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Mile-a-Minute vine spotted in Norwalk, CT
By ROBERT KOCH, Hour Staff Writer
An invasive species of plant has invaded Norwalk, and officials are warning residents to take action. While the Mile-a-minute vine might recall images of ivy-covered buildings, it's hardly an innocuous plant species."The plant is called the Mile-a-minute vine--or devil's tearthumb--because it prolifically grows up to six inches in a single day, overwhelming other species by blocking the sunlight and by the sheer weight of the weed's leaves and stems," said Marvin Moss, Norwalk Tree Alliance spokesman. "Christmas tree farms are vulnerable. So are seedlings planted for forestry regeneration and even nurseries and farmland."
The tree-killing vine has been located on Sheffield Island, on private property on Blue Mountain Road, and in the easement for the power lines of the Connecticut Light & Power Co. substation on East Rocks Road, according to the Tree Alliance.
Periscaria perfoliata -- the Latin name of the plant -- originated in Japan. It has been spread over the years in the United States by birds and ants. The vine is identifiable by its light green triangular-shaped leaves, small curved barbs on the stems and the saucer-shaped leaves.
It is generally found on the edges of woods, wetlands, stream banks, roadsides and uncultivated open fields. The vine attaches itself to other plants with its barbs, and extends upward to capture light. Flowers and deep blue berries emerge each season.
The Mile-a-minute vine poses danger for both public and private trees, according to Dave Tracy, president of the Norwalk Tree Alliance.
"It's a real sunlight hog," Tracy said. "We are hopeful that Norwalk's residents will help us to spot any infestations, so the spread of the vine can be minimized or even reversed."
The Mile-a-minute vine also has been reported in Stamford, Greenwich, Westport, Weston and Monroe. Early detection and rapid response can lessen the ecological damage of the Mile-a-minute vine, according to Logan Senack, invasive plant coordinator at the University of Connecticut at Storrs.
"Finding populations early can make control and removal much easier, less expensive and less time-consuming," Senack said.
Harold F. Alvord, Norwalk's tree warden and director of public works, said the vine "poses a significant threat to the progress the city has made over the past few years to enhance the health and vitality of the urban forest." The vine can overtake a tree in a single season, he said.
"We urge residents to report any sightings," Alvord said.
Reports can be made to the Norwalk Customer Service Center online at customerservice@norwalkct.org, or by calling the center at (203) 854-3200.
Photo source: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/fact/pope1.htm
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Mass. bill would protect lakes
By David Pepose, Berkshire Eagle Staff
PITTSFIELD, MA -- When state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing filed a bill in June regarding invasive species in lakes and ponds, it might have seemed quaint.
But two months later, with zebra mussels in Laurel Lake, Downing suddenly seems downright prescient.
Downing, along with state Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, D-Lenox and lake association members from central and western Massachusetts, testified on the bill on Thursday at the Statehouse. From there, it could move on and eventually become law.
The bill would target anyone launching a contaminated boat -- or someone who fails to disinfect their boat within 30 days of launching into contaminated waters -- into the state's lakes and ponds.
According to the proposed legislation, penalties could entail a fine between $50 and $300, imprisonment for up to 60 days, or both.
"[Senate Bill] 2113 aims to halt the spread of aquatic, invasive species throughout our lakes and ponds," Downing said in his testimony. "The bill is especially timely due to the recent discovery of zebra mussels in Laurel Lake, resulting in public boat ramp closures throughout the Berkshires."
The discovery of the zebra mussels in the Lee lake last month has worried many town officials. Up to 700,000 zebra mussels can occupy a square yard, and the razor-sharp organisms can cripple a boat's motor or intake pipes. Furthermore, the infestation overtakes a lake's ecosystem, as the mussels quickly suck up all the water's nutrients.
Downing told The Eagle that when crafting this bill, he looked to states such as Maine, Connecticut, and Minnesota for reference. That said, with Maine's fines reaching up to $5,000, Downing said that he aimed for the lower end of the spectrum.
"The goal is not to fine people, it is to let people know of the challenges we face and to induce people to use our lakes in a sustainable fashion," he said. "It's about sharing in the responsibility of keeping our lakes and ponds as clean as possible."
Yet with resources stretched thin -- and the Massachusetts Environmental Police, the entity most likely to pursue offenders, only having 83 personnel statewide and just six officers operating in the Berkshires -- Downing admitted that the bill was only the beginning.
"Enforcement is probably the biggest challenge, both with the proposal we've put forward but also more generally when it comes to invasive species," he said.
"Minnesota has enforcement officers at all public boat ramps, but public boat ramps is only one of many access points."
Read the story at link.
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Invasive species are a frequent topic at 2009 ESA meeting
Check out links at the website of the New York Invasive Species Research Institute (NYISRI) for symposia, talks, and posters related to invasion ecology from the 94th Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society of America. Follow this link to the NYISRI site.
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Stopping the spread of invasive plants in Mass.
By Jeff Adair, The Sudbury Town Crier
SUDBURY - Volunteers including several students from Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High spent Sunday morning clearing bittersweet and other invasive plants from the area around Sudbury Town Hall and Haskell Field.
The outing was organized by White Tail Lane resident Rebecca Chizzo, founder of S.W.E.E.T., Sudbury Weed Education and Eradication Team.
"We had about ten people including myself," said Chizzo, noting that in three hours the group collected 21 contractor bags full of plant material. "We were shocked it was that much. All the rain and everything didn’t help.’’
"We’re only halfway done,’’ she added, nothing the group will hold a second outing this Sunday, Aug. 9.
Invasive plants are a major problem in Massachusetts. They displace native vegetation and disrupt habitats as they spread.
According to the Department of Agricultural Resources, an invasive species that colonizes a new area may gain an ecological edge, since the insects, diseases, and foraging animals that naturally keep its growth in check in its native range are not present in the new habitat.
Some invasive plants, such as Mile-a-Minute vine, Purple Loosestrife and Kudzu, cause serious ecological disturbances, displacing all other plants, and putting extreme pressure on native species that depend on that plant life to survive, the release said. [...]
Read the full story at link.
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August is Asian long-horned beetle month in Mass.
Governor Deval Patrick has officially declared August as Asian Longhorned Beetle Month in the state of Massachusetts.
Tuesday, August 11th is the Kick Off of Asian Longhorned Beetle Awareness Month at Quinsigamond Community College (soccer field) in Worcester.
Officials from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will launch Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Awareness Month, an event to encourage every resident in the Commonwealth to be on the alert for ALB and to learn to identify and report sightings of the invasive insect. Highlights include a reading of Governor Patrick's proclamation declaring August as ALB Awareness Month and recognition of the state's efforts to eradicate this destructive invasive species. Participants will also honor Donna Massie for being the first person to report a sighting of this beetle in Massachusetts.
For more details or to RSVP, please contact Jennifer.Forman-Orth [at] state.ma.us or 617..626..1735.
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Fungal fighter for eastern hemlock
By Joshua Brown, University of Vermont, "The View"
Costa brings the branch close to his eye. “Yes,” he says, with a boyish grin, “this is a fungus success story.”
For some, a fungus success story means nothing is growing at the back of their refrigerator. But for Costa, research assistant professor of plant and soil science, and Grassano, his graduate student, the vigorous growth in their laboratory of this fungus, a strain called Lecanicillium muscarium, means a hopeful new chapter in the otherwise bleak tale of the eastern hemlock tree.
Battling an exotic pest
From Georgia to Maine, this once-mighty conifer is now succumbing to an exotic pest, hemlock woolly adelgid. First detected in the western United States in 1924, the adelgid caused little damage. But when it was carried east and reached Virginia in the 1950s it began its destructive spread. An aphid-like insect, the adelgid kills eastern hemlocks within a few years after infestation, feeding on the sap at the base of their needles and cutting off their nutrients.
While the adelgid, originally from Japan and China, appears to have no successful predators in North America, some native fungi — like the one Costa and Grassano have growing on branches in their laboratory — kill the pest.
Last December, Costa, Grassano, and two other researchers, Vladimir Gouli and Jiancai Li, submitted a provisional patent for a new method of cheaply and effectively spreading the fungus, and other similar “biological controls,” that might beat back the adelgid without having to use expensive, toxic pesticides. They call their approach a “whey-based fungal micro-factory.”
Instead of growing fungi in a conventional factory and then transporting it out to a forest — a costly proposition — their factory will be the forest. Or, more accurately, tiny droplets of sweet whey — a cheap waste product of cheese production, inoculated with the right concentrations of the target fungus — will be their factory. By spraying the whey solution into an infected forest, they believe they can get the adelgid-killing fungi to reproduce in large numbers on its own.
“The sweet whey only costs 32 cents a pound,” says Costa, who gets his donated from a New York-based cheese company and receives support for his research from the US Department of Agriculture.
The whey is a far cheaper growing medium than those typically available in labs, and it serves as a nutritional resource, making each droplet a cozy biological factory for a fungal colony, pumping spores out into the forest long after the spraying teams have gone home.
Costa and Grassano’s experiments on branches taken from adelgid-infected forests in Massachusetts are proving highly successful, with rapid growth of the target fungi outcompeting other fungi that live on hemlocks. If their laboratory tests continue to go well, the researchers anticipate starting field trials in 2008. And beyond the adelgid, the researchers anticipate that micro-factories could be used with fungi that attack other insects, weeds and even plant diseases.
The economy and ease of the UVM team’s whey micro-factory technology may prove a critical consideration for land managers — especially in large areas with low economic value, like wild hemlock forests.
“We’re not going to eradicate the adelgid,” Costa says. “The best-case scenario for an insect-killing fungi is you inoculate the environment and get disease outbreaks to start cycling. The idea is to reduce the pest population to a level that is manageable, allowing some of the trees to make seeds, grow and survive.” [...]
Read the full story at link.
Photo of researcher Scott Costa by Joshua Brown. Costa has invented a "whey-based fungal micro-factory" technology that may save the eastern hemlock tree species from an exotic pest.
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Long Island volunteer opportunities in August
The Science and Stewardship division of the Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning and Policy Commission office has scheduled two volunteer opportunities during the month of August to continue the invasive plant management work started by the SCA team last year.
These opportunities are posted on the Long Island Volunteer Center website: www.longislandvolunteercenter.org
More details for these volunteer opportunities can be found at the links following these breif descriptions.
1.Invasive Plant Management Program Volunteer - Wertheim, Thursday August 13, 8:00 am - 12:30 pm (4.5 hours). All volunteers will meet at the Brookhaven Ground Round parking on Montauk Highway and refuge staff will provide a ride to the site on Meadow Lane in Brookhaven. During this work session the volunteers will help remove black swallow-wort from the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge.
http://www.1-800-volunteer.org/1800Vol/long-island-volunteer-center/LoadOpportunityReview.do?opportunityId=311992
2. Invasive Plant Management Program Volunteer - Wertheim 2, Wednesday, August 19, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm (4.0 hrs). All volunteers will meet at the Main Office of the Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. During this work session the volunteers will help remove Japanese stilt grass and black swallow-wort from Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge.
http://www.1-800-volunteer.org/1800Vol/long-island-volunteer-center/LoadOpportunityReview.do?opportunityId=312022
Would you be able to volunteer for one of these sessions? Direct all inquiries to:
Karen Eichelberger, 631..563..0352 or 631..224..2604.
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On-line video conference:
Think Locally, Act Neighborly to Combat Invasive Species – The Florida Invasive Species Partnership (Recorded on June 16, 2009)
Foresters! – Earn 1.5 Category 1 Continuing Forestry Education Credits!
To watch the presentations, get the materials and earn CFEs, visit:
http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/Extension/florida_forestry_information/events_calendar/fisp_videoconference.html
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Prevention is the Name of the Invasive Species Game, According to Sen. Carl Levin
Two US Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittees got an earful from Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) today on the threat menacing invasive species bring to the Great Lakes.
“Mr. Chairmen and Ranking Members, the impact of invasive species on Michigan’s native wildlife is large,” Levin said in a prepared statement. He waxed on about zebra mussels and big headed carp, about smelly coastlines, declining native fish populations, birds choking with botulism and foul tasting drinking water.
Levin used the platform to call for a “strong” ballast water management program. “Maritime commerce is the largest pathway for new species to be introduced into our waters, and I believe that we need to enact legislation that will require ballast water discharge management that will result in ballast water treatment technology onboard ships as soon as possible. I support establishing a strong national ballast water technology standard for all ships. Technology that meets this standard would be approved for a minimum period of time—five, eight, or 10 years,” he stated in prepared testimony.
Since pretty much anyone can use the internet to import live organisms into the country, Levin advocated for a screening process. He was really advocating for the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act that he and Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) introduced because it has just such a screening process in it.
Finally, the Michigan Senator said he will introduce a bill that would simplify the process of listing a species as injurious under the Lacey Act. Listing a species under the Lacey Act prohibits the interstate transportation or importation of a species without a permit. Sen. Levin feels strongly that the bighead carp should be listed.
Since prevention is the key to saving the wildlife in the Great Lakes region, as well as many other states that are suffering both ecologically and economically from the spread of zebra mussels and other invasive species, Levin encouraged the committee to get behind these three pieces of legislation to combat the growing threat.
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New "Early Detection of Invasive Species Surveillance Monitoring Field Guide"
The new "Early Detection of Invasive Species Surveillance Monitoring Field Guide" is available electronically from the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program!
The guide was designed as an integral part of the Eastern Rivers and Mountains (ERMN) and Northeast Temperate (NETN) Networks Early Detection of Invasive Species Surveillance Monitoring and Rapid Response monitoring protocol. It follows the same format and is intended to be used in conjunction with the USDA Forest Service "Invasive Plants Field and Reference Guide: An Ecological Perspective of Plant Invaders of Forests and Woodlands Field Guide."
The purpose is to assist National Park Service (NPS) employees, contractors, and citizen scientists to detect incipient populations of targeted invasive species before they become widely established. The taxa presented in this guide are a subset of larger target species lists that were produced for each park in the above mentioned networks. As new park species threats arise, additional species cards will be produced.
Current species cards include:
Adelges tsugae (hemlock wooly adelgid), Agrilus planipennis (emerald ash borer), Anoplophora glabripennis (Asian longhorned beetle), Sirex noctilio (sirex woodwasp), Cardamine impatiens (narrowleaf bittercress), Dioscorea oppositifolia (Chinese yam), Frangula alnus (glossy buckthorn), Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife), and Oplismenus hirtellus ssp. undulatifolius (wavyleaf basketgrass).
Already in the works for next spring:
Pyrrhalta viburnii (viburnum leaf beetle), Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (amur peppervine), Lepidium latifolium (perennial pepperweed), and Populus alba (white poplar).
To read more about the protocol, view lists of target species, or download a copy of either field guide, visit:
http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/ermn/monitoring/EarlyDetection.cfm
Contact information:
Jennifer Stingelin Keefer, Botanist and Penn State University Research
Associate, is the lead Principal Investigator for this project.
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Boating proposal has bit too much 'mussel'
Editorial from The Republican
This is one fish tale that we just don't want to believe.
To prevent the spread of zebra mussels in the lakes, reservoirs and ponds, Massachusetts state lawmakers are considering a bill that would ban boaters and fishermen from placing in inland waterways boats contaminated with invasive species or exposed to contaminated waters in the prior 30 days unless they have been properly cleaned.
Now, we don't have a problem with that part of the bill. We think it's needed.
Zebra mussels can wreak havoc on water systems. They crowd out native species and clog water intake pipes at reservoirs. Already, the state has closed Laurel Lake in Berkshire County where the zebra mussel has been found, and boats have been banned from Quabbin Reservoir for 45 days as a preventative measure.
The mussels' sharp, small shells can also cut the feet of swimmers. Zebra mussels are more than a nuisance, and the state clearly has a duty to stop their spread.
But we have a problem with the 60-day jail sentence that violators could face should the bill pass as it's currently written. Fines yes, jail no.
State Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, the bill's lead sponsor, said the law would create a deterrent and help educate people.
We agree, but using our jails as schoolhouses is a poor use of state money.
Instead of jailing offenders, the Legislature should use the money that would have paid for prison to station workers at state boat ramps who can inspect and clean boats before they go into the water.
We don't feel it's right to jail someone for a mistake. Legislators can write a separate, tougher law to deal with people who deliberately contaminate the water.
Legislators should think twice about tacking jail time onto the bill. Otherwise, they may end up facing bands of angry, voting fishermen who are saying to themselves "teach a man to legislate, and you've got a pest for life."
Read the editorial at link.
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Experts seek ways to tame invasive plants
BY KELLY URBAN, The Tribune-Democrat
Invasive plants are rapidly spreading across the state and causing major problems for natural ecosystems to the point that some are changing landscapes and overtaking native species.
To better address ways of controlling and managing invasive plants, the biannual Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Conference being held at Pitt-Johns-town offers participants the opportunity to hear the latest findings and research on the problem.
During the two-day conference, local and national experts are covering a wide array of topics such as invasive plant management, how to prevent invasions, predicting and identifying areas vulnerable to invasion, how to distinguish between native plants and invaders, the impact of deer on ecosystems and the impacts of climate change.
U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Johns-town, presented the introduction to the conference Tuesday.
Murtha said that when he was a kid, people didn’t think too much about the environment and the impact it has on everyone’s lives.
“Now we have to push to get things done, and we have to work to have a clean environment,” he said.
He added that groups participating in the conference are making a real difference in combating the problem of invasive pests.
“What you do is not only a benefit to this area, but to the whole country,” Murtha said.
The conference attracts people from six mid-Atlantic states – Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland, said Kristin Sewalk, a board member of the Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council and director of National Biodiversity of Johnstown.
“The goal is to find ways to prevent invasive plants from destroying our natural heritage,” she said. “There is still much we don’t understand, so hopefully people can take the information they hear here and apply it to their own findings.” [...]
Read the full story at link.
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NJ wildlife officials need help tracking invasive species
By Phaedra Laird, NBC40.net
SOUTH JERSEY--It's a creature from nearly a world away that has somehow found itself in local waterways. Experts aren't really sure exactly what kind of damage the Asian Mitten Crabs are capable of around here, but say it's important to find out more this invasive species.
"I'm trying to catch a whole lot of big crabs," said 8 year-old Gavin Vega.
"I can't complain," said his grandmother, Olga Andujar,
"everytime we come, we get some."
It's a popular pastime here at the shore, and it takes patience to find what you're looking for. "It's fun and when you catch crabs, you can eat them," said Aiyanna Vega.
"Always the same kind," said Andujar, "smaller, bigger, but always the same kind." They're catching blue claw crabs, which is what they're looking for, but what some people have been finding instead, have wildlife officials baffled. They're called Mitten Crabs, an invasive species that experts say could cause big problems here.
The mitten crabs are native to Asia and considered an invasive species here. They first started showing up in the Garden state last year in bays, creeks, and rivers. More surfaced this year, and the DEP is asking crabbers to keep an eye out and report any sightings. "I haven't seen any," said Andujar, "we come mostly every other week and I haven't seen nothing."
Experts are trying to figure out how many, and where the crabs are. They say they burrow in banks which could lead to erosion problems and fear they could interfere with other species in the area. "I never seen one yet," said Riggo Vega, "anything different, I would know right away."
State wildlife officials are asking if you do catch one to keep it, and let them know so they can try to figure out more about this foreign visitor and where it may be staying.
It's unknown how the crabs were introduced to our waters, but experts say one theory is that they may have come over from Europe or Asia by boat.
Anyone who has caught or seen one is asked to contact wildlife officials at the Nacote Creek Marine Fisheries by calling (609) 748-2020.
Read the full story at link.
Visit the NJDEP website for more information about mitten crabs at link.
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Invasive Asian carp close to entering Great Lakes
By Eartha Jane Melzer, The Michigan Messenger
The Asian carp, an invasive species that can grow to be more than 4 feet long and 100 pounds and threatens to disrupt the Great Lakes ecosystem, has been detected within 10 miles of the electrical barrier built to keep the carp out of Lake Michigan, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports.In a statement released Aug. 7, the Army Corps warned that a new monitoring method developed by a team of University of Notre Dame scientists detected DNA from the fish in water samples taken in the manmade canal that connects the Mississippi River basin and Lake Michigan.
These findings indicate that the Asian carp may be closer to the Great Lakes than previously thought.
Earlier this year the Corps completed a $9 million electrical barrier in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. By running current through the water in the canal the agency hoped to stop the fish from entering the lakes without impeding shipping or water flow.
With news that the unwelcome fish appears closer to the Great Lakes than expected, the Alliance for the Great Lakes called for the voltage of the electrical barrier to be increased.
“The electrical barrier system has been operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at a reduced voltage of 1 volt per inch since its partial completion earlier this year,“ the environmental group said. “Current system conditions allow operation at between 2 and 4 volts, but the barrier has never been turned up that high.”
“The state of Illinois has to put an abort on Asian carp if this mission goes critical, and it needs support from the entire region,” Joel Brammeier, acting President of the Alliance said in a statement released Monday. “An ounce of prevention could save the Great Lakes from a crushing burden for decades to come — perhaps forever.”
Brammier called for aggressive monitoring of the fish and said that it may be necessary to poison the fish in the water if they make it through the electrical barrier. [...]
The Army Corps has been reluctant to operate the underwater electrical barrier at full power because of concerns that people could get shocked and that sparks could endanger cargo ships carrying flammable materials.
Read the full story at link.
Photo courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service
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Corps will turn up barrier
By Dale Bowman, Chicago Sun Times
In response to the report released last week about finding DNA evidence of Asian farther upstream in the Sanitary and Ship Canal than expected, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will announce this morning a planned increase in the operating parameters for the electric fish dispersal barrier near Romeoville. [...]
The Corps of Engineers made the decision to increase operating parameters based on the latest, best information available, including results from preliminary genetic water testing obtained July 31st which indicate that Asian carp are closer to the barrier than previously thought. Recent research undertaken at the Corps of Engineers research laboratory indicates that the optimal operating parameters are two volts per inch, 15 Hertz frequency and 6.5 milliseconds pulse rate.
To prepare the barrier for the increase, the Corps of Engineers will begin operational testing of the equipment at 8 a.m. Wednesday, August 12, 2009. Operational testing is expected to be complete by Friday, August 14 but will continue until barrier preparation is finalized. In coordination with the Coast Guard, the Army Corps will begin navigation safety tests at the new
operating parameters as early as practicable. The timing of the increase is tied to the barrier contractor's ability to change the parameters in a safe manner.
"Once we received the genetic testing results on July 31st, we immediately began making preparations to be able to increase the operating parameters," said Maj. Gen. John Peabody, commander of the Corps of Engineers Great Lakes and Ohio River Division. "The earliest we could make the changes was this Friday, so we used the available time to consult with other state
and federal agencies and partners. It is clear to us that this is the appropriate action."
Read the full story at link.
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Invasives presentation at monthly meeting of the Adirondack Park Agency on Friday
The Adirondack Park Agency (APA) will hold its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Thursday, August 13 and Friday August 14 at APA Headquarters in Ray Brook, NY. The August meeting will be webcast live. The Agency’s homepage has a link to view the webcast.
On Friday morning at 9:00, the Park Ecology Committee will convene for a presentation from Dr. Otto Doering III on the Economic Impact of Invasive Species. Dr. Doering is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University and a member of the US Department of Interior’s Invasive Species Advisory Committee. He publishes in the areas of agricultural policy, resource conservation, water, energy/biofuels, and climate change and is a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
See link for more information.
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Strategic Management of Invasive Species in the Southeastern United States
December 7th-11th, 2009
Carolina Inn Conference Center
Chapel Hill, NC
This five-day invasive species course will be held at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC, December 7th-11th, 2009 for installation personnel and their strategic partners in the southeastern United States. The workshop will provide participants with knowledge and resources that will enable them to improve land stewardship by building partnerships and effectively addressing invasive species problems with an emphasis on terrestrial plants of the southeast. Science and management experts will address pressing ecological issues and explain key components of an invasive species management strategy. Participants also will learn about local, state, and federal invasive species initiatives and regional partnership opportunities.
The workshop is offered by Invasive Plant Control, Inc. through funding from the DOD Legacy Program. There will be no charge for the workshop. Registration will be available online beginning August 3, 2009. Please contact Steven Manning at steve@ipc-inc.org to be placed on a list to receive notices about this workshop. You may also find information including the proposed agenda and dates online at www.invasiveplantcontrol.com. Follow the link to Conferences and Workshops. To reserve a hotel room please contact the Carolina Inn which is a four star/four diamond hotel and conference center located next to the University of North Carolina campus (www.carolinainn.com). The hotel has agreed to the federal per diem rate for this location and rooms have been blocked. When making reservations please use the key word “invasive” to locate the special rate.
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