Week of July 6, 2009

Updated July 11
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Plant Conservation Alliance general meeting announcement

Wednesday, July 8, 2009
9:30 - 11:30 AM

LOCATION: Conference Room at NatureServe
1101 Wilson Boulevard, 15th Floor
Arlington, VA 22209

The Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA) Bi-Monthly Meeting is an open forum for anyone interested or working in plant conservation. The meeting is held every other month in the Washington DC metropolitan area. There is roundtable for attendees to share relevant events, as well as updates from each of the PCA working groups and committees, including the Alien Plant Working Group. Regular attendees include representatives from the PCA Federal agencies and from cooperating organizations; however anyone is welcome to attend this meeting. Past meeting summaries and selected presentations are available at http://www.nps.gov/plants/meetings/bimonthly/index.htm.

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Suffolk County "Do Not Sell" List public hearing on June 23

From the Website of the Suffolk County Water and Land Invasive Species Advisory Board.



Photo by: Laura Stephenson, Peconic Estuary Program. Volunteers pull Ludwigia peploides from the Peconic River.



Suffolk County, NY will have a public hearing on the proposed amendments to the "Do Not Sell" list on June 23, 2009, 2:30pm, at Suffolk County Community College Culinary Arts Center, in Riverhead. In Summer 2009, Suffolk and Nassau counties are amending their invasive species lists, as well as including a new clause that would exempt sterile cultivars of banned species from prohibition. Similar to the current invasive species list, the amendments include phase-out periods which were developed in collaboration with green industry members.

The proposed amendments to the “do-not-sell” list were reached through a series of meetings of the Suffolk County Water and Land Invasive Species Advisory Board, based on work conducted by the Scientific Review Committee (SRC)—a subcommittee of the Long Island Invasive Species Management Area (LIISMA) and in conjunction with the expertise and experience of land managers, horticultural industry professionals, and botanists. Plant assessment results are critically reviewed and approved by the LIISMA SRC. Results of these species’ assessments can be found at http://www.liinvasives.org/. Members of the LIISMA SRC include botanists, horticulture professionals, ecologists, public land managers, and representatives from Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Long Island Farm Bureau, and the Long Island Nursery & Landscape Association.

In 2007, Suffolk and Nassau counties became the first counties in New York State to take a key step in slowing the spread of invasive species by outlawing the sale, transport, distribution, and propagation of 63 invasive plant species. As part of a long-term invasive species management plan, this law is a major move in the fight against the spread of these species into our lands and waters. The ban on 56 of these species became effective January 1, 2009, but of these, only 9 are widely commercially sold (Table 1). The ban includes each plant’s cultivars.

Table 1. Commercially-sold Species on the “Do Not Sell” List Which are in Effect in 2009

Ampelopsis brevipedunculata - Porcelain-berry
Eleagnus umbellata - Autumn olive
Lespedeza cuneata - Chinese lespedeza
Ligustrum obtusifolium - Border privet
Lythrum salicaria - Purple loosestrife
Ranunculus ficaria - Lesser celandine
Rhamnus cathartica - Common buckthorn
Rosa multiflora - Multiflora rose
Rubus phoenicolasias Maxim. - Wineberry

For More Information:

Suffolk County bill 1508:
http://legis.suffolkcountyny.gov/resos2009/i1508-09.pdf

Long Island Invasive Species Management Area:
http://nyis.info/liisma/default.aspx

Species’ invasiveness assessments can be found at http://www.liinvasives.org/.

For more information about the do-not-sell list, invasive plants, non-invasive alternative plants, and the program in general, please contact: enviro@suffolkcountyny.gov

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Zebra mussels infest Massachusetts' Laurel Lake

By Jack Dew, Berkshire Eagle Staff

LEE, MA. -- An invasive species of mussel has been discovered in Laurel Lake, threatening to dramatically alter the ecosystem and spread to other bodies of water in the Berkshires and across the state.

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation has confirmed that zebra mussels -- a hearty species native to the Caspian and Black Sea -- have been found in Laurel Lake, the first documented case in a Massachusetts body of water. The fingernail-sized mussel inhabits a yellowish brown shell with alternating light and dark bands. The razor-sharp shells are usually an inch long but can grow to 2 inches.

An aquatic ecologist with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation has recommended that the public boat ramp at Laurel Lake be closed to prevent the mussels' spread. That decision, however, will be up to the Public Access Board, which governs access to the state's lakes and so far has taken no action.

On Monday, the boat ramp remained open while a lunchtime crowd of anglers tried their luck for trout.

"I've seen zebra mussels in Lake Champlain, and what they do is horrible," said Keith Williman, one of the fishermen. "They cause real big problems." [...]

Anne Roche, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, said the agency is deploying its rapid response plan, which calls for a public education blitz to urge lake users to take precautions.

"The important part is communication and education to stop it from spreading," Roche said. "Once the species is in a lake, you can't eradicate it."

Read the full article at link.

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Schumer secures funding to combat ash borer in NY

The Post-Journal

The United States Department of Agriculture has doubled the amount of funding they will provide to New York State through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service coordinates eradication and suppression efforts for emerging plant pests, including both emergency funding and technical assistance to states. With APHIS's assistance, New York's Department of Environmental Conservation will be able to survey the state to determine the extent of the infestation, and create and enact a plan to fight the spread of EAB.

Last week Schumer called for USDA to provide emergency funding to NYS to battle Ash Borer, and today he is announcing that they have responded to his request by doubling the amount of funding available to New York state from $100,000 to $200,000. [...]

APHIS can provide both funding and technical expertise in combating and treating this infestation. They routinely provide manpower, experts and equipment to localities that are experiencing invasive species emergencies. [...]

Schumer last week also called on the US Forest Service to accept NYS DEC's application for stimulus funding to improve education on how to stop the spread of Ash Borer and to enforce the ban on the transportation of firewood. Schumer today said that he will continue working with the USFS to obtain those funds as soon as possible.

Read the full story at link.

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Request for Nominations for the Invasive Species Advisory Committee

The U.S. Department of the Interior, on behalf of the interdepartmental National Invasive Species Council, proposes to appoint new members to the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC). The Secretary of the Interior, acting as administrative lead, is requesting nominations for qualified persons to serve as members of the ISAC.

DATES: Nominations must be postmarked by July 23, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Nominations should be sent to:

Dr. Christopher Dionigi, Acting Executive Director
National Invasive Species Council (OS/NISC)

Regular Mail:
1849 C Street, NW.
Washington, DC 20240

Express Mail:
1201 EyeStreet, NW., 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kelsey Brantley, Program Analyst andISAC Coordinator, at (202) 513–7243,fax: (202) 371–1751, or by e-mail at Kelsey_Brantley@ios.doi.gov.

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Training for Asian long-horned beetle and emerald ash borer

There are a series of trainings in New York coming up over the next few weeks to train people on how to recognize and survey for both Asian long-horned beetle and emerald ash borer. These trainings are scheduled for July 9 (Warrensburg-Adirondacks), July 13 (Albany), July 21 (Woodstock-Catskills), and July 22 (Woodstock-Catskills). All training sessions are scheduled to run from 9am - 4pm. Space is limited and reservations are accepted on a first come / first serve basis. Those interested in identification, survey, and risks of forest pests should consider attending. We hope to provide continuing education credits to certified foresters.

Please contact Troy Weldy at The Nature Conservancy (e-mail: tweldy@tnc.org; phone: 518-690-7841) to reserve your space and also feel free to forward this announcement to any interested parties.

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Invasive sea squirts in Long Island Sound may indicate climate change

By Andy Bromage, FairfieldWeekly.com

Sea squirts are smothering Connecticut's shellfish industry. [...]

Non-native sea squirts, also known as tunicate or sea pork, are proliferating in Long Island Sound and elsewhere as water temperatures rise. Marine scientists at the University of Connecticut found that warmer winters are causing the invasive invertebrates to explode in population. Sea squirts reproduce rapidly and compete with shellfish for food and space, threatening Connecticut's shellfish industry. [...]

In 2002, UConn scientists studied whether climate change was to blame for the growth of invasive sea squirts in Long Island Sound. The harmless-looking invertebrates outcompete economically vital shellfish like clams, mussels and oysters and smother other organisms. Left unchecked, they could have a devastating impact on shellfishing in the Sound.

And the warmer the water, the worse they get.

Scientists studied native species against invasive ones from 1991 to 2002 at Avery Point near Groton. They found that in the year after the warmest winter (1991), invasive growth was twice that of native squirts. By contrast, after the coldest winter (1994), the native ones outgrew the invasive sea squirts 5-to-1.

Read the full story at link.

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Volunteers Pull Together To Remove Invasive Plant from Mill Pond, Oyster Bay

From The Nature Conservancy

Cold Spring Harbor, NY — July 8, 2009 — Volunteers gathered today at Mill Pond, Oyster Bay and took to their canoes to remove a harmful invasive plant that is overtaking the waterway, according to The Nature Conservancy, Friends of the Bay and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The plant, water chestnut, is a concern to both people and nature. Over 35 cubic yards of water chestnut have been removed from Mill Pond in the last two years. [...]

“The best time of year to remove this harmful plant is in late spring or early summer before it sets seed. The seeds are viable for up to 10 years so control efforts must be conducted for many years, but luckily this plant has only been found in two locations on Long Island,” said Kathy Schwager, invasive species ecologist for The Nature Conservancy on Long Island. “Pulling this weed is a win-win situation for both the environment and the community.”

“According to Mill Pond neighbors, they first noticed the invasion of this aquatic plant between 2005 and 2007 and were astonished at its prolific expansion each year. Each individual seed can produce 10 to 15 rosettes, and each rosette can produce 15 to 20 seeds. So each seed can produce 300 new seeds in one year! The Refuge confirmed the infestation in June 2008 and acted rapidly to remove as much water chestnut as possible that summer season. If left uncontrolled, it will cover the entire pond within a few years,” remarked Azucena Ponce, refuge biologist for the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex.”

Michelle Williams, refuge manager added, “We would like to thank the Town of Oyster Bay for their generous support in providing a location for the plant material. Additionally, we would like to thank the many volunteers who have worked so hard on making this project a success.”

Invasive species damage the lands and waters that native plants and animals need to survive. They hurt economies and threaten human well-being. The estimated damage from invasive species worldwide totals more than $1.4 trillion – five percent of the global economy.

The Nature Conservancy is working to prevent and control the spread of invasive species in all 50 states and across more than 30 countries around the world. Together with our partners we are focusing on prevention and early detection as the most effective strategies to combat invasive species. [...]

Also joining the event were students from The Nature Conservancy’s Internship Program for City Youth, a unique partnership that couples environmental school learning curricula in urban nature with real world conservation work through paid internships on nature preserves across the Northeast. The program, launched in 1995, is a partnership with the Friends of the High School for Environmental Studies and the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment. This partnership has helped underserved urban youth gain critical life and workplace skills, provided continuous and sustained exposure to both rural and urban nature, and helped a diverse array of students pursue higher education opportunities and career paths in environmental fields.

Read the full story at link.

Photo © Evelyn Chen/TNC

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Senate hearing focuses on diseases, invasive species threatening native wildlife

By MATTHEW DALY, Associated Press

WASHINGTON - From a mysterious fungus attacking bats in the Northeast to the emergence of Burmese pythons in Florida, native wildlife is facing new threats throughout the country.

Protecting wildlife from new diseases and invasive species is a top challenge facing state and federal officials. Experts and public officials will talk about the threats — and ways to combat them — at a Senate hearing Wednesday.

Two Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittees are conducting the hearing, which will feature testimony by experts from Maryland, Michigan, Rhode Island and Florida.

At least 185 aquatic invasive species have been detected in the Great Lakes, including the zebra mussel and Asian carp, and snakehead fish have been found in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Link

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Week of March 30, 2009

Updated 4/2
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Economic Stimulus Could Boost Invasive Species Management

On February 17, President Barack Obama signed the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 to stimulate the economy by creating jobs and building infrastructure.

As of March, implications for invasive species management were unclear. The stimulus package includes more than $3 billion for agencies and programs that will directly affect natural resources. The ARRA spending mandates are very broad and include concepts such as habitat restoration, watershed improvement, forest health protection, and wildland fire management that may allow funding to flow toward invasive plant management.

States and federal agencies face a May 3 deadline to begin reporting how ARRA dollars will be allocated. Until that time, governors are coordinating state allocations, while regional and national offices of the federal agencies are evaluating needs and deciding how to distribute funds.

Information about individual state and federal ARRA programs – how the dollars are being allocated and progress toward goals – can be found at http://e2ma.net/go/1862571322/1698740/63287196/goto:http:/www.recovery.gov/. This website is the primary online portal through which the government will continue to report how ARRA funds are being spent "in a timely, targeted, and transparent manner," according to the President.

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Book makes case for native plants

By Bill Cary • Gannett News Service

People in the gardening world are calling Douglas W. Tallamy's book on native plants the next "Silent Spring," Rachel Carson's 1962 book that warned of the dangers of chemical pesticides and helped launch the modern-day environmental movement.

In his book, "Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens" (Timber Press, 2007, $27.95), Tallamy argues that native plants are vital to the survival of our ecosystems because they sustain native wildlife. When native plants disappear, so do the insects that have evolved with them, thus depriving birds and other animals of the food they need to survive.

Tallamy, professor and head of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, Del., has spent years studying insects and the many ways they interact with plants. This food web helps to determine the diversity of our ecosystem...

...We've put nature into neat little quadrants and many of these are filled with invasive species, he said. Look at the narrow strips of land next to our highways - many are overflowing with invasive porcelain berry and bittersweet vines that are pulling down the native trees and choking out everything else.

When we load up our ecosystem with pretty plants from China or Europe, our native insects can't eat them. From the insects' point of view, we might as well stick plastic flowers in our yard instead of peonies or lilacs.

Nationwide, 100 million acres have been invaded by alien plants, and that's expected to double in the next five years...

Read the full article at Link.

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Agricultural agents in NJ wage war on bugs, plants, and disease

By Judy Peet - The Star-Ledger

All Alba Lugardo wanted was her chicken tamales.

She stood sobbing at international customs inspection at Newark Liberty International Airport as agents explained why they seized her vittles. Lugardo didn't care about the big picture; she just wanted the comfort food she brought in her carry-on luggage from Ecuador for her pregnant daughter in Newark.

But invasion can come from the most unlikely places.

To Lugardo, a tamale is a meal. To federal bug and germ hunters, uninspected foreign meat wrapped in corn husks is a possible carrier of avian flu that could sicken hundreds and destroy the livelihood of thousands of chicken-farm workers in Delaware. It is quite a stretch, but one that Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at every U.S. port of entry make daily in the fight against tiny alien predators.

Ten days ago, Newark agents announced they discovered a plant bug never before seen in the U.S. Botanists don't know if it is a killer, because, like most of the estimated 30 million insect species on the planet, it has never been studied...

...Every day, inspectors in Newark intercept on average more than 100 bugs, according to customs reports. About once a month, they come across a species never before seen in the U.S. The stowaway found 10 days ago was hiding in a bunch of Israeli thyme, said Thomas Henry, the USDA botanist who examined the insect.

It is of the Miridae family, but the species is unknown. Henry said that of the estimated 30 million bug species worldwide, only 1.5 million have been fully classified. It is definitely not one of the 90,000 species native to the U.S., Henry said.

Read the full article, with video, at Link.

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Birds vanishing in the Lehigh Valley, PA

By Christopher Baxter - The Morning Call

An unprecedented study of United States bird populations suggests development in the Lehigh Valley during the past decade has contributed to the steep decline of local species, signaling a deterioration of the region's environment.

Of the 132 most prevalent birds found in Pennsylvania, one-third show significant declines during the past 40 years, mirroring national trends, according to the study's raw data from the North American Breeding Bird Survey.''

The report, ''The State of the Birds,'' released this month by the U.S. Department of the Interior, found that about one-third of the nation's 800 species are endangered, threatened, or in decline.

...suffering precipitous drops in population are Eastern forest birds, which in Pennsylvania include the golden-winged warbler, down 6.7 percent annually since 1967; the wood thrush, down 2.3 percent annually; and the Eastern towhee, down 2 percent annually.

Those species rely on large tracts of pristine hardwood forest, a statewide specialty increasingly under attack by suburban sprawl, invasive species, and deer overpopulation, said Nels Johnson, director of conservation with The Nature Conservancy of Pennsylvania...

Read the full article at Link.

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Connecticut has key role in search for cause of white-nose syndrome in bats

By RINKER BUCK, Courant.com

The rapid spread from the Northeast to the South of the deadly white-nose syndrome in bats is more than a crisis that once again puts Connecticut at the center of a major outbreak like Lyme disease or West Nile virus.

The race to solve the white-nose mystery before the scourge reaches the large bat populations of the American South has set off a frenzied, CSI-like drama in veterinary and pathology laboratories from Italy to Wisconsin. Connecticut is playing a crucial role by compiling data on the syndrome and sending samples of diseased bats to important university and government diagnostic clinics.

The syndrome, first discovered in New York state in 2006, is a condition in which the heads, legs and wings of hibernating bats are coated with a white fungus that scientists have identified as a rare form of geomyces, a fungus usually found in cold, dry environments, such as the tundra in the Arctic.

Earlier this month, biologists from the state Department of Environmental Protection confirmed, after visits to bat caves in Litchfield County, that as many as 90 percent of Connecticut's bats have died...

...Al Hicks, a mammal specialist who runs the endangered species program for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, led the team of field biologists who first discovered white-nose in bats. He considers it telling that the first site where white-nose was found was Howe Caverns in New York's Schoharie County, a popular tourist site where more than 200,000 visitors a year ride elevators down to a deep cave that houses hibernating bats on the far end.

"We've known since 1983 that there is a very similar geomyces fungus on bats in Europe but that it has not killed them in large numbers like here in the U.S.," Hicks said. "Someone from Europe might have carried that fungus into Howe Caverns on their shoes. This might have introduced a fungus from another continent that American bats had not yet developed resistance to."...

Read the full article at Link.

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Annapolis, Maryland bans invasive plants

By Tyeesha Dixon, BaltimoreSun.com

The City of Annapolis would impose restrictions on invasive plants if a bill the City Council is considering passes.

The bill would prohibit 97 species of invasive plants ... on "lots or parcels within the city unless completely contained to control growth and prevent encroachment." It would also limit growth of grass, weeds and other rank vegetation to one foot high.

The bill includes exceptions to the height requirement, including agricultural property, natural wooded areas, public parks, and recreational property and unimproved areas of more than three acres.

At Monday's public hearing, Ward 2 Alderman Fred Paone, the bill's sponsor, said he introduced the bill because of neighbor disputes regarding unruly bamboo. Paone said he started to learn of constituents' problems with bamboo and kudzu, in particular, in June.

David Prosten, chairman of the 1,400-member Anne Arundel County chapter of the Sierra Club, told the council that the group supports the bill.

Read the full story at Link.

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Swamp studies snag honors for two students in New York

By Roger Muehlig, BataviaNews.com

BERGEN, NY -- Two Byron-Bergen Central School students are headed for a state science competition in Albany in June with award-winning projects related to an endangered snake and an invasive weed in the Bergen Swamp.

Seniors Kelsey Hill and Daniel Madziarz won high honors for their projects at the Central Western Section of the Science Teachers Association of New York State's 2009 Science Congress at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, the school district said.

Hill's presentation, "Survey of the Invasive Species Eurasian species Phragmites Australis in the Bergen Swamp," also earned her a U.S. Army certificate of achievement, a U.S. Air Force certificate of achievement and an MP3 player, the district said.

Hill and Madziarz were mentored by Stephen Locke, a science teacher at Byron-Bergen and a trustee and vice president of the Bergen Swamp Preservation Society, which owns the 1,900-acre rare plant and wildlife preserve that stretches across the northern half of the town and into the neighboring town of Byron.

Locke said the two students volunteered for their projects, received no extra credit for their work and probably put in more than 500 hours of time each.

Hill's effort showed that an invasive species of phragmites, which originated in Europe, and the native species that came from New England were both in the swamp. Both like high-salt wetlands, Locke said, but Hill did a nice job of documenting the differences between the two and showed that the European species was taking over, occupying 27 percent of the swamp's open land.

Hill, who would like to pursue environmental writing in college, perhaps at Ohio Wesleyan, is not only the first to scientifically state the takeover is occurring, Locke said, but created a computer data-base to manage eradication of the invasive species.

The daughter of David and Lesle Hill said she spent about 16 hours a week in the swamp last summer and another 15 hours or so a week formulating her report.

"It was pretty hot out there, but it was worth it," she said.

Read the full story at Link.

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Cazenovia, NY bans phosphorus fertilizer to reduce AIS

By Alaina Potrikus, The Post-Standard

Cazenovia leaders want homeowners to know that most soils in the lake watershed contain adequate levels of naturally occurring phosphorus and should not be affected by the town's ban on fertilizers with the nutrient.

The town board in January passed the area's first ban restricting the use of phosphorus in lawn fertilizers in hopes of creating a less-fertile environment for algae and other aquatic plants, such as the weed Eurasian watermilfoil, that annually plague Cazenovia Lake. Village leaders are considering a similar resolution in support of the local law.

The community has been making plans all winter to tackle the growing problem of invasive species such as milfoil. The town, in conjunction with the village and the Cazenovia Lake Association, is applying for a permit from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to apply the herbicide Renovate to portions of the lake in hopes of knocking back the milfoil population, which has skyrocketed in recent summers.

While local officials work to solve the environmental and financial ramifications of the milfoil, Town Supervisor Liz Moran said, the phosphorus ban is something area homeowners can do to help prevent future weed growth.

The ban will be enforced by the town's code enforcement officer, and Moran said officials hope "the majority of residents recognize that, although not a magic bullet, a phosphorus reduction plan is an easy way for everyone to display good stewardship of the lake and contribute to the long-term health of this precious resource."

Read full story at Link.

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Lake Placid, NY to use beetles to combat purple loosestrife

By HEATHER SACKETT, for the Adirondack Enterprise

LAKE PLACID - "If you can't beat 'em, let the beetles eat 'em." This slogan of the Ausable River Association will be put to the test this summer, when Lake Placid will attempt to combat an invasive species with hungry beetles.

The golden loosestrife beetle (Galerucella pusilla) will be released into four dense stands of purple loosestrife on the shores of Mill Pond and Power Pond. The project's aim is to keep the tributaries of the Ausable River free from the invasive species. Mill and Power ponds are on the Chubb River, which feeds into the Ausable. The program is funded by a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program.

According to the association's director Carol Treadwell, no purple loosestrife has been recorded in the West Branch of the river between Lake Placid and Wilmington - and the association wants to keep it that way.

According to director of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program Hilary Smith, purple loosestrife is one of the most widespread invasive plants in the country.

"Our concern is because the Adirondacks have a lot of prime habitat for wetland invasives," Smith said. "If you're finding it along river complexes, it can be spread downstream."

The beetles, which eat only purple loosestrife, are used after other labor-intensive control methods like hand cutting and pulling the plants and spot applications of herbicide have failed to keep a population of purple loosestrife in check.

The beetles, which are light brown in color and four to six millimeters long, will be released this spring by a team of volunteers, headed up by Treadwell. Right now, they are being raised in a marsh near Utica.

Read the full article at Link.

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Cape May County hopes stimulus funds flow to Lower creek

By BRIAN IANIERI, PressofAtlanticCity.com

LOWER TOWNSHIP - Cape May County is asking for $2 million in federal stimulus money to help restore Cox Hall Creek in Lower Township.

The watershed, which covers 1,940 acres, is clogged by phragmites marsh reeds that hinder the creek's ability to drain and pose fire hazards when the stalks are dry. Poor water flow at Cox Hall Creek also presents concerns about mosquito breeding habitat.

County freeholders are applying for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Project grant, which would use federal stimulus money.

The $2 million proposed project would involve placing two culverts in the area to allow saltwater to flow in from the Delaware Bay to kill the invasive phragmites, said County Administrator Stephen O'Connor.

Federal funding would also pay for studies on a second phase of the proposed project.
That phase involves installing new pipes with tidal traps leading directly into the Delaware Bay to create a constant, controlled level of water, O'Connor said.

Read the full story at Link.

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National ANS Database now part of NYIS.INFO

I'm very excited to report that the aquatic invasive/aquatic nuisance species database of the National Aquatic Nuisance Species Clearinghouse (NANSC) is now a part of the NY Invasive Species Clearinghouse (NYIS.INFO). The database is a searchable annotated catalog of the NANSC international library of research, public policy, and outreach education publications pertaining to invasive marine and fresh-water aquatic nuisance species that are found in North America. It is also the home of North America's most extensive library of publications related to the spread, biology, impacts and control of zebra mussels.

The Aquatic Invasive Species Database (Link) can be searched via an extended outline search or via a powerful full text search feature.

Charles R. O'Neill, Jr.
Sr. Extension Specialist
Cornell University/New York Sea Grant
Director, NY Invasive Species Clearinghouse Director, National Aquatic
Nuisance Species Clearinghouse Coordinator, Cornell Invasive Species Program
Morgan II, SUNY College Brockport, NY 14420

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Share your phragmites samples and location data

Dr. Bernd Blossey at Cornell University is soliciting contributions of samples and data on native and invasive locations of common reed (Phragmites australis). In particular, Blossey is hoping to receive more data from western states, which currently are poorly represented in his database. Blossey and his colleagues will use the data to prepare a distribution map so that more targeted searches can be done in certain states. They also hope to launch a web-based approach that will allow volunteers or states to update data remotely.

Contact Dr. Bernd Blossey

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Volunteers needed to root out invasive plants in Virginia

By John Hopkins, The Virginian-Pilot

The local chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society will join the Chesapeake Arboretum and interested volunteers on May 2 to uproot nonnative growth in the area during the first statewide Invasive Plant Removal Day.

They will target English ivy and ligustrum, also known as privet, at the arboretum's urban forest in Chesapeake, said Barbara Gelzer, the arboretum's coordinator. Statewide, various other groups will take on similar tasks in their own communities.

The Virginia Native Plant Society and the Virginia Master Naturalists are sponsoring the statewide event. Activities are being coordinated now and interested people can learn more by going to www.virginiamasternaturalist.org/invasives/index.html.

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Very cute biological control agents on Long Island

BY ARI GOLDSTEIN, Newsday.com

The Town of Hempstead has a new set of grass cutters for the Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve in Merrick, and they go by the names Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful, Happy and Doc.

The five are Nigerian dwarf goats and their assignment will be controlling weeds and overgrowth at the 50-acre preserve.

The puppy-sized goats, between 4 and 6 weeks old, spent Monday in their pen, grazing on goat pellets. By autumn, town officials hope the five will be chowing down grass and weeds.

We'll let them eat to their hearts' content," said Town Supervisor Kate Murray. "Basically, they're going to be our natural lawn mowers."

But the goats won't have free rein of the preserve: They will either be tethered to a line, tended on leashes or kept inside a movable fence.

And although the animals are considered gentle, children will not be allowed to pet them."

There's an overabundance of caution at this point," Murray said. "They're young, they're unpredictable and it's not really their purpose.

"The town paid $1,200 for the five goats, which were born at the Long Island Zoological Society in Manorville. The town expects to save money that would have been spent on labor, gas, lawn mowers and line trimmers. Officials also touted the goats' value to the environment, as their carbon footprint will be smaller than that of lawn care machinery.

It's not the first time the preserve has turned to unusual methods to respond to issues at the facility. Four years ago, guinea fowl were brought in to control ticks. They feed on insects and, since their arrival, the preserve hasn't had any reports of ticks, Murray said.

The preserve hopes the goats will thrive -- and perhaps add to their ranks.

"We figure with one boy and four girls, nature might take its course," Murray said.

Read the full article and see some very cute photos at Link.

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Phragmites' last stand?

By LEE PROCIDA, PressofAtlanticCity.com

For more than a century, North American scientists, engineers, environmentalists, sportsmen and others have fought the invasion of a foreign form of the common reed, Phragmites australis, and lost...

...After a decade of studies, scientists at Cornell University have narrowed a field of 150 different species of fungus, pathogens and insects down to four moths that, if released into the wild here, could potentially attack and kill the invasive form of phragmites.

Bernd Blossey, associate professor at the university and lead researcher on the project, said any release of the species would not be for another three to five years, since they are currently being carefully studied in Rhode Island and Switzerland.

Nevertheless, he said initial studies have been very promising, and the moths the researchers are studying seem to have a singular interest in eating the one species of phragmites that has plagued this area.

"The biological control of plants has been around for 120 to 150 years," Blossey said, "but for phragmites, it's extremely novel and no one has tried that."

In southern New Jersey - what Blossey called "the middle of the storm" in the invasion - other techniques have mostly centered on burning, chopping, mowing or spraying with herbicide the large stands of phragmites found here.

These attempts, particularly spraying, have not only been met with much public resistance, but they also usually only serve to push the reed back rather than eradicate it altogether. Most require continuous maintenance as the reed creeps back in, making them more expensive and time consuming.

But the moths that Blossey is studying have a long history of being effective phragmites killers. They are all found in Europe, where the form of phragmites that has taken over marshes here also came from, and they have adapted a particular taste for the plant - one is even called a Reed Leopard.

In Europe they are so proficient they are sometimes considered pests, but that's only because the form of phragmites that is considered invasive here provides valuable habitat overseas.

Whatever species is eventually released to attack the foreign variety of phragmites will have to leave that native species alone, which Blossey said is the main concern now as studies of the moths are continued.

Read the full article at Link.

For more information, visit InvasivePlants.Net.

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Exotic species at the 36th Natural Areas Conference

September 11-18, 2009
Vancouver, Washington

In association with the Natural Areas Association, the National Association of Exotic Pest Plant Councils will host an Invasive Exotic Species track at the 2009 Natural Areas Conference in Vancouver, Washington. The theme for the September 15-18, 2009, conference is “Living on the Edge: Why Natural Areas Matter.”

All NAEPPC chapters are invited and encouraged to submit some aspect of their work in a contributed paper or poster. Submission of abstracts and other information about the conference is available online at the Natural Areas Conference web site. Please note the April 30, 2009 deadline for abstract submission.

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New Hampshire lake group tackles invasive milfoil

By Eric Parry, EagleTribune.com

HAMPSTEAD, NH — Residents around Big Island Pond believe a 30-foot pontoon boat — complete with a pump, hoses and a perforated deck — in Skip Lanouette's front yard is their best hope of fighting an invasive weed that has spread across the lake for the past decade.
Lanouette and a group of residents from around the lake are converting the boat into a harvester that will help scuba divers remove milfoil from the pond.

There have been attempts to rid the lake of the milfoil in the past, but pulling the weeds by hand and stuffing them into bags was a tedious process that didn't accomplish much.

But with this new tool, Bob Patterson, who is leading a team of 15 divers, said a lot more of the lake should be free of the weed that spreads quickly and can choke natural vegetation.

"What took us a whole month by hand last year can take us a day with the harvester," Patterson said.

While two divers are in the water pulling weeds, a 4-inch-wide hose attached to one of the divers will suck the weed into large holding tanks on the deck of the boat. The holding tanks and deck have been fitted with a tight mesh that will collect the weed in bags, but will allow the water to drain back into the pond.

At most, divers will only have to go down 12 feet because the weed doesn't grow any deeper than that in the lake, Patterson said.

To make sure they collect it all, volunteers armed with pool skimmers will circle the boat in kayaks to trap any small pieces of the weed that float to the top.

"A little 2-inch piece can float away and start a new colony somewhere else," Patterson said.

After the milfoil is bagged and tagged, volunteers will then send a complete report back to the state Department of Environmental Services. The report will include how much of the weed was collected, where it was growing, water temperature and air temperature.

About 60 volunteers are involved with the project, helping to retrofit the boat with benches for the divers, hooking up the hoses and spending weekends navigating the boat around the lake. So far, 135 dives have been scheduled starting at the end of the month and continuing every weekend through the summer.

"The volunteerism on the lake is incredible," said Paul LaRochelle, who was one of the neighbors who helped Lanouette install the pump last weekend.

The boat was purchased earlier this year with the help of the lake association, donations from residents and the New Hampshire Lakes Association.

But even with this new tool, the state DES is suggesting a chemical, 2-4-D, be used to assist in the cleanup.

Amy Smagula, a DES limnologist, said the combination of the hand pulling and herbicide treatment will eliminate the weed faster than either technique alone.

"Fifty acres is a little daunting when you're trying to physically remove it," Smagula said.

Still, residents know the lake will never be completely rid of the weed.

Read the full story at Link.

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Southeast Herbicide Applicator Conference

University of Florida
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
Sep 22-24, 2009
Edgewater Beach Resort
Panama City Beach, Florida

Training for those who conduct weed control in canals, lakes, water retention ponds, golf course ponds, rivers, parks, highway rights-of-ways, transmission lines, and are responsible for vegetation management along right-of-ways and in natural areas, and use biological control techniques to suppress aquatic weed growth.

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Week of March 9, 2009

Updated 3/13/09

Hemlock woolly adelgid workshop in the Finger Lakes region

An insect pest newly arrived in the Finger Lakes region, NY -- the hemlock woolly adelgid – was recently discovered in the Cornell Plantations area of Cascadilla Gorge and in the Beebe Lake natural areas and is threatening hemlock trees and the biodiversity they support. This Asian species has decimated hemlock populations across the eastern United States, where altered habitats – due to the loss of the hemlocks – have caused a cascade of environmental changes for some amphibians, fish, invertebrates and plants in response to increased light and warmer temperatures.

The hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) causes nearly 100 percent mortality in the native eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). The small, aphid-like insects feed on the sap at the base of individual needles on the trees; eventually needles yellow and drop, branches die, and trees succumb in about four to 10 years.

Hemlock woolly adelgids were first reported in the central Finger Lakes region in mid-2008, and they now inhabit at least 19 local sites. Early detection of new sites of infestation is now a high priority, and local conservation groups are organizing volunteer surveys as a critical first step in managing this devastating invasive species.

Cornell Plantations, Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Cornell Department of Natural Resources, the Finger Lakes Land Trust, and the Finger Lakes Native Plant Society are organizing three workshops aimed at training volunteers to identify and report new hemlock woolly adelgid infestations. Each two-hour session will feature a presentation by Mark Whitmore from the Cornell Department of Natural Resources on the adelgid’s biology and the threat it poses to local hemlock forests. Participants will visit Beebe Lake to observe hemlock woolly adelgids firsthand and gain experience in detection and survey protocols. Participants will also have the opportunity to volunteer in the "Adopt-a-Hemlock" program to conduct surveys and report new infestations in local hemlock forests.

The training workshops will be held at Cornell Plantations’ Lewis Education Center, located at One Plantations Road on the Cornell campus, on Friday, March 13, at 1 p.m.; Saturday, March 21, at 10 p.m.; and Monday, March 23, at 3 p.m. To register for the training workshops, or for more information on the hemlock woolly adelgid, visit http://plantations.cornell.edu/our-gardens/natural-area/invasive/hemlock-woolly-adelgid. Additional information and instructions on reporting new infestations can also be found at the New York Invasive Species Research Institute website

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Workers attack invasive plants on Thousand Islands

By Jim Waymer, FloridaToday.com

COCOA BEACH, FL -- The Aussies must go.

Tall Australian pines fell this week along Fourth Street to clear way for natives.

Brevard County's estimated $400,000 plan will remove the exotic pines and other invasive species along Fourth Street and the nearby Thousand Islands to replace them with trees and plants that belong here.

The city stands to lose a little slice of Australia, and, for the time being, some spots in the shade. But biologists say the gains in wildlife, erosion control and rekindled natural heritage should far outweigh the temporary sentimental loss.

"Our children and our grandkids will have a much healthier group of islands out there to enjoy forever," former Cocoa Beach City Commissioner Tony Sasso said. He pushed for years to protect the cluster of tiny islands south of Minutemen Causeway in the Banana River Lagoon.

The felling of the exotic pines marked a milestone in a multiyear battle to restore the islands to their previous pristine glory.

The trees' downfall also echoed the controversial removal of Australian pines from Melbourne Causeway in 2005, when the Florida Department of Transportation removed about 200 Australian pines that had lined the causeway, some more than 50 years.

Biologists say Australian pines, introduced in the 1800s, harm the ecology because they create "monocultures" that crowd out native trees. They worsen erosion, as they displace deeper-rooted native plants. They also limit bird nesting and can be toxic to native wildlife.

The city of Cocoa Beach and conservationists pushed for years to get Brevard County to buy the islands to preserve them for paddlers, osprey and egrets, instead of dream homes.

Continued at Link

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Hemlock-killing adelgids invade Tompkins County, NY

By Liz Lawyer, IthacaJournal.com

ITHACA, NY - Cornell University is taking steps to identify new infestations of invasive insect species that destroy tree populations and have encroached on New York's borders.

The Emerald Ash Borer, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid and Asian Longhorned Beetle, tree-killers with a taste for maple, ash, hemlock and willow, have been discovered in new locations all over the Northeast. The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (pronounced uh-DEL-jid) is already known to be within Tompkins County. The infestation was first reported in July 2008.

Woolly adelgids were found around Cornell Plantations two weeks ago and last Wednesday in the Finger Lakes National Forest, for a total of 19 natural areas around Cayuga and Seneca Lakes, said Mark Whitmore, an entomologist with Cornell Cooperative Extension. The university has announced volunteer training sessions to help identify and report new infestations around Cornell and in Ithaca's gorges.

"The infestation is more widespread than we thought," Whitmore said. "We're doing the trainings basically because we want to know how widespread it is, so we can plan our response appropriately. This is a potentially devastating insect to the region's forests, and especially to hemlocks, which are a valuable resource in the region."

Part of the problem is that early stages of infestations by woolly adelgids are difficult to detect, so by the time they are found they have already been established for several years, Whitmore said.

"It's happening so fast," Bittner said. "Literally in the last week there have been two more places it's been found."

Continued at Link

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Summer jobs in the Adirondack Park

Please be advised that there are paid summer positions currently open for the Adirondack Watershed Institute's Watershed Stewardship Program, sited at Paul Smith's College. These full-time positions involve educating the public about invasive species, inspecting boats for invasive organisms, collecting recreation demographic data and conducting field research, monitoring and service tasks. Applicants with backgrounds in the natural sciences, parks and recreation, environmental policy, and environmental studies are encouraged to apply, although all applications are welcome. To apply, visit this link:

http://www.paulsmiths.edu/offices/hr/job_view.php?job_id=43

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Odum Conference 2009: reduced fee, new deadline

Odum Conference 2009, "Understanding and managing biological invasions as dynamic processes: integrating information across space and time,"
will be held April 30 – May 1, 2009.

Venue: The E.N. Huyck Preserve & Biological Research Station, and the Rensselaerville Meeting Center, both in a lovely, rural setting in Rensselaerville, New York, 25 miles from Albany.

This event will feature, as invited speakers, many of the most prominent figures in invasion ecology, management. For the speaker list, visit:
http://nyisri.org/odumspeakers.aspx

Additionally, the conference will include a poster session and field workshops. For a complete conference program, visit:
http://nyisri.org/odumprogram.aspx

Theme: This conference will focus on: 1) incorporating a long-term perspective into invasion ecology and management; 2) developing specific mechanisms to assemble and evaluate the needed data; and 3) fostering a collaborative research-management approach in which broad patterns are used to yield specific management recommendations.

Poster Submissions: We are calling for abstracts for posters addressing one or more of the following themes: a) invasive species monitoring and database initiatives; b) collaborative undertakings between invasive species ecologists and managers; c) invasive species management activities that incorporate a dynamic aspect (e.g., climate change, natural enemy acquisition, interactions of multiple invasive species); and d) basic research on dynamic aspects of invasions. The deadline for abstract submission is now March 31, 2009. For submission procedures please visit: http://nyisri.org/odumposters.aspx

Reduced-fee packages: In order to make this conference available to potential participants from agencies and institutions who now have severe financial constraints, we have arranged for new, reduced fee conference packages, as well as low-cost student housing at the E. N.
Huyck Preserve & Biological Research Station.

New deadlines: We have postponed both the registration and abstract submission deadlines to March 31 to give potential participants ample time to take advantage of this new opportunity.

To see the professional credits now available for attending the conference, visit: http://nyisri.org/OdumProfCred.aspx

For any other conference information go to: http://nyisri.org/Odum.aspx or contact us at: odumconference@gmail.com

Thank you very much,

Jonathan Rosenthal and Radka Wildova, Conference Co-Chairs Holly Menninger, Conference Coordinator

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Mistaken Identity: Invasive Plants and Their Native Look-Alikes

Have you ever wondered how to tell the difference between native and invasive phragmites? How about native vs. invasive honeysuckles? Here is an excellent guide on invasive plants and their look-alikes for the mid-Atlantic states.

http://www.nybg.org/files/scientists/rnaczi/Mistaken_Identity_Final.pdf

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Town of East Hampton Cost of Grants Assessed

Board weighs outlay against needs of environment

By Joanne Pilgrim, The East Hampton Star

(03/12/2009) The status of environmental projects in East Hampton Town (Long Island, NY), for which the Natural Resources Department has obtained grants totaling $295,000, is under review by the town board, which, in light of a budget crisis, must determine “which grants we want to work on, and which are not worth pursuing,” according to Town Councilwoman Julia Prince, the board’s liaison to the department.

Two grant agreements that expired in 2001 and in 2003 were recently renewed by the State Department of Environmental Conservation at the town’s request “because of delays in the construction or implementation of the project,” according to a town board resolution.

To receive a $75,000 grant from the D.E.C. for aquatic habitat restoration, the town was to have completed $150,000 worth of work by Dec. 1, 2003. The tasks, some of which have been completed, included salt marsh revegetation, re-establishing eelgrass beds, damming ditches in tributaries for marsh water management, and clearing streams in Northwest to allow alewives to access breeding areas. The project also includes clearing 15 acres of phragmites growing in various harbors, creeks, and ponds, which has not yet been tackled.

The town has spent approximately $74,000 so far on the project. The new deadline for completing the tasks is Dec. 31, 2010. But town board members, discussing the issue at a meeting on Tuesday, questioned whether the “tremendous job” of removing 15 acres of phragmites could be accomplished.

A $15,000 grant for habitat restoration at Lake Montauk, which requires the town to spend $30,000 on phragmites removal and restoration efforts focused on alewives and eelgrass before the D.E.C. will kick in half, expired in October of 2001, but has been extended until the end of 2010. Link

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Weeks of February 15 and February 22, 2009

Updated 2/24

TNC's Global Invasive Species Team closing shop due to budget cuts

From: Barry Rice, TNC
[Reprinted from the GIST listserv]

As a result of budget cutbacks announced last week, The Nature Conservancy's Global Invasive Species Team (GIST) is being disbanded and will close down much of its work over the next few weeks and months.

Ramifications of this closure are the following:

A)The GIST ilistserve will be closing in early March.

B)The GIST web site (http://tncinvasives.org/) will no longer be supported as of March 6: after that date it will merely coast without updates. It may disappear entirely after August.

C)We hope that portions of the site can be relocated to other web sites--see messages 3-5 below if you can support the content.

D)Our new wiki (http://invasipedia.org/) will no longer be monitored or supported, and so will be removed unless another organization offers to house and manage it (see message 5, below).

If you are interested in supporting some of the GIST web site resources on your own web site, please contact me immediately.

Meanwhile, TNC's Forest Health work focused on preventing and containing forest pests and pathogens has several years of secure funding and will continue; see its web site at http://dontmovefirewood.org/.

Bill's comment: I'm stunned! No group of people anywhere on Earth has done more to advance the fight against invasive species. I'm sure that nearly every person in the country who manages invasives has used GIST resources at one time or another, and often many times. Hopefully a foundation or donor will step forward, or new TNC CEO Mark Tercek will wake up and see that this is a HUGE mistake!

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APIPP 2008 Invasive Speciesr Annual Reports Available

The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program's (APIPP) 2008 Annual Report is now available online at http://adkinvasives.com/documents/APIPP2008AnnualReport.pdf , (795KB). Check it out for a snapshot of accomplishments from 2008, including aquatic and terrestrial monitoring and management stats, planning initiatives, species distribution alerts, and more!

In addition, the Adirondack Aquatic Nuisance Species Committee produced its 2008 summary report, which is also available online at http://adkinvasives.com/Aquatic/Resources/documents/2008ANSAnnualReport.pdf . Note that in the future, APIPP will prepare a comprehensive PRISM annual report that integrates the progress of the ANS Committee.

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Avalon, NJ, Prepares Strategy to Tackle Japanese Black Pine on Dunes

AVALON — The viability of borough dunes could be at risk, Environmental Commission Chairman Dr. Brian Reynolds told council at its meeting Feb. 11.

To that end, the borough is preparing strategies to tackle Japanese Black Pine, a non-indigenous species categorized by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service as “mildly invasive.”

Avalon Environmental Commission is working with Joseph Lomax of Lomax Consulting Group in Court House to reduce the pines’ impact on the dunes’ natural maritime forest.

Lomax Consulting Group will prepare and file an application for an Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) 2009 Smart Growth Planning Grant for $18,000, of which the borough will match $9,000.

Lomax was also awarded a professional service contract to develop Forestry Management Plan at a total cost of $4,500. The group will communicate between the borough’s environmental commission and representatives to submit the plans to the NJ Forest Service Community Forestry Program.

The borough will apply its 2009 Green Communities Grant for $3,000 from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) towards the consulting services, leaving a balance of $1,500; Administrator Andrew Bednarek said the services value $17,500.

At a cost of $14,750, the Lomax Group will also prepare a Dune Vegetation Management Plan and design management standards with the Environmental Commission and create a pilot program in a half-beach block area at 74th Street to test which approach works best. Link

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Efforts underway in Arlington County to remove invasive species

Arlington County invasive-plant-removal events have started for 2009. The program is coordinated by Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Volunteers meet monthly at a number of locations to rescue parks from alien plant invaders.

Participants should come dressed for work, wearing long pants and long sleeves and perhaps a hat. Participants also will want to bring along water and, if possible, garden tools. Other tools will be provided.

Removal efforts take place on the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon at Lacey Woods Park; on the third Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon at Tuckahoe Park; on the second Saturday from noon to 2:30 p.m. at Gulf Branch Nature Center; and on the third Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. at Long Branch Nature Center. Link

For information, call (703) 228-7636 or e-mail jtruong@vt.ed.

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Funding freeze might negate phragmites removal from Marion Lake, Long Island

By Erin Schultz, Suffolk Times

Just months after the Marion Lake Restoration Committee moved forward with phase one of its pricey phragmites removal project, Lori Luscher got stonewalled by the state.

Ms. Luscher, the founder of MLRC, worked for years to obtain proper permits and a $100,000 matching grant from the Department of Environmental Conservation to remove the phragmites, invasive plants that have been suffocating the five-acre lake for over a decade. The part-time East Marion resident of 30 years also organized fundraisers and has been able to collect over $80,000 to match the DEC.

But last month, DEC representatives told Ms. Luscher that, due to a statewide funding freeze, the restoration committee won't receive a promised partial reimbursement check for $60,000 -- at least not in time for the second phase of the project.

This, Ms. Luscher said, could mean certain death for her beloved inland lake.

"We're doing this in stages," she said. "The timing has to be exactly right, or else the whole project is a waste."

Ms. Luscher said the MLRC was "desperately" relying on the reimbursement to start the second "wicking" phase of the project this spring, in which an environmentally-friendly chemical is hand-applied to each stalk, killing the weed without disturbing any other vegetation. Delaying the second phase, she said, would completely negate the work involved in phase one, and the chances of getting anyone else to donate would be "very unlikely."

"This would set our project back to its initial starting point," she said. "The people who have made donations would feel cheated."

Never one to back down, Ms. Luscher, The Suffolk Times Civic Person of the Year for 2008, has already embarked on an aggressive letter-writing campaign, telling public officials "how bad it would be to be out of money."

Suffolk County Legislator Ed Romaine has already written to DEC Commissioner Peter Grannis, urging the DEC to unfreeze the $60,000 partial reimbursement that was promised. Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said he also intends to weigh in.

Lori Severino, a spokeswoman for the DEC, said the organization has every intention of getting the committee its money -- just not right now.

"The state does intend to meet these obligations," she said. "However, it will take a little bit longer than usual due to the current budget situation. But they're not targeting one particular project."

Ms. Luscher said she understands state's current financial crisis, but this particular project simply cannot be postponed. She said she'd like to explain all this to Commissioner Grannis and Governor David Paterson -- in person.

"I'll take the trip up to Albany if they'll listen," she said. "It would be a huge injustice to the community if we were to lose it all now." Link

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Georgia Aquarium to display invasive lionfish

By Leon Stafford, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Because lionfish, which are native to the South Pacific, have no natural predators in Georgia waters, their population is exploding, researchers said. And their presence is having a negative impact on native species, including small grouper, crustaceans and anything else lionfish can swallow whole.

The aquarium will put more than 40 lionfish in the tank in an attempt to educate visitors about invasive species and discourage the practice of dumping unwanted fish in oceans and streams. The fish will be about 5 inches to 9 inches long. Link

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2009 Aquatic Weed Control Short Course

Aquatic, Upland and Invasive Weed Control; Aquatic Plant Identification May 4-7, 2009

Coral Springs Marriott Hotel, Golf Club and Convention Center Coral Springs, Florida

http://www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/aw

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BrooklynParrots.com: A Web Site About the Wild Parrots of Brooklyn

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Arctic char need help to keep swimming

By Bob Mallard, Kennebec Journal

Maine is home to one of the rarest fish in the country. Maine's arctic char, a member of the salmonid family, which includes salmon, trout, char, freshwater whitefish and grayling, is now facing its darkest hour.

Formerly referred to as blueback and Sunapee trout, the arctic char has been called "a grievously imperiled race" and "desperately in need of Endangered Species Act protection" by nationally known angler and writer Ted Williams.

Why? This rare fish faces threats from introduced baitfish, state-sponsored stocking and politics.
Maine's populations of char are the last in the 48 contiguous states. Once abundant in the Rangeley Lakes where they served as the food source for a population of giant brook trout, char were extirpated by the introduction of landlocked salmon, who outcompeted the char for food and preyed on them.

The few populations left in New Hampshire and Vermont succumbed to hybridization with introduced lake trout.

Next to habitat degradation, invasive species introduction -- when live bait is used and released into the water -- is the biggest threat to the fish. The restrictions imposed by the proposed legislation should have been acceptable to even the staunchest supporter of live bait and fish stocking. Link

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Home gardeners can uproot invading plants

StandardSpeaker.com

A fractured leg bone (I slipped on ice and fell) has given me more time to read.

The just-finished roster includes “Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens,” by Dr. Doug Tallamy, chairman of the entomology and wildlife ecology department at the University of Delaware. It’s a pretty quick but concise read and makes suburbanites think twice about the sterile lawns surrounding their homes. Tallamy’s research has shown the important link between native plants and healthy ecosystems.

My wife and I started our native plant gardening soon after we moved to Conyngham. The first things to go were non-native Japanese yew bushes and two very weedy honey locust trees.

Then came the lawn-reduction program (spread tarps or plastic sheets over the turf to remove it without using toxic chemicals!) and the planting of dozens of butterfly, bee and songbird favorites like black-eyed Susan, three milkweed species, elderberry and spicebush shrubs, a couple of pawpaw trees (the host plant for the beautiful zebra swallowtail) and a hackberry tree (another important host plant for butterflies).

Much of what landscapers offer new homeowners today consists of plants that have little to no value to wildlife. And replacing the native forest that stood where a house and lawn now sit has severe detrimental effects on wildlife populations, not the least of which is the replacement of native trees, wildflowers and shrubs with alien and oftentimes invasive species.

Walking around Conyngham has convinced me that the most common tree in town nowadays is the Norway maple. Guess where this species is a native? Norway maples produce thousands of seeds which can quickly mature into dense shady stands, displacing native trees, shrubs and herbs and the wildlife they sustained.

There are many, many other examples highlighting the impact of non-native and invasive species on native plants and animals. Drive slowly over the Susquehanna River bridge between Berwick and Nescopeck around mid-summer and view the riparian areas below now clothed with purple loosestrife. Edge of the Woods Native Plant Nursery in Lehigh County (the only area nursery we know of that deals only in native plants) says this about purple loosestrife on its Web site: Replaces “native grasses and wetland plants, reducing food supply and habitat for native waterfowl and plants, including some federally listed endangered orchids.”

Another aquatic-habitat invasive we’re familiar with (having lived near some of the waters it now infests, including Lake Champlain), is the Eurasian milfoil.

“Native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, this plant was introduced to the United States around 1940, and has spread throughout much of North America from Florida to Quebec in the east, and California to British Columbia in the west,” notes the University of Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum. “Eurasian milfoil is common in lakes, ponds, and rivers throughout Pennsylvania.”

Like hundreds of other alien plants and critters (the gypsy moth, Asian longhorned beetle, zebra mussel, European starling, English house sparrow, the list goes on and on), the Eurasian milfoil can easily and quickly take over, harming fish populations as well as plants that are supposed to be in a given water body.

Throughout our corner of Pennsylvania the list of exotic, invasive species is endless. Some are sold by nurseries to naive landowners while others arrive in imports or are moved from one pond, lake or stream to another on fishing gear or boats. Near home, the long list includes Bradford pear (another aggressive seeder), autumn olive (there used to be a huge stand of this species near Lake Frances at Nescopeck State Park that formed such dense stands that nothing else could get a toehold), English ivy, Japanese barberry, Japanese honeysuckle, Russian olive, Norway spruce, Japanese knotweed. Link

Read Alan Gregory’s conservation news at wolverines.wordpress.com. He is a former reporter and Outdoors editor for the Standard-Speaker.

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Asian longhorned beetle reemerges on Staten Island

by Staten Island Advance

A tree-killing bug has been detected in 13 maple trees on Staten Island, prompting a federal agency to remove the infested trees this month.

The Asian long-horned beetle was discovered when the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service -- in cooperation with city and state agencies -- surveyed an undeveloped tract of land on Dec. 31 and found the insect in 12 trees, according to Rep. Michael McMahon (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn). The area, which is owned by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the city Parks Department, is located in Mariners Harbor.
One maple, on an adjoining property, was also found to be infested.

The pesky critter first winged its way to Staten Island in the spring of 2007 when 41 infested trees were found on Prall's Island and three were found on the former GATX industrial site in Bloomfield.

As a result, federal and state pruners cut down and chipped 7,900 trees and chemically treated another 6,400 on the West Shore.

Because of the latest discovery, a quarantine area implemented in 2007 was expanded from a 7.8-square-mile zone on the North and West shores to 10 square miles. Inspectors will survey trees in private and public areas. That will add about 8,200 trees to the 17,900 trees were treated last year. Numerous residential properties lying east of South Avenue and west of Willow Road East will become part of the expanded quarantine area.

"Some of the trees on the [Department of Conservation] property had the perfectly round, 3/8 inch in diameter exit holes that indicate beetles have emerged from the trees in past summers, and all the trees had egg sites indicating beetles have laid eggs," said Christine Markham, director of the national ALB program. "A growth ring analysis determined the infestation is four years old."

The infested trees will be removed this month, before any adult beetles can emerge. In addition, 25 high-risk, exposed host trees located in close proximity to the infested trees.

"The Asian longhorned beetle poses a serious threat to Staten Island," McMahon said. "It kills its host trees within a matter of years and has been found throughout the city. If not controlled, this will quickly become an issue of national importance. I remain confident that the early detection programs instituted by the federal, state and city agencies involved will lead to the swift eradication of this invasive species."

Host trees, or tree species where the beetles thrive, include gray birch, red maple, hackberry, ash, poplar, elm and willow trees. Link

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Biologist opposes Howland fish bypass

Move could bring pike to Piscataquis River

By Diana Bowley, BangorDailyNews.com

DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — A retired and well-respected Moosehead Lake region fishery biologist warned Tuesday the Penobscot River Restoration Trust’s proposal to install a bypass channel around the Howland Dam could have some unintended and “very undesirable” consequences.

Paul Johnson, who is retired from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, told the Piscataquis County commissioners that the proposal could allow northern pike — an invasive, non-native species that preys on soft-grade fish such as salmon, trout and suckers — to invade
about 40 percent of the Piscataquis River drainage. Where pike have been introduced, they have decimated cold-water fishing, he said.

“I feel as a biologist there are significant problems” with this proposal, Johnson said Tuesday. “The threat is real. My concern is this threat has not been widely publicized.” He said there is a public process under way and the public should be aware there is a threat associated with the benefits of the project.

The bypass channel is part of a series of changes planned over time by the Penobscot River Restoration Trust to restore anadromous species to the Penobscot River without sacrificing energy production, according to Johnson. The membership of the trust, a nonprofit organization, includes the Penobscot Indian Nation and several conservation groups, including Maine Audubon and Trout Unlimited. The trust is working in collaboration with state and federal agencies and hydropower company Pennsylvania Power and Light Corp.

Other elements of the trust’s plan to restore Atlantic salmon, river herring and sturgeon, among other sea species, to the Penobscot watershed include removal of the Veazie Dam and the Great Works Dam — the first two dams on the Penobscot River — and improvement of the fish passage at the Milford Dam in Old Town, ac-cording to Johnson.

Johnson said he is troubled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, whose duty it is to stop the spread of invasive species, is a signatory of the trust and as such is promoting the opportunity for pike to enter the Piscataquis River.

“The unintended consequences of allowing northern pike to increase their distribution in Maine in the Piscataquis drainage, sanctioned by the state and federal government, and private nongovernmental organizations, is ecologically irresponsible, contrary to public policies and, most importantly, unacceptable,” Johnson said.

Officials of the Penobscot River Restoration Trust declined Tuesday to rebut Johnson’s arguments.

But in an OpEd column in the Bangor Daily News last week, Ray B. Owen Jr. of Orono, a former commissioner of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said that “one of the best ways to reduce any negative impacts of these invasive fish is to restore the abundance of native fish in the river through the full implementation of the Penobscot project.”

He said he does not believe that the project “should be jeopardized by the threat of invasive species. Where appropriate, safeguards can be put in place as the risk is further assessed.”

Johnson said the trust did consider alternatives at the Howland Dam but has remained with the fishery bypass.

“There is an alternative. I just think the alternative needs to be heard,” Johnson said. He said he hopes the trust will reassess the project and replace the bypass with a fish lift. The bypass is estimated to cost $5 million compared with $3.5 million for a fish lift.

“You build a dam, you can take it down; you build a fishway, and something changes in the future, you have an alternative course. But if you allow pike into the Piscataquis and they get here, it’s forever,” Johnson said. Link

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Invasive beetles stir worries in Maine

By Julia Bayly, BangorDailyNews.com

MADAWASKA, Maine — Two species of invading beetles are causing some serious concern among federal officials and creating some headaches for St. John Valley residents looking to purchase firewood from Canada.

At a public forum to be held Friday night on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ban on importing firewood, two local legislators hope to shine some light on the issue and why the emerald ash borer and Asian longhorn beetle have forced the ban.

“Around election time in November, I was at Fraser [Paper] and found out how many people in Madawaska get their firewood out of Canada,” said state Sen. Troy Jackson, D-Allagash. “It really astonished me how many people this ban could affect.”

As it stands, all firewood imported from Canada must be heated to 71 degrees Celsius (159 degrees Fahrenheit) before it can enter the United States.

“Many of the smaller firewood operators don’t have the means to do this,” Jackson said. “It would make the cost of buying the wood prohibitive for a lot of people.”

Jackson said many homeowners in Madawaska turned to wood heat over the past year in the wake of rising oil prices.

“This could open up some demand for firewood on the U.S. side,” Jackson said. “But I’m just not sure the supply is there in the Madawaska area.”

At Friday’s forum, slated for 7 p.m. at the Madawaska High School Library, Theriault and Jackson will be joined by representatives of U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and
U.S. 2nd District Rep. Michael Michaud, and officials with the USDA.

“We wanted to get information to those people who have concerns,” Jackson said. “We want to get everyone in the same room, hear what they have to say and go from there.” Link

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Dunkirk Harbor (NY) Commission discusses weed problem

By Joel Cuthbert, ObserverToday.com

With warm weather and the prospect of boats on Lake Erie on the horizon, weed control in the Dunkirk harbor topped discussions of the waterfront.

During a brief Greater Dunkirk Area Harbor Commission meeting Wednesday, members discussed a number of issues relating to problematic weed growth in the harbor as well as plans, and now resources, to address the problem this coming summer.

"Those weeds can be detrimental to boat motors and result in some costly repairs for boaters," Chairman Kurt Warmbrodt said after the meeting.

Earlier this month, $10,000 in occupancy tax money was allocated to the city of Dunkirk for aquatic weed control in the harbor, money which harbor commission members are eager to use to maximize benefits to the Dunkirk harbor. Although members decided to approach the Cassadaga Lake Association in order to use their weed harvester to remedy the problem, they were left to decide when they would need it and what areas they would focus their efforts on since, they all agreed, $10,000 won't go far.

After the meeting, Warmbrodt said they'll mainly be looking at clearing weeds from areas where the boats come up to the docks and Zen Olow said maintaining clear access to the main channel was the biggest priority. Link

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Invasive plants on Long Island talk

Clark Gardens in Albertson will be starting their fabulous Chats on Sunday, March 1st at 1 p.m. This will be on "Invasive Plants on Long Island" by Jane Jackson. Following the presentation and a question and answer period, refreshments will be served. The fee is $8 for members and $10 for non-members. The Garden is located at 193 I.U. Willets Road in Albertson.

Courtesy of the Garden City News online at http://www.gcnews.com/

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UConn efforts help curb spread of invasive plants in state

by Elizabeth Omara-Otunnu, UConn Advance

You see them in the parking lots of retail chain stores and fast food outlets – neat shrubs with glowing scarlet leaves in fall and bright crimson berries in winter.

Burning bush is beautiful but, as many people now know, it’s one of a growing number of invasive plant species that are threatening indigenous ecological systems

In Connecticut, that public awareness owes much to the efforts of UConn’s Les Mehrhoff and Donna Ellis.

“Euonymus – burning bush – is planted everywhere,” says Mehrhoff, director of the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE) in the ecology and evolutionary biology department.

“There’s not a McDonald’s or Burger King without them. The plant’s a money maker – it’s easily grown, resists pests, and it’s beautiful.”

The problem is that birds love the fruits, which are high in energy and fats. They fly off and spread the seeds, and now the plant is growing in numerous unmanaged habitats.

Mehrhoff says he became aware of invasives in the 1990s, while working on endangered species.
“I started seeing a lot of habitats being encroached by invasive species,” he says.

In 1997, he and Ellis, a senior extension educator in the plant science department, established an advocacy group to focus on the issue. The Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG) began with about 30 members, including faculty from UConn and other colleges, and representatives of The Nature Conservancy, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, municipalities, state and federal agencies, and garden clubs. It now has a listserv of more than 500.

UConn is also represented on a state-mandated council, the Invasive Plants Council, a nine-member group that is currently chaired by Professor Mary Musgrave, head of the plant science department.

“There are a lot of people in the state who care,” says Mehrhoff.

During the past 10 years, Mehrhoff and Ellis have played a leading role working with these two groups to identify invasive plants, and take action to address the problem.

An official list has been compiled of 96 non-native plants considered invasive or potentially invasive in Connecticut, 81 of which are now banned by law from being sold, purchased, transplanted, or cultivated in the state. These include Japanese barberry, Asiatic bittersweet, purple loosestrife, and other, less showy plants, such as garlic mustard and mile-a-minute vine, newly recognized as invasive.

The work is sometimes controversial. Not everyone agrees on all the species that are invasive, Mehrhoff says. In addition to ecological considerations, there are economic issues at stake.
“Some are big money plants for the nursery industry or the aquatic trade,” he says. “Some aquatic species are sold in every pet store.”

One of the primary reasons efforts in Connecticut have succeeded, according to Mehrhoff, has been the involvement of UConn faculty and staff.

“The imprimatur of professionalism and academics that comes from this work being conducted at the University has been key to its success,” he says. Link

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Week of December 15, 2008

Teacher finds ‘destructive’ weed in Pembroke pond, Mass.

Braintree - William Glover, an East Middle School science teacher, has made “a remarkable discovery,” according to Dianne Rees, director of science for the Braintree public schools.

Glover has found and identified hydrilla, an invasive aquatic weed, in Hobomock Pond in Pembroke.

“This is only the second time that hydrilla, which is mainly a southern plant, has been identified in Massachusetts,” Rees said.

She described hydrilla, which is able to grow an inch a day and reproduce in three different ways, as “extremely invasive and destructive.”

The state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will now take responsibility for a cleanup to try to save the pond where Glover discovered hydrilla, Rees said.

Michelle Robinson, an aquatic biologist with the DCR, explained in a published report why she was impressed with Glover’s work.

“Hydrilla is very easily misidentified, and he was very, very thorough,” she said. Link
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Lagoon resident leads fight for mangroves

By KELLY CUCULIANSKY, news-journalonline.com

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Florida -- Amber Thompson has planted 17 trees over the years, but there's one species on her waterfront property that she's likened to a monster that just won't die.

It's a Brazilian pepper-tree cluster and she's tried everything she knows to get rid of it. For the seven years she's owned the property, Thompson has watched the invasive plant push out the mangroves on the shore. She's tried to eradicate it several times.

"Each time it seems to come back stronger," she said. "Instead of just being a single plant, now it's just spread. It is a monster."

In hopes of a solution, Thompson is turning to the Marine Discovery Center for help to restore the shoreline back to native habitat. She is one of hundreds of property owners along the Indian River Lagoon the organization hopes to help through a restoration project.

Stephanie Wolfe, a biologist and restoration coordinator, said the goal is to restore four miles of shoreline with native vegetation, such as mangroves, which provide a natural defense against erosion, filter water and provide habitat for aquatic wildlife. The program for shoreline from New Smyrna Beach to Oak Hill is funded by a $40,000 grant awarded by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Link

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NYS to Adopt Tough New Policies to Stop Devastating Aquatic Invasive Species Introductions

ALBANY, NY (12/18/2008; 0930)(readMedia)-- Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River advocates today applauded New York State's latest effort to shut the door on aquatic invasive species introductions. Later this month, a new set of rules from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will begin a countdown to requiring stringent ballast treatment on-board ships transiting the state's waters. Ship ballast is the primary pathway for aquatic invasive species introductions into the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system and the state's strong ballast treatment standard makes New York State a world leader in stopping aquatic invasive species noted the groups.

New York State's new rules, which will go into effect on December 19th, are among the strictest ballast treatment rules in the country. Per the rule, all ships traveling state waters will be required, by January 1, 2012, to have ballast treatment technology on board. Treating ballast water will prevent further introductions of aquatic invasive species.

"In the absence of strong federal ballast clean-up legislation, we are pleased that New York State has stepped up to create strong ballast rules," noted Jennifer J. Caddick, Save The River Executive Director. "Stringent technology requirements for ships operating throughout the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway will be key in stopping more devastating aquatic invasive species introductions." Link

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Massive Hydrilla Treatment Planned for Lake Tohopekaliga, Florida

The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are preparing for a massive effort to control invasive hydrilla growing over more than 6,000 acres of Lake Tohopekaliga.

Working in cooperation with the FWC Bureau of Invasive Plant Management, the SFWMD Vegetation Management Division will apply Aquathol, a liquid herbicide, over affected areas of the lake. The treatment is scheduled to begin December 15 and is expected to take four to five days.

Aquathol is approved for lake use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is considered the most effective and environmentally friendly method of controlling hydrilla in Lake Tohopekaliga. Link

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NY Guv's budget plan hits Long Island environmental programs

BY JENNIFER SMITH, Newsday.com

Local environmental programs that rely on a helping hand from the state could be left scrambling for money under Gov. David A. Paterson's proposed budget, which reduced a key state environmental fund by 19 percent and entirely eliminated some categories such as Long Island waterfront revitalization and aid to aquariums and zoos.

There would also be fewer people at the Department of Environmental Conservation to watch polluters, regulate hazardous waste and enforce wildlife and state lands laws. A hiring freeze and proposed $91.8 million budget cut would eliminate 240 positions from the DEC next year, even as it tries to recover from staff cuts in the 1990s.

Advocates fear the economic climate will jeopardize advances in regulating polluters, improving water quality and acquiring open space. "The cuts are more than dramatic. They're crippling," said Adrienne Esposito of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, citing Paterson's proposal to cut the Environmental Protection Fund from $255 million to $205 million.

Over the past two years, that money helped Island municipalities fight invasive species, buy farmland development rights and upgrade sewage treatment plants. Under Paterson's budget, the first two funding categories would be cut 70 percent and 41 percent, respectively, and waterfront revitalization money that paid for the upgrades would no longer be available on the Island. Link

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