Monday, November 21, 2011

November 21, 2011

Ecologist honored for creating Weed Warriors program to fight invasive species

By Associated Press, Published: November 19

ROCKVILLE, Md. — A Montgomery County ecologist is a weed warrior, and she wants you to be one as well.

The U.S. Forest Service and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay have honored ecologist Carole Bergmann for creating the Weed Warrior program, which trains volunteers to eliminate invasive plant species.

County officials say the program has trained more than 700 volunteers, who assist park staff in finding and removing invasive plants. Volunteers receive two hours of field training with a forest ecologist and complete an online course. The training consists of plant identification, removal and control techniques...

Online: Montgomery County Weed Warrior Program

Read the full story at link.

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Canadians push back against NY ballast rules

Invasive species: Critics say regulations will hurt Seaway traffic

By MARC HELLER
TIMES WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON — A top Canadian transportation official visits New York today to try to rally opposition to the state’s tough new restrictions on ballast water in the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Pierre Poilievre, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, said he plans to meet with “decision makers” and shipping industry representatives to corral opposition to New York’s ballast standard, aimed at keeping invasive species out of the Seaway but which shippers say could effectively shut down the international waterway.

“We do not believe the Seaway can remain open” if the rules are implemented as planned in 2013, Mr. Poilievre told reporters in a news conference call. “If New York goes ahead with these regulations, the economic damage would be massive”...

Read the full story at link.

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