February issue of National Plant Diagnostic Network News

The February issue of NPDN News is now available at www.npdn.org/newsletter.  Highlights for this issue include:

• A node is born: Introducing Cornell-Bugwood
• New host plants added to Phytophthora ramorum regulations
• Diagnostic tip: cleaning up mite infested fungal cultures
• IT security: using strong passwords
• GPDN webinar series

Flat Mites of the World

CPHST’s Identification Technology Program (ITP) is pleased to announce the release of its latest identification tool, Flat Mites of the World. This tool is aimed at enhanc­ing our diagnostic capabilities for key taxa and to ultimately allow plant protection and quaran­tine services to develop rapid solutions to serious biosecurity threats.

Flat mites remain one of the most economically significant of all acarine groups. All species are phytophagous and the species that have been identified as pests have shown the potential to cause severe economic damage to agricultural crops, ornamentals, and timber. They cause dam­age directly through feeding on host plant tissue and indirectly through the transmission of plant viruses.

Flat Mites of the World will help you identify, via interactive keys, diagnostic fact sheets, and an image gallery, the 36 genera of flat mites present throughout the world, including specific diagnostics for 13 species of Raoiella, 14 species of Brevipalpus, and Tenuipalpus pacificus. The resource can be accessed at:  idtools.org/id/mites/flatmites/

Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference

Welcome to the first Upper Midwest

Invasive Species Conference!

Following two successful invasive species conferences in 2008 and 2010 (formerly the Minnesota-Wisconsin Invasive Species Conference), the expanded Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference 2012 will be held at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

CONFERENCE WEBSITE

March 1st: Webcast-Grassroots Invasive Species Forum

Watch the Webcast Today!

Calling all CISMAs, CWMAs, PRISMs and other partnerships addressing the threat of Invasive Species!

Please join us for a live Webcast of the Grassroots session being held during National Invasive Species Awareness Week in Washington, D.C. (www.nisaw.org). This will be an audio broadcast only, so you do not need to phone in or VOIP in – just need speakers or headphones to listen and watch from your computer. 

Ø  When:  March 1^st from 1:00pm to 3:00pm Eastern Standard Time

Ø  Where: in person in D.C. or from your computer

Ø  Why: learn more about the partnerships around the nation that are crossing boundaries and joining forces to battle invasive species (http://www.naeppc.org/cismas.html)

Ø  How: Simply join the event using the event address below – we will start on time, so try to log on 5 minutes ahead

             o   Event address for attendees: https://nethope.webex.com/nethope/onstage/g.php?d=674316733&t=a

o   Event password: NISAWstate1!

o   Event number: 674 316 733

CISMA: Cooperative Invasive Specie Management Area

CWMA: Cooperative Weed Management Area

PRISM: Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management 

Grassroots Invasive Species Forum & Webcast

March 1, 2012 at Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel, Hamilton Ballroom, 1001 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005

 Agenda:

1:00-1:20 pm Overview of National Invasive Species Organizations:Damon Waitt, Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center,University of Texas at Austin

 1:20-1:40 pm State Coordination of CWMAs: Funding and Species Inventories:Doug Johnson, California Invasive Plant Council

1:40- 2:00 pm Benefits of Having a Paid CWMA Coordinator: Chris Evans, River to River CWMA

2:00-2:20 pm Early Detection and Rapid Response Success Stories: Tony Pernas, National Park Service
2:20- 2:40 pm Managing invasive species on tribal lands: Susan Kedzie, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
2:40-3:00 pm Panel Discussion: Moderators: Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia; Kris Serbesoff-King, The Nature Conservancy

Launching the eXtension Invasive Species Community of Practice (CoP)

Launching the eXtension Invasive Species Community of Practice (CoP)

February 26^th, 2012, the first day of

National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW).

The Invasive species CoP is a national website at www.extension.org/invasive_species. This website is designed to connect and mobilize audiences and parties through an Invasive Species Learning and Action Network. It is through this network that the Invasive Species CoP seeks to involve or connect Cooperative Extension invasive species educators, researchers, outreach and communications experts from leading universities across the USA with Master Gardeners, outdoor hobbyists, natural resources professionals and decision makers throughout the United States.

You are invited to join the Invasive Species CoP in eXtension. If you have any questions about the CoP; if you would like to submit an article or invasive species profile; or add links to the educational resources please contact Karan Rawlins at krawlins@uga.edu.

Instructions to Join:

1.            Go to www.extension.org/people/communities/1238

2.            Click 'Join Community'

3.            Don't have an eXtension ID? Get one at www.extension.org/people/signup

Invasion of the Habitat Snatchers



Invasion of the Habitat Snatchers

For more details click here.

Invasive Running Bamboo

Running bamboo and clumping bamboo are the two types of bamboo commonly sold and planted in the United States. Bamboos rarely produce fertile seed here, but they have still managed to become an invasive problem. The genus Phyllostachys, a running bamboo, has nine species that have been reported invasive at some time. Infestations of golden bamboo (P. aurea) and yellow groove bamboo (P.  aureosulcata) are reported  most often, with Japanese timber bamboo (P. bambusoides) and black bamboo (P. nigra) infestations reported less often. The running bamboos get their name from the fact that they spread via underground rhizomes and some species spread incredibly quickly. They can be difficult and costly to control. In some areas they have been listed as a noxious weed.