Washington, D.C., - January 7, 2013. Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar, announced the appointment of Chuck Bargeron, Associate Director at The University of Georgia’s Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, to the Invasive Species Advisory Committee for the National Invasive Species Council (NISC). The NISC members are the Secretaries and Administrators of 13 Federal departments and agencies who coordinate invasive species programs. The Council is co-chaired by the Secretaries of Commerce, Agriculture, and the Interior
The Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC), comprised of 30 members appointed for 3-year terms, provides scientific and other input to the NISC regarding non-native plants and animals that annually cause $35 billion in economic and other hardship in the United States. The National Invasive Species Council was established by Presidential Executive Order 13112 in 1999 to ensure that Federal programs and activities to prevent and control invasive species are coordinated, effective and efficient.
Bargeron has a Master’s Degree in Computer Science and has been with The University of Georgia for 14 years where he develops web applications, smartphone apps, databases and outreach publications. These websites have received over 1 billion hits. Bargeron was the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Advocate of the Year in 2008 and received the Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council Award in 2009. He is the current President of the National Association of Exotic Pest Plant Councils and Treasurer of the North American Invasive Species Network. In 2012, as part the Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, he received the U.S. Department of Interior – Partners in Conservation Award. Bargeron has been an invited speaker at over 80 regional and national conferences and co-authored over 20 publications on invasive species issues.
The Center for Invasive Species & Ecosystem Health, located in Tifton, GA is a collaboration between the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Its mission is to serve a lead role in development, consolidation and dissemination of information and programs focused on invasive species, forest health, natural resource and agricultural management.
See more about the National Invasive Species Council is available at: http://www.invasivespecies.gov; and about the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at: http://www.bugwood.org/.
