Monday, November 19, 2007

Week of November 18, 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!

Updated November 20, 1007

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Invasive Tunicate Confirmed in Fortune Bay, Newfoundland

It’s called violet tunicate (Botrylloides violaceus) and it looks like something out of a Jules Verne novel, but the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is warning that the dangers it represents are very real. A provincial aquatic invasive species survey conducted by DFO in October has confirmed that Violet Tunicate is present in Belleoram, Fortune Bay, Newfoundland, Canada. The tunicate was detected on boat hulls, wharf pilings and rocks in Belleoram. Full Article

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Deer: Researchers Checking Deer for Invasive Plants

Scientists from Luther College in Decorah Iowa will be in Wisconsin to check and see if deer are carrying invasive plant species from place to place. They'll scrape dirt off their hooves, check the fur and then send the samples back to Iowa. The teams will be at a registration station at Fort McCoy and in La Crosse. Article

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Bittersweet Holidays: MA Warns Against Decorating With Invasive Plants

Oriental bittersweet and multiflora rose might dress up a holiday decoration, but both are on the state’s invasive plant species list and the state Division of Fisheries & Wildlife is strongly recommending avoiding their use in decorating homes and businesses. Full Article

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Ailanthus Research: Please Send Seeds

Hello all. My name is Emmi Felker-Quinn, and I am a graduate student at the University of Tennessee. I am starting a research project on the invasive plant tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima). I am interested in looking at how traits related to invasability vary inpopulations across the United States. To that end, I am interested in collecting seeds from tree-of-heaven from different locations. However, as a first-year graduate student my opportunities for travel are fairly limited, so I am asking for help from people interested in invasive plants. If you have tree-of-heaven growing near you and can easily collect seeds and mail them to me, I would greatly appreciate your help. More Information

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Invasive plant species altering soil

Invasive plant species, such as spotted knapweed, are not only taking a toll on native plant species, but have a detrimental effect on the biodiversity of microbes in the soil, according to a new study by Colorado State University researchers to be published in the journal "International Society for Microbial Ecology." Full Article

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Aquatic Invasive Species Eradication in Suffolk County, NY

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy on Monday announced over $1.43 million in water quality protection and restoration projects, including $250,000 to study aquatice invasive plants at three lakes in the Town of Brookhaven - Canaan Lake in North Patchogue and Upper and Lower lakes in Yaphank - and develop an eradication plan to be tested in a pilot project. Full Article

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