Why the USA is the Invasive Species Compendium’s number one user

Invasive Species are a major problem in the United States of America (USA) as in many other countries, causing significant harm to the environment, the economy, and to animal and human health. The negative impacts of invasives are difficult to calculate in dollars and cents in terms of their environmental damage to biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services. However, in their damage to agriculture, forests and biodiversity, the costs of invasives in the USA are in the billions of dollars per year.

Our National Invasive Species Council coordinates actions among 45 federal agencies that use their laws, regulations, staff and funds to fight invasive species. As of 2012, the agencies spend over US $2 billion per year in these efforts.

When the Council, led by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), collaborated with CABI to prepare an Invasive Species Compendium, we built an international consortium of 29 organizations in 12 countries to develop and finance it.

http://www.cabi.org/default.aspx?site=170&page=4908&dm_i=VZZ,WKMB,4AWXNH,2P4HY,1

Study tracks release of invasive species by science teachers

Study tracks release of invasive species by science teachers
About a quarter of educators said they put plants and animals into the environment once the lesson is over

http://www.registerguard.com/web/updates/28558287-55/teachers-invasive-oregon-species-turtles.html.csp

A Global Compendium of Weeds - Second Edition

Update of Rod Randall, Department of Agriculture of Western Australia (AgWest) book now covering 33,000+ weeds.

http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/pw/weed/global-compendium-weeds.pdf 

Weeds Take Root in Crops

"Weeds Take Root in Crops", an interesting article on adaptation on the CBS Sunday Morning News.

Mid-Atlantic Early Detection Network Workshop

 Mid-Atlantic Early Detection Network

September 13, 2012 (Thursday) 

9:00am – 3:30pm 

Park Police Headquarters Auditorium 

1901 Anacostia Drive, S.E. 

Washington DC 20019 

Purpose: To establish a Network of Experts in the mid-Atlantic region who will report invasive species using the Early Detection Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) and serve as Area Expert Verifiers (AEVs) for designated areas to help ensure data accuracy.

Why is it important to map invasive species? Accurate reporting and mapping of invasive species is essential for effective long-term management. Newly detected invasive species, established invasives spreading to new areas and exotic species recently showing invasive tendencies all need to be reported using a reliable and accessible system. The Early Detection Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) developed by the University of Georgia’s Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health in 2005 is leading this effort. Recent smartphone applications are bringing this technology to everyone from land managers and scientists to the average citizen. 

Awareness of the location of harmful species lurking on your borders allows you to keep an eye out for them, prevent their introduction and establishment and take immediate action to eradicate and contain them if needed. Mapping also gives us the ability to track changes in species distributions over time.

Why should you attend? Area Expert Verifiers are needed to take responsibility for overseeing invasive species being reported into EDDMapS. AEVs will routinely check reports and verify species identifications. An area can be a park, a preserve, a park system, a wilderness area, a county, a state, a neighborhood or a private property. Review and verification of data by AEVs will ensure accuracy, reliability and usefulness of information. 

Workshop is FREE. Lunch provided for Pre-Registrants only.  

Registration is Required

Register by Sep. 1, 2012. Space limited to 60. To register, go to:

http://maedn.eventbrite.com

Bring: Your Android, i-phone or i-pad. Be prepared for field and weather. 

Directions: Provided on website and can be mailed as needed. Email to: info@maipc.org

Metro: Anacostia Station on the Blue line.

Mid Atlantic Early Detection Network: Creating the Net and Making it Work

Agenda

8:00        Sign-in, Morning Refreshments

9:00         Welcome. Developing the Mid-Atlantic Early Detection Network: What Are We Proposing to Do? Chuck Bargeron and Jil Swearingen

9:15        What is Early Detection? Are We Too Late? Why Bother? John Peter Thompson 

9:45         Invasive Insects. Mary Kay Malinoski

10:00 Invasive Pathogens. Dave Clement

10:15 Emerging Invasive Plants. Jil Swearingen 

10:30 BREAK

11:00 Regulated Pests. Matt Travis

11:15 EDDMapS and SmartPhone Apps; organize groups for field exercise. Chuck Bargeron

12:00 LUNCH (*Provided for Pre-Registrants Only) 

1:00         Field Exercise: Use of Smart-Phone EDDMapS apps. 

2:00          The Bay Area Early Detection Network (BAEDN): Lessons Learned. Mark Frey

2:15          Tracking Treatments with EDDMapS. Steve Manning/Lee Patrick

2:30           Panel Discussion: What do we need to do to get MAEDN going? What is expected of Expert Verifiers? How do 

we maintain MAEDN? How do we ensure quality control?

What else do we need to do or think about? What are we missing?

3:00 Conclusion

3:15 Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant 

Council Annual Business meeting (15 mins)

Thanks to the following sponsors for their support: Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, Invasive Species Control, Inc., Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council, National Park Service, University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the U.S. Park Police. 

Giant African Land Snail Program in Florida - Latest News

Giant African Land Snail Program in Florida - The Latest News

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry (FDACS-DPI) and the USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA-APHIS-PPQ) are working hard to prevent the Giant African Land Snail's establishment in the continental U.S. 

• Report snail sightings to FDACS-DPI at Toll Free 1-888-397-1517.
• The FDACS-DPI Giant African Land Snail Page
• Protect U.S. - Ready-to-go Information for Educators
• UF-IFAS, Featured Creatures on Giant African Land Snail

 Educators interested in ready-to-go information on the Giant African Land Snail can download a scripted presentation (-script includes detailed speaker notes with reference background information) on the Protect U.S. website  Go to 'scripted presentations.'  Authors of the scripted presentation are Stocks (UF), White-McClean (FDACS-DPI), and Hodges (UF).  Presentations on Protect U.S. are periodically updated as appropriate.  A link to an interactive, e-learning module is also provided on the Protect U.S. site. The Protect U.S. project is co-coordinated by the University of Florida and the University of Illinois, and is a National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) and Regional IPM Center partner project.  The formation of Protect U.S. was funded by the 10201 Farm Bill.

Emerald Ash Borer Found in Prospect and Naugatuck, Connecticut

New Haven, CT – The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced that the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) was detected in Prospect, CT on July 16, 2012 by staff members at CAES.  The identification has been confirmed by federal regulatory officials in the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA APHIS-PPQ).  This is the first record of this pest in Connecticut, which is added to 15 other states where infestations have been detected.  A new probable site of infestation is located in the Naugatuck State Forest.  The beetle identification is unconfirmed. The emerald ash borer is responsible for the death and decline of tens of millions of ash trees from the mid-west to New York State and south to Tennessee.  Ash makes up about 4% to 15% of Connecticut’s forests and is a common urban tree.

“The detection of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in Prospect and probably in Naugatuck reaffirms that statewide surveys for this pest were necessary,” said Louis A. Magnarelli, director of CAES.  “We expected to find the beetle in areas of Connecticut across from infestations in Dutchess County, New York; however, the EAB has great flight potential and can travel in infested wood moved by people.  This pest attacks all species of ash trees.  Our immediate goals are to determine how extensive the Connecticut infestation is, notify residents in the Prospect and Naugatuck area, and implement strategies to slow the spread of the insect.”

The insect specimens were recovered in Prospect from a ground-nesting, native wasp (Cerceris fumipennis), which hunts beetles in the family Buprestidae, including the emerald ash borer.  The developing wasp larvae feed on the beetles provided by the adult wasp.  The wasp provides a highly efficient and effective “bio-surveillance” survey tool and does not sting people or pets.  This work was supported by the US Forest Service.  In addition, 541 purple prism detection traps, containing a special chemical lure, have been set across the state in all eight counties by The University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System via an agreement with the USDA APHIS PPQ. Three additional EAB have been captured in a trap located in Prospect, while other beetles were captured in a trap in Naugatuck. 

“This is a disturbing discovery and one that has the potential for great environmental harm in the state,” said DEEP Commissioner Daniel C. Esty.  “Connecticut has more than 22 million ash trees.  The presence of EAB here could have a devastating effect on the beauty of our forests, state and local parks and neighborhoods, as well as the state’s wood product industries.  Now that EAB has been detected here, it is more important than ever to limit its spread.  It is imperative that residents and visitors throughout the state not move firewood.  The movement of firewood that contains the presence of EAB is the quickest way to rapidly spread the insect.  We will continue to work closely with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and other state and local agencies to do everything in our power to minimize the presence of EAB in Connecticut.”

The EAB is a small and destructive beetle, metallic green in color, and approximately 1/2 inch long and 1/8 inch wide.  Adults emerge from the bark of infested trees leaving a small “D”-shaped exit hole roughly 1/8 inch in diameter.  This insect is native to Asia and was first discovered in the Detroit, MI and Windsor, Ontario regions of North America in 2002.  It has since spread through the movement of firewood, solid-wood packing materials, infested ash trees, and by natural flight dispersal.

It is unknown how the EAB entered Prospect or Naugatuck.  Movement of infested firewood is a high risk activity that can spread the beetle over long distances.  Prior to the pest’s discovery in Prospect, the closest known infestation to Connecticut is in eastern New York near the Hudson River.

The emerald ash borer is a regulated plant pest under federal (7 CFR 301.53) and state (CT Gen. Statute Sec. 22-84-5d, e, and f) regulations.  For more information about the EAB, please visit the following website: www.emeraldashborer.info.