Tuesday, September 27, 2011

National Invasive Species Awareness Week

February 26 to March 3, 2012 in Washington DC

A week of activities, briefings, workshops and events focused on strategizing solutions to address invasive species prevention, detection, monitoring, control, and management issues at local, state, tribal, regional, national and international scales.

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
n  National Invasive Species Council (see www.invasivespecies.gov) holds public meeting
n  Grassroots action to prevent and control invasive species – Panel discussions and Webinar
·         Success stories and challenges
·         Cooperative Weed and Invasive Species Management Areas and Tribal efforts
n  Capitol Hill Briefings on aquatic invasive species, including quagga and zebra mussels and Asian carp
n  Workshop on invasive species prevention and management in urban areas
n  Invasive Species Award Ceremony and Reception
n  Kids Invasive Species Awareness Day at the US Botanic Garden
n  Weed Prevention - Best Practices Proven to Work/  How to turn away unwelcome guests
n  Prevention through Outreach and Awareness – Experts panel on lessons learned
n  Invasive Species Solutions – poster session
n  Update by federal agencies on important invasive species issues and initiatives
n  State and Local events highlighting invasive species efforts throughout the country!
Check www.nisaw.org for more details and further developments!
Contacts:          Lee Van Wychen, Ph.D.
                           National and Regional Weed Science Societies
                          
Lee.VanWychen@wssa.net                                    

                           Lori Williams
                           National Invasive Species Council
                         
 Lori_Williams@ios.doi.gov
 Participating organizations:   The Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious and Exotic Weeds, the Great Lakes Commission, the Federal Interagency Committee on Invasive Terrestrial Animals and Pathogens, the United States Botanic Garden, and many others.

To Be or Not To Be Invasive

Bob Flasher, who has spent 20 years working in National Parks, was recently interviewed by Invasive Plant News. Basically the article addresses the many misconceptions about what constitutes an Invasive Plant. So I offer here a couple of definitions which are just part of a complicated issue.
  • Weed: A plant, regardless of nativity, which is growing somewhere we don't want it to grow. We often use the word weed to describe plants which invade agricultural fields or our landscaping.
     
  • Invasive plant: To be considered invasive a plant must meet three criteria.
    1. It is non-native to the ecosystem where it is growing.
    2. It is able to not only escape cultivation but continues to expand it range.
    3. It's presence and population growth causes, or has the potential to cause harm to people, native plants, animals, and ecosystems.
Bob makes many good points in the article. It is a complicated issue with many opinions on the best way to tackle the problem. One thing that most people agree on is the need for Early Detection of new invasive plants. The old saying 'a stitch in time saves nine' is definitely appropriate for this situation.
Read the article.
If you would like to help tackle the problem of invasive species in your area or just learn more about that problem, contact the invasive species working group in your area.  You can report invasive plants in your area to EDDMapS (Early Detection & Distribution MAPping System). The Tools and Training page in EDDMapS has step-by-step instructions for creating an account and entering invasive plant sitings.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Invasive Fish, "I had no idea it would taste this good"

"Wow; I had no idea it would taste this good," student Alex Herman said, in an article by Jill Moon in the Telegraph.com. Also quoted in the article, famed Louisiana chef Philippe Parola says that this fish tastes good, is high in protein and contains little or no mercury. Read the article.

Not only can one of these fish get big enough
to feed the whole family,
but they will literally jump right into the boat.
Michigan Sea Grant Archive,
University of Michigan and Michigan State University,
Bugwood.org



Thursday, September 22, 2011

GA-EPPC Annual Meeting & Conference

GA-EPPC Annual Meeting & Conference
October 6th, 2011.
Be sure to Register soon. 

The Callaway Building at the Georgia State Botanical Gardens, University of Georgia, 2450 South Milledge Avenue, Athens, Georgia.
 
Pesticide Credits and ISA Hours: 
  • Arborist: 5.0
  • BCMA Science: 1.0
  • Utility: 2.0
  • BCMA Practice: 1.0
  • Municipal: 5.0
  • BCMA Management: 3.0
  • Applicators Categories 21, 23, 24, 27: 5.0
  • Hours for Private Applicator: 3.0

Purdue's Invasive Species Workshop

Invasive Plants: What's the big deal?  Learn how to identify both native and nonnative invasive plants; discover the impacts on the environment, wildlife habitat, and your checkbook; learn why prevention, early detection, and rapid response are vital in the control of invasive plants; gain a better understanding of the various methods used to control them effectively; and learn about financial and technical resources that can be a help. Workshop is free.
Purdue's website has many interesting workshops to choose from.

Friday, September 16, 2011

137 Introduced Amphibian and Reptile Species in Florida

The article in ScienceDaily, says Florida has the world's worst invasive amphibian and reptile problem, and a new 20-year study led by a University of Florida researcher verifies the pet trade as the No. 1 cause of the species' introductions. Zootaxa has a preview of the original article.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Webinar-Invasive Plants in Southern Forests

Webinar - A Management Guide for Invasive Plants in Southern Forests is scheduled for Sep 20, 2011 12:00 - 1:00pm US/Eastern.  Click here for more information.       
 
Nonnative plants continue to invade and spread through forests in the South. These infestations increasingly erode forest productivity, hinder forest use and management activities, and degrade diversity, habitat, and our recreational experiences. Managers, landowners, and homeowners need to have the latest information on how to prevent entry to their lands, build strategies with neighbors, implement integrated procedures for control, and proceed toward site rehabilitation.

We will introduce you to a new book that we co-authored, which is available free from the Southern Research Station, entitled “A Management Guide for Invasive Plants in Southern Forests” (General Technical Report SRS-131). We will provide an overview of how these actions fit together and the latest control methods. The guide provides detailed control prescriptions for 56 prevalent invasive plants and groups for your reference. 
 
Author(s)/Presenter(s):
  • Jim Miller - USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Auburn University, AL
  • Stephen Enloe - Department of Agronomy and Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Auburn University, AL
Credits:
  • Texas Dept of Ag - Pesticide Safety Continuing Ed - 1 hour IPM Credit
 
Free copies of "A Management Guide for Invasive Plants in Southern Forests" (General Technical Report SRS-131) can be requested at pubrequest@fs.fed.us or by calling 828-257-4830.

Invasive Forest Insects Cost Homeowners Billions

The study finds that homeowners and tax payers are bearing the cost of the damage to forests in America caused by invasive non-native insects. This costs runs into the billions of dollars.
Read the article in PLoS ONE, Economic Impacts of Non-Native Forest Insects in the Continental United States (Aukema JE, Leung B, Kovacs K, Chivers C, Britton KO, et al. (2011)).
Read ScienceDaily's report on this article.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Natural Areas Conference - Early Bird Registration Ends Soon!

Natural Areas Conference 2011 theme

Early Bird Registration
Ends Soon!  

   Register Now
and save up to $50!

You are invited to attend the 38th annual Natural Areas Conference hosted by the

Florida is home to more than 9 million acres of federal, state and locally conserved natural areas.  Tallahassee and the natural beauty of the Florida panhandle provide a stunning backdrop for the conference proceedings.
Conference Quick Links
  Hotel

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Invasive Species Alert - Kudzu Bug Spreading Across the South

In an article from Georgia FACES, UGA Entomologist Wayne Gardner said, “The bug can now be found in 143 Georgia counties, all South Carolina counties, 42 North Carolina counties and 5 Alabama counties.” Read this article.
Adult Megacopta cribraria and eggs
photo by Phillip Roberts, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
Megacopta cribraria eggs and nymphs
photo by Phillip Roberts, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Do you have a CISMA or CWMA?


Is there a Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas (CISMAs), Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMAs) or Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISMs) in your area? Check to see if you are on the map. If not then submit your CISMA/CWMA.
A  CISMA/CWMA is a partnership of federal, state, and local government agencies, tribes, individuals, and various interested groups that work together cooperatively to manage invasive species (or weeds) in a defined area.

There is information available on how to create a CISMA/CWMA in your area. There are also instructions and a template for creating a website for your CISMA/CWMA.


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Exotic Earthworm Invasion

Forests Under Threat from Exotic Earthworm Invasion: Study Shows Humans to Blame for Spread of Non-Native Species an article in Science Daily reports on information reported in an article from Human Ecology. Both articles are very interesting and worth reading. Unfortunately it really does not come as a surprise that humans are the culprits in the importation and spread of non-native, invasive or potentially invasive species. We are continually looking for a better, easier way to do things. This is one of those human qualities which has a good side and a bad side. We have learned that we need to be much more cautious when introducing something non-native to the ecosystems we live in and are a part of. These non-native species are living organisms that do not recognize our man made boundaries. They don't stop at the fence in our backyard or at county, state or national boundaries. Each and every one of us can help to stop the introduction and spread of invasive species by starting with informed, responsible stewardship of our own little piece of America, however large or small that may be. Fruit from an invasive plant grown in a container on an apartment balcony can be spread for many miles by wildlife eating that fruit. Most states have an Exotic or Invasive Species Council. Join your local council and ask for ways you can help and for a list of non-invasive alternatives for landscaping. For Georgia go to GA-EPPC.org

Forest floor before non-native earthworm invasion is rich in organic material
photo by Robert Lee, Bugwood.org

Forest floor after non-native earthworm invasion. Orgainc material is gone.
Photo by Robert Lee, Bugwood.org

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Call for Data - National Data Collection Project

Through funding from U. S. Forest Service - Forest Health Protection, we are now expanding the call for invasive plant distribution data nationwide! This will allow EDDMapS to display the true range of known invasive plants as well as add new species to the distribution maps as they are reported. Plants such as jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) have noticeably patch distribution maps; we hope to be able to connect "isolated" populations to the existing known range. To handle the anticipated influx of data, we hired Rebekah Wallace, MS Weed Science - University of Georgia, as EDDMapS Data Coordinator to streamline the recruiting, formatting, and uploading bulk data into EDDmapS. Please contact Rebekah at bekahwal@uga.edu or 229-386-3298 and help us to complete the picture of invasive plant distribution nationwide.

Certificate in Coastal Native Plants Program

Conserving native plants is an important part of protecting habitats from invasive plants. This program will help you learn more about the wonderful native habitats here in Georgia.

The Certificate in Coastal Native Plants Program
by
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia and Coastal Wildscapes
For more information about the Certificate program or to register for classes, pease contact Cora Keber at 706-542-6156 or ckeber@uga.edu.
Or you may register online at http://www.uga.edu/botgarden/eduregister.html

Rhexia alifanus
photo by Karan Rawlins, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
 ORIENTATION SESSION (Optional and Free) 
 
Orientation for New or Interested Students to the Certificate in Native Plants Program. Friday, September 16, 2011. 9:00am – 10:00am. Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens, Savannah. 
CORE COURSES (All four are required of Certificate students)
Plant Taxonomy. Saturday, November 5, 2011. 10:00am – 5:00pm. Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens, Savannah. Members $95*, non-members $105.     
Basic Botany. Saturday, January 28, 2012. 10:00am – 5:00pm. Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens, Savannah. Members $95*, non-members $105.  
Natural Communities of Georgia. Saturday, March 3, 2012. 9:00am – 5:00pm. Ogeechee Canal, Savannah. Members $95*, non-members $105.
Plant Conservation: Protecting Plant Diversity in the Garden and in the Wild. Saturday, June 2, 2012.10:00am – 5:00pm. Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens, Savannah. Members $95*; non-members $105
ELECTIVE COURSES (Certificate students choose six or more and there are many to choose from)
And then 16 SERVICE HOURS Completes your requirements.
*Class fees are reduced for members of the following organizations. To receive discount, class fees must be paid by check only.