will feature tablers, local vendors, guided hikes, a free raffle, food trucks, and more!