The Invasive Hitlist: Origins was designed in order to raise public awareness of the issue of invasive species in the United States. Invasive species are non-native species that cause substantial economic harm or harm to plant, animal, or human health after being introduced to a new ecosystem. While there are millions of non-native species that could be introduced to the U.S., only a small portion of them would be considered “invasive” under this definition. Most invasive species are spread unintentionally by ordinary people acting thoughtlessly. For example, many experts now believe that the introduction of Lionfish to the Caribbean and the resultant ecological crisis began when someone dumped an aquarium full of unwanted fish into the ocean. Other invasive species are spread intentionally for use in sport or agriculture.

Despite the range of problems that invasive species cause, and the fact that the public (intentionally or no) plays a large role in facilitating the spread of invasives, awareness of this issue is very low. We at The Invasive Hitlist have decided to tackle this challenge by writing a series of booklets as a new alternative to the traditional pamphlet. The Invasive Hitlist: Origins is a hardboiled detective novella that is entertaining, creative, and conveys a range of basic information about invasive species to a broad audience.