Updated 12/17
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Moreau, NY tackles threat posed by invasive plant species
By PAUL POST, The Saratogian
MOREAU, NY — A local environmental group is taking steps to control invasive plant species that it says threaten habitat for birds and other wildlife.
The Moreau Conservation Advisory Council hopes to employ strategies ranging from education to eradication.
For example, the town Planning Board could urge developers not to landscape with harmful plants, while the town Highway Department could remove invasive plants found along local roads.
“It’s a huge problem not only locally, but statewide and nationwide,” council Secretary Ramona Bearor said. “It affects everything — birds, insects and animals that depend on native plants in some way.”
Specifically, she cited three types of invasive species that are causing problems.
One is Japanese knotweed, sometimes called “American bamboo.” Found in the wild, it spreads rapidly. One place it’s taking over is along the Betar Bikeway bordering the Hudson River in South Glens Falls.
Japanese barberry, often used by developers in housing development common areas, is another invasive species, along with the popular burning bush. Each plant produces thousands of seeds that birds eat and spread in their droppings. Seeds quickly take root and force out existing vegetation, changing soil composition in the process. [...]
Bearor said Moreau is the first town in Saratoga County to take a proactive approach in controlling the invasive plant species. The nine-member council was first organized last spring and appointed by the Town Board, as called for in the town’s master plan. [...]
Read the full article at link.
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Editorial: Why the delay on rules halting invasive species?
Sheboyganpress.com
The wheels of government grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly small. The wheels of the U.S. Coast Guard apparently just grind slowly.
More than 20 years after the first zebra mussels found their way into the Great Lakes in the belly of ocean-going tankers, the Coast Guard has come up with regulations to deal with such non-native aquatic life.
But it will be nearly six years before the rules take full effect, and some ships may not have to comply with them until 2021.
The timetable set by the Coast Guard calls for feasibility studies to be performed prior to the rules taking effect.
But we've known for some time now how the problem began.
Zebra mussels, and many of the more than 180 other invasive species that found their way into the Great Lakes in the last two decades, arrived here in the ballast water that the tankers take in for stability when traveling on open water and that is later discharged when they arrive. [...]
The frustrating thing for Wisconsin and other states bordering the Great Lakes is that the call went out years ago for treatment or cleansing of ballast water in order to kill non-native plant and animal life before it is discharged.
But the Coast Guard dragged its feet and there was little pressure put on the agency by Congress to take action. This forced Wisconsin and other Great Lakes states to come up with their own rules in the interim when it would have been much more effective to have a national standard that all ships would have to meet.
Congress must put pressure on the Coast Guard to step up the pace on effective rules to guard against further damage to the Great Lakes.
Waiting even another two years is too long. Strict rules against invasive species must be in place no later than 2012.
Read the editorial a link.
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Update on DEC's wild boar war in Central New York: They're still out there and moving around
By David Figura/The Post-Standard
In his office, Moravia businessman Andy Boos proudly displays the head mount of the 320-pound black Russian boar he shot three years ago on his property in Spafford.
“I was out deer hunting at the time and this animal came running through the bushes,” he said. “It sounded like a Mack truck. It appeared about 80 yards away at a full run. I took one shot with a handgun (a Thompson Contender 308) and he came down in a pile.”
It’s the kind of story that makes some state Department of Environmental Conservation officials and property owners in the Scott/Spafford area grimace.
In the past few years, the area has been deluged with out-of-towners calling and stopping by to see where they can hunt wild boar. Most of the property in the area has been posted by farmers and other property owners, and trespassing has been a real problem, some farmers said.
“Personally, I think it’s highly overrated,” said John Wanish, owner of J. Dubs Gas and Grub convenience store, along Route 41 in the town of Scott. Nevertheless, the store’s bulletin board has several pictures of wild hogs shot by locals in recent years.
“I’ve had them (hunters) come and stop by the store as far away is Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York City,” he said. “Apparently, there must be a Web site on it or something.”
The DEC has been actively involved the past several years in attempts to clear the invasive species off the area landscape. The animals are believed to have escaped from a private pay-to-hunt game farm nearly a decade ago and are spreading.
The state’s position, as reflected in this year’s DEC hunting and trapping guide is that feral swine are a harmful, invasive species and need to be eradicated. For the past two years, local DEC officials have been trapping the animals at undisclosed private and public properties.
While casual or “opportunistic” shooting of individual boars by, for example, deer hunters isn’t discouraged, local DEC officials are standing by previous statements that systematic hunting — or pursuit — of groups of the animals tends to spread them and make their populations more vigorous.
Is the DEC, which is working with other agencies such as the Cortland Soil and Water District and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on the issue, winning the wild boar war? Evidently not, said many local residents who were interviewed in recent weeks. Many said it’s time to call off the battle and stop spending state money on the effort. [...]
This year’s DEC hunting guide for the first time (page 20) notes their presence locally and in other parts of the state, and reminds hunters that all they need is a license that’s valid for hunting small game to shoot feral pigs.
They’re considered “unprotected wildlife.” There’s no season, no take limits or time-of-day restrictions. General hunting rules, such as the distance one can discharge a firearm from a building, still apply. (For more, see pages 16-17 of the DEC hunting guide). [...]
What’s the problem with wild pigs?
DEC officials say they are capable of wreaking havoc on plant life, native animal species and water quality in wetlands and streams, in addition to causing extensive crop damage and carrying various diseases transmissable to wildlife. If you’ve seen or shot a wild boar, contact the DEC at mlputnam[at]gw.dec.state.ny.us or call 607-753-3095, ext. 296.
Are they dangerous to humans?
Like domestic pigs, females are very protective of their young. The state Department of Conservation only has one report locally, though, of a man being attacked by a wild boar. Greg Piercey, formerly of Scott (now living in Kentucky), was building a deer hunting treestand in 2006 when he notice that Red, his golden retriever, had “gotten into it” with a wild boar piglet, according to Piercey’s ex-wife, Kathy. Piercey got down from the tree and started beating the sow with a piece of wood. A piglet ran up to Piercey, “shredded his pants” and bit him on the leg. “He had to have rabies shots,” she said.
Read the full story at link.
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The Exotic Menace
Non-native species invade land, water
By DINAH VOYLES PULVER
Environment Writer
news-journalonline.com
A growing worldwide trade in exotic plants and animals, fueled by a fascination with the rare and beautiful, often wreaks havoc on Florida's native plants and animals and costs the nation billions each year.
"America has a love affair with exotic species, but unfortunately it has a dark side," said Don Schmitz, a research program manager with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "Go down to Miami International Airport. It's amazing what comes in on a daily basis from overseas."
The list includes tropical flowers, colorful fish, scorpions and spitting cobras.
Though the imports can start harmlessly as pretty plants or cool pets, far too many wind up in the wild, becoming a growing exotic menace that some say is the single biggest threat to the nation's protected species.
Many scientists consider Florida ground zero in the invasion with more exotic imports arriving daily and more protected species at risk than anywhere else except Hawaii. Hundreds of nonnative species flourish in the wild.
"In a decade or two, the ecology of the state of Florida is not going to be what we've known all our lives," said Herky Huffman of Enterprise, a former wildlife commissioner. "It's going to be changed by all these exotic species."
FLORIDA THE POSTER CHILD
People have long traded in goods such as seeds, plants and animals. But an explosion in global trade and Internet sales triggered a more rapid and prolific exchange. Overall, more than 50,000 species of plants, animals and microbes have been introduced to the United States.
Tom Jackson, an exotic species specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Florida, calls it "the great experiment."
"We're moving a staggering number of (species) from disparate places to our lands, and sometimes waters, at a speed never before accomplished," Jackson said. And much of it happens with little oversight.
That troubles conservation scientists who fear invasive species are threatening natural ecosystems. A plant or animal becomes "invasive" when it thrives and reproduces in new surroundings and harms native plants and animals, placing them at risk of extinction.
Most species brought to the United States are beneficial rather than invasive, including cattle and crops such as rice.
But when exotics escape or are released into the wild and face no natural predators, they can cause major problems. For example, imported mussels disrupt shipping in the Great Lakes. Yellow star thistle invades thousands of acres of native grasslands in California.
Florida, however, with up to 100,000 pythons roaming in the Everglades, is considered by some the poster child for "really creepy invasives."
Some scientists believe the huge snakes could move into Central Florida. Dozens of other nonnative reptiles and amphibians thrive in the state's temperate and subtropical climates.
The invasives "impact our lifestyles, our economies, our natural areas and our native species," said Doria Gordon, director of conservation science for The Nature Conservancy in Florida. If Floridians want to know how exotic invasive species can affect them, most need go no farther than their own lawn, Gordon said. "We all care about fire ants in a big way."
But the menace reaches far beyond front yards.
Exotic armored catfish imported to eat algae in aquariums invade the Blue Spring run and plague manatees that swim there. Plants such as hydrilla and hyacinth clog tributaries to the St. Johns River and other waterways, closing some to boating traffic. Acres of native plants disappear beneath a creeping forest of aggressive Old World climbing fern.
An Asian beetle brought laurel wilt fungus to red bay trees near Savannah, Ga., in 2002. It decimated red bays around Jacksonville, mowed down trees in Palm Coast and was found this year in Daytona Beach.
Similar problems nationwide leave nearly half the country's 958 protected species at risk from competition by exotics, according to a study by Cornell University professor David Pimentel and colleagues.
Invasives cost the country more than $137 billion a year in damage and containment efforts, the study concluded. That's one dollar for every $8 worth of food grown and nearly double what the nation spends annually on cancer treatment. Florida property owners and agencies spend more than $600 million a year. [...]
FIGHTING BACK
Jenkins and other conservation scientists say legislation and rule changes are needed urgently to limit the flow of invasive, exotic species, build a coordinated nationwide effort to determine the extent of the problem and repair the damage.
They hope to enlist others in the battle to contain and control exotics, including legislators who could funnel more money to combat the problem. They hope to convince backyard gardeners to plant natives and to stop owners of exotic pets from releasing them into the wild. [...]
Efforts to restrict trade and exotic pet ownership meet heavy resistance.
"You have to have some pretty major evidence that something is going to be a problem before you can get it prohibited," said Bill Haller, acting director of the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants at the University of Florida.
Progress toward a zealous national effort to control exotics has been slow, but the call for action took on new urgency after July 1. That's when a Sumter County family's pet Burmese python strangled a toddler. Officials say the python was improperly caged and the family didn't have a permit.
The resulting nationwide headlines made threats posed by exotic animals a "very major issue," Haller said.
People who have pushed for more stringent regulations for years hope the child's tragic death may finally bring change to aging laws they say fail to protect the nation. They hope to make it more difficult to import problem-causing species.
A U.S. Senate committee on Thursday approved a bill that would ban import and interstate shipment of nine large constrictor and python species.
Proponents of exotic pet and plant ownership and some scientists fear the rush to new legislation and rule changes might unfairly hinder trade, limit personal freedom, and create an underground black market that could make matters worse.
The industry agrees the issue needs attention, said Marshall Meyers, chief executive officer for the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. However, change should come from a scientific assessment of individual species and not on an emotional legislative "quick fix," he said. [...]
Read the article at link.
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Vegetation having deleterious effect on Lake Takanassee in Long Branch, NJ
By CAROL GORGA WILLIAMS • COASTAL MONMOUTH BUREAU
LONG BRANCH — For decades, Pete Bacinski visited Lake Takanassee in pursuit of his hobby — bird-watching — and for his livelihood, as sanctuary director of the New Jersey Audubon Society's Sandy Hook Bird Observatory.
The observatory's senior naturalist Scott Barnes more than two years ago noticed a small amount of what appeared to be an invasive plant species blooming in two small ponds near the railroad tracks at the lake that marks the boundary between West End and Elberon.
"We worried about it, but since it didn't spread anywhere else, we didn't take it into major consideration," Bacinski said.
In March, the situation had not changed much from their first view of it. But the situation would not stay stable for long.
"In October, when I saw this plant growing in all parts of the lake, it really scared me," Bacinski said. "It all happened in a seven-month period."
For Bacinski, the other Audubon members and birding hobbyists, this is really about how the vegetation affects the lake's use by avian life.
"It is a great waterfowl stopover and wintering area," explained Bacinski, of Atlantic Highlands. He suspected the problem vegetation might be parrotweed, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture lists as an invasive noxious weed.
John A. Tiedemann, a specialist professor of marine and environmental biology within Monmouth University's School of Science, had another idea. In September, he finished co-writing a report for the school's Urban Coast Institute on "The Future of Coastal Lakes in Monmouth County."
Tiedemann said the plant blooming wildly in Takanassee is more likely Eurasian water milfoil, which has invaded many of the region's lakes. It also is an invasive plant that can choke out other plant life, according to the USDA.
Eurasian water milfoil likely would thrive in Lake Takanassee's nutrient-rich, eutrophic surroundings, crowding out native plants and hastening the potential demise of the lake.
"If it gets totally taken over by this water milfoil, it will leave no place for the waterfowl to stay for the winter months and have a home," Bacinski worried.
The impact on waterfowl, however, is just a small part of the deleterious effects on the lake, from water quality to aesthetics, Tiedemann explained. Stormwater discharges, fertilizers and too much imperious surface all help the invasive plant thrive.
"Without management and treatment, the lakes get overgrown," he said.
The UCI report concluded government can implement either chemical or mechanical solutions for weed control, even if those are only stop-gap methods.
"The real solution is to control the nutrients that go into the lake," he said. "Rather than mowing the lawn along the lake, plant a vegetated buffer that functions as a biofilter."
Other responses include adopting an ordinance that controls the timing, limiting the amount and type of fertilizer property owners can use on their lawns, overseeing a Canada geese management program, adopting a zero-silt runoff program and installing stormwater system retrofits. [...]
Read the full story at link.
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Invasive Plants Threaten Avalon Dune Health
By Leslie Truluck
Cape May County Herald.com
AVALON, NJ — The borough is seeking to remedy potential threats to the health of the dune system and natural maritime forests here caused by invasive plant species.
“The conditions in the dunes require attention,” Environmental Commission Chairman Dr. Brian Reynolds told council Dec. 9.
Invasive species, like Japanese black pine and bamboo, have caused concern for diminishing animal habitat and food sources, potential fire hazards, as well as spread of insects and disease.
Japanese Black Pine was once thought to be a good stabilizer for the dunes, due to its thick roots. However, they have the genetic potential to grow up to 80 feet and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service categorize it as “mildly invasive.”
The commission is updating the borough’s Dune Vegetation Management Plan in order to monitor and control of what is planted in the dune areas, to ensure they are suitable for that environment. Corrective changes to the ordinance will move the pines to the “not recommended” list. The pines attract insects that attack the trees and carry diseases.
Japanese black pines produce extremely flammable needles and cones that, in the event of a fire, could cause it to spread, resulting in damage to properties and the dunes natural maritime forest, Reynolds said.
He said the pines don’t serve as habitat and are not a source of food for wildlife.
A species of bamboo planted on a property near 40th Street has potential to grow 25 feet high and spread. Since most types of bamboo are invasive, the commission has opted to prohibit all bamboo types in the dunes.
The plan encourages a wider diversity of trees and shrubs in the dunes system through systematic replacement of the invasive species with indigenous plants. A test area at the 74th Street dunes, where Japanese black pines have already begun to die will be replaced, as recommended in the report.
The trees’ crowns will be removed, but roots will remain intact, to hold the dunes together. They need to be removed by hand, without heavy machinery, in order not to damage dunes. The half-block 74th Street pilot area is outside of piping plover nesting areas protected by the Department of Environmental Protection.
Funding for this endeavor may be available through a Smart Growth Planning Grant funded by the NJ Environmental Trust.
The commission will review a final draft of the Dune Vegetation Management Plan, prepared by Lomax Consulting Group of Court House, before it is presented to council.
Lomax investigated the entire borough dune system from Townsend Inlet to 80th Street to understand the pine’s height and density distribution. Trees are nearing 25-feet in the 74th Street pilot area.
Environmental Commission will discuss changes to the plan for the dune area during its regular meeting Dec. 15, at 4 p.m. at Borough Hall.
A copy of the plan will be available on the borough’s Web site, www.avalonboro.org.
Read the story at link.
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Researchers reveal that zebra mussels can be controlled
While a lone zebra mussel is relatively harmless, its appearance usually indicates the arrival of thousands of the unwanted visitors. In waterways around the globe, the mussels are outcompeting native animal species for food and clogging industrial water systems.
Scientists and municipalities in affected areas struggle with how to eradicate the mussels quickly without causing wide-scale damage to the surrounding ecosystem by using harmful pesticides or other damaging chemicals to remove the mussels.
A recent zebra mussel eradication program led by scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Darrin Fresh Water Institute is now providing a promising example of how zebra mussel populations can be successfully controlled without damaging the natural ecosystem.
“Conventional wisdom on zebra mussels holds that once a population is established, they are impossible to control,” said Darrin Director Sandra Nierzwicki-Bauer. “However, we have been able to show that it might be possible to remove enough mussels to reduce the population density to the point where successful reproduction can be impeded.”
The researchers looked at how a relatively low-tech approach, coupled with extensive community outreach and no small amount of volunteer elbow grease, successfully removed what is estimated to be more than 90 percent of a mussel infestation in Lake George within two months. To perform the removal at the freshwater lake, a popular tourist destination in upstate New York at the foot of the Adirondack Mountains, the researchers enlisted the assistance of volunteer SCUBA diving teams to hand remove more than 21,000 zebra mussels from the site.
The study took place from 1999, when the mussels were first discovered in Lake George by divers with underwater archaeology firm Bateaux Below, to 2007, although the removal effort continues today. The vast majority of mussels were removed during the first year of the project, from an area covering 3,900 square meters that is divided into nine dive sections. After hundreds of hours of dives, the researchers’ continued investigation and monitoring of the site for larvae suggests that the mussels have not successfully reproduced since the removal began a decade ago.
Because of the nature of the zebra mussels and their link to human activity, particularly their ability to hitch a ride on a contaminated hull or in the bilge water of a boat after a boating trip in an infested waterway, Darrin Fresh Water Institute’s surveillance of the lake has since resulted in the discovery of eight new colonies of zebra mussels. Each is being systematically removed through SCUBA dives in the same way that the initial site was cleaned.
“A critical component of this effort has been a broad-based surveillance program,” Nierzwicki-Bauer said. “This allows us to quickly mount the SCUBA-based approach while the population remains relatively small.” The Darrin Fresh Water Institute and other organizations on Lake George regularly monitor the waterway for new zebra mussel infestations.
“Perhaps ‘mission impossible’ can never be claimed in the fight against zebra mussels, but the prevention of colonization may well be possible with a long-term commitment to monitoring and rapid removal,” she said.
The research team’s findings, based on activities and study from 1999-2007, were published late this summer in the journal Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. Along with Nierzwicki-Bauer, researchers contributing to the study are John Wimbush of the New York State Department of State; Marc Frischer of Skidaway Institute of Oceanography; and Joseph Zarzynski of Bateaux Below.
Provided by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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Invasive algae found in Garrett Co.'s Savage River
DNR biologists discover habitat-attacking didymo in another MD trout stream
By Candus Thomson
The Baltimore Sun
Another premier Maryland trout stream has become tainted by an invasive algae feared worldwide for its ability to coat the bottom of rivers and lakes and smother the habitat and food supply of fish.
Biologists at the Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday that didymo, known by anglers as "rock snot," was found in Garrett County's Savage River late last month.
"There's nothing we can do short of closing the area down, and that's draconian," said Don Cosden, inland fisheries director. "We're going to try hard to contain it."
Officials fear the algae could spread to the North Branch of the Potomac below the Jennings Randolph Reservoir, another of the state's best trout waters.[...]
At least three streams in West Virginia have been tainted as has the Delaware River in Pennsylvania.
Cosden said biologists doing routine water quality testing just below Savage River Dam were suspicious of initial results and went back to test again. This time, they found a small mass near a foot bridge and on some rocks.
Didymo was first identified in the 1890s in Europe and China. Scientists on the West Coast detected it a decade ago. An outbreak in New Zealand in 2004 prompted a "biosecurity lockdown," complete with checkpoints and penalties of five years in prison and $100,000 fines for anglers and boaters who failed to clean their gear. A year later, reports were down 90 percent, but officials warned the decrease could be part of a natural cycle.
The same thing could happen here, Cosden said. Didymo "doesn't compete well" in rivers where other algae is present, a condition that exists in the Gunpowder and the Savage rivers. But the North Branch, with its ice-cold water and clean bottom, is a perfect host for didymo, he said.
"We just need to pay attention and be careful," Cosden said. "I suspect we'll have to do more targeted sampling and we'll reach out to anglers when they start returning to the rivers later this winter."
Copyright © 2009, The Baltimore Sun
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Exotic Species Threaten Puerto Rico’s Ecosystem
Latin American Herald Tribune
SAN JUAN – Invading species of green iguana and red lionfish are threatening the ecosystem of Puerto Rico, according to the head of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, or DRNA, of the Caribbean island, Daniel Galan.
Galan said Tuesday in an interview with Efe that neither of the two species is native to Puerto Rico, and so their presence threatens not only the animals but also the plants here.
“The main problem they pose is that neither of the two species has a natural predator in Puerto Rico,” said Galan, after noting that the green – or common – iguana (Iguana iguana) was introduced to the island 20 years ago by people keeping them as pets. [...]
Read the full story at link.
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Milfoil control requires coordinated effort
By Larissa Mulkern
Editor of The Carroll County Independent
TAMWORTH — State and local officials from three towns met last week to discuss launching a coordinated effort to combat and control variable milfoil in the Ossipee Lake system, before the choking weed affects tourism and property values on a lake that borders three communities.
Representatives from the Ossipee Lake Alliance, Green Mountain Conservation Group, select board and conservation members from Ossipee, Freedom and Effingham and a state representative from Moultonborough gathered the morning of Dec. 8 at Samantha's Inn in Tamworth. The meeting was arranged by Ossipee Conservation Commission Chair Elizabeth Gillette after the commission and alliance members met with Ossipee selectmen and NH Department of Environmental Services Limnologist Amy Smagula to discuss milfoil treatment options for Pickerel Cove and other areas of infestation.
Ossipee Lake Alliance Board Member Bob Reynolds, who recently attended the N.H. Legislative Exotic Aquatic Weeds and Species Committee's Milfoil Summit meetings in Concord, kicked off the meeting with an update. He said a proposed bill would not generate expected revenues to fund milfoil control until 2011. He added that the fact the bill was proposed indicates that the state understands towns and property owners can't win the milfoil battle alone.
The DES spent nearly its entire $450,000 milfoil budget on prevention alone, he said, leaving just $60,000 for milfoil control to be distributed to dozens of communities already affected by the weed. [...]
Read the full article at link.
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Showing posts with label New Jersey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Jersey. Show all posts
Monday, December 14, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Week of November 9, 2009
Invasive plant species threatens shore plants, animals, dunes
By TODD B. BATES
Gannett New Jersey
November 10, 2009
An invasive foreign plant is rapidly making inroads in New Jersey's critical dune systems, and Louise Wootton wants to stop it in its tracks.
Asiatic sand sedge (Carex kobomugi) — a "scruffy little plant" — threatens to take over the habitat of endangered and threatened species, such as the piping plover, according to Wootton, a biology professor at Georgian Court University in Lakewood.
The sedge also can result in lower dunes, lessening their ability to protect communities from flooding, Wootton said.
"It changes the ecosystem completely," she said.
The Brick resident has enlisted about 25 students from Georgian Court, Marine Academy of Science and Technology on Sandy Hook and Brookdale Community College in Middletown to help study the sedge, map its extent and study ways to get rid of it.
She wants government permission to begin eradicating the invader, which is rapidly making inroads on Sandy Hook, at Island Beach State Park and in some other beach areas.
The plant has no known predators or diseases here, she said.
"Delay is expensive," she said. "It's ecologically expensive and it's economically expensive, and that's a message we want to get out to the townships, too, because they are really good stewards of their dunes."
Wootton, who has studied invasive species for 12 years, is not alone in asking for the green light to fight Asiatic sand sedge. The yellow-green plant was first spotted in the United States in Island Beach State Park in 1929 but has mushroomed in recent years, according to Wootton.
The Asiatic sand sedge has out-competed, or is threatening to out-compete, native plants in areas where endangered and threatened species live or may live, according to a recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service letter to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Such species include the piping plover, an endangered beach-nesting bird.
Meanwhile, the large-headed sedge, another invasive plant, has also been found in New Jersey, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
The federal agency wants the DEP, at a minimum, to allow the removal of invasive plants in threatened and endangered species habitat through herbicide spraying, hand-pulling or other methods.
DEP spokeswoman Elaine Makatura had no comment on the letter.
"Aggressive invasive"
The Asiatic sand sedge is a perennial plant with deep roots that grows on coastal dunes and the upper areas of beaches, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service letter.
It forms a dense mat and drives out native plants, such as American beach grass and beach panic grass. It also invades the habitat of the piping plover, the threatened sea beach amaranth plant and other species.
The plant is "invading sites in New Jersey at a rapid rate," the Fish and Wildlife Service says. It occupies more than 90 acres in Island Beach State Park and on Sandy Hook.
Asiatic sand sedge populations also have been found in Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach, Long Branch, Manasquan, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and other locations.
"It's a very aggressive invasive," Wootton said. "It's one of the top 25 most unwanted species in New Jersey."
Digging and pulling out sedge plants by hand has been successful in controlling small infestations, according to the Alien Plant Working Group. But that method may not be feasible for larger efforts.
Wootton said the plant's roots are 3 to 4 feet deep, and hand-pulling is very labor-intensive and does not eliminate it.
Herbicides such as Rodeo kill the sedge down to its roots and are much more effective, she said.
"The damage that's done by the sedge is so much greater than responsible use of . . . Rodeo," she said. "We find that we're able to use very, very low amounts because we're using it with a backpack applicator, which allows us to be very specific in the application."
The National Park Service is looking into whether there are better alternatives than Rodeo, she said.
Science lesson
Alex Kloo of Manasquan, a 16-year-old junior at M.A.S.T., is performing tests to find the lowest effective level of Plateau, another herbicide, to kill Asiatic sand sedge with the least environmental damage. The park service does the spraying at Sandy Hook, he said.
Kloo got involved in the project because "it's so close to home for us," and he thought it would be "a great chance to make a big difference in the fight against" the plant.
"I love the beach," he said. The environment is "such a huge problem now" and environmentalism "should be a top priority and in a lot of people, it's just pushed to the wayside."
Read the article at link.
Photo by PCA Alien Plant Working Group.
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New Jersey lags on plan for combating invasive species
By TODD B. BATES
STAFF WRITER, Asbury Park Press
November 9, 2009
New Jersey is more than four years behind schedule in finishing a plan to combat invasive plants, animals and other organisms that threaten our environment.
But the plan should be ready within a few weeks or so, said John S. Watson Jr., deputy commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection.
"We believe (invasive species are) a problem that needs our attention,'' Watson said. "We do see significant forested areas that are impacted and we do need to make sure that we pay attention to it."
Some areas are "probably too far gone, but then we're going to be focusing on areas where we can really have an impact in eradicating those species,'' he said.
More than five years ago, then-Gov. James E. McGreevey signed an executive order creating a New Jersey Invasive Species Council. The council was charged with submitting a New Jersey Invasive Species Management Plan to the governor by June 2005.
The idea was to come up with measures to "combat these dangerous invaders and protect the state's biological diversity," according to a 2004 statement. [...]
Watson said the invasive species plan will list species believed to be most invasive.
It will recommend that retailers and landscape growers "reduce the availability of those species,'' he said.
Asked why the plan has taken this long to complete, he said "the short answer is there was a lot more work than was anticipated in getting the report done and our job was to get the report done right," not rapidly.
Read the article a link.
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“Invasive Species: Change and Dollars” Conference
A broad coalition of agencies and organizations will host a lively, high-profile summit on Jan. 10-14, 2010 in Washington, DC, to:
Call attention to invasive species issues – targeting Congress and Federal agencies
Titled “Invasive Species: Change and Dollars,” the conference will be organized thematically and in the context of securing adequate resources to address invasive species in a time of global change. The three inter-related themes are:
Attendees: Notable spokespersons, Federal agency and Congressional leadership, and leading experts in climate change, energy, and the “green economy” will be invited to present information, recommendations, and responses. It is expected that several hundred people from across the U.S. will attend this inaugural event. Broad media coverage will be arranged.
Invasive species (harmful non-native species) are one of the most significant drivers of global change. Consequently, they can have substantial impacts on the economy, infrastructure, and human health. Thus far, funding, legal authorities, and personnel have been inadequate to address the problem. For the U.S. “green agenda” to be successful, the government must address invasive species as a priority.
Visit the North American Weed Management Association website for more information.
---------------------------------------------------------
Coast Guard wants to toughen ballast water controls
Standards could be 1,000 times more strict by 2016
By Rona Kobell
Chesapeake Bay Journal
www.bayjournal.com
More than 20 years after the first zebra mussels hitched a ride into the Great Lakes, the United States still doesn't have a requirement to treat ballast water coming into the nation's ports from ships.
Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard are thinking about changing that. The agency has proposed a rule that would require ship owners to install treatment systems to reduce the number of organisms released into the water.
The current proposal calls for an initial phase that would match the International Maritime Organization standard, which has been in place since 2004, limiting the number of organisms allowed in the ballast tanks to 10 per cubic meter. But, beginning in 2012, the Coast Guard is calling for the phase-in of a new standard that would be 1,000 times stricter, allowing for only one organism per 100 cubic meters of water for all ships.
Both environmentalists and shipping companies welcome some form of standard, although they don't agree on how strict it should be, said Cmdr. Gary Croot, chief of the U.S. Coast Guard's environmental standards division. Environmentalists and regulators want the stricter standard to be implemented right away, while shipping companies would like more time.
Dealing with ballast water has been a murky issue since 1972, when it was initially regulated, then exempted, by the Clean Water Act.
Ocean-going cargo ships typically draw in water while in ports to stabilize their vessels at sea, then let out the water when they arrive at their destination. During the long journey, many of the organisms living in the ballast tank die. But hardy invaders live on, and they bring reproducing populations into new bodies of water that can devastate native species. [...]
Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD, have identified more than 170 nonnative species that have established self-sustaining populations in the Bay, many of which are believed to have arrived in ballast water. Because of such concerns, a Bay Program task force in 2001 issued a report that called for federal action to regulate ballast water. [...]
--------------------------------------------------------
Deer culling operation in Connecticut
By Robert Miller
Staff Writer, NewsTimes.com
Updated: 11/07/2009 01:16:10 AM EST
RIDGEFIELD, CT -- The plot of open space is tucked between big new homes. The neatly trimmed fairways of Ridgefield Golf Course lie nearby.
But in the early hours of the morning, and again as the afternoon turns to dusk, a hunter sits in a deer stand high above the ground, compound bow and arrows at the ready.
When deer cross the open space -- lured by corn used as bait-- it's fair game.
The spot is one of 11 that hunters have chosen in the town-sanctioned effort to knock down Ridgefield's white-tailed deer herd by at least two-thirds -- from levels of about 60 deer per square mile to no more than 20 deer per square mile.
It's a take-no-prisoners operation.
"This isn't a hunt,'' said Stefano Zandri, the hunt master. "It's a deer culling operation.''
That is, it's an organized attempt to kill as many deer as possible using a dedicated core of hunters and feed as a lure to bring deer within range of the hunters' arrows.
And judged by that criteria, it's a success.
More deer were killed by bow hunters in Ridgefield than in any other town in the state in 2008. In 2009, it's in the lead again, with Redding second and Newtown third. No other towns in the state come close.
But at least one group of neighbors -- while not opposed to hunting deer per se -- find this year's move to expand the hunt to the Lynch Brook Lane subdivision much too close for comfort. They have asked the Board of Selectmen to suspend the hunt in their neighborhood until they have a chance to make their case in public.
"My daughter's swing set is 6 feet away from where they are hunting,'' said Madalyn Dyott, one of the Lynch Brook neighbors who oppose the hunt on the 18 acres of land that borders their homes. "I'm at a loss to understand this. It cannot be what was intended.''
In response, Tom Belote, chairman of the town's Deer Committee, said the Lynch Brook Lane neighbors are exceptions in their objection to the hunt, which is entering its third year, expanding from one site to 11 in the those years. Once people understand what the hunt is about, he said, they want it to happen.
"We haven't had any incidents or accidents and we haven't lost any deer,'' he said.
Ridgefield isn't alone in trying to sort out these issues.
Throughout the region, the same thing is happening in Brookfield, in Redding, in Wilton and at the Devil's Den Nature Preserve in Weston.
Newtown is considering establishing its own hunt.
The premise is simple. There far too many deer in the landscape and no predators to keep the herd in check.
That throws the environment out of whack -- the deer damage the forest ecosystem through over-browsing and play a major part in the spread of Lyme disease, hunting proponents say. When drivers hit them on the roads, it can total the car as well as the deer.
And because humans largely created this imbalance, they say, they have a responsibility to do something to reverse it.
"People talk about being good stewards of land, as it's humans over here and nature over there,'' said Patricia Sesto, co-chairman of the Fairfield County Municipal Deer management Alliance. "But humans are part of the environment.''
"The overpopulation is so severe that it will take an intense and ongoing culling,'' Belote said.
There are people who oppose hunting on principal. For them, the expansion of the hunt within individual towns, and to new towns -- is disheartening.
"It's very disturbing,'' said Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals. "It makes me incensed.''
For Feral, such "deer culling operations'' are nothing more than an effort by the state Department of Environmental Protection to make money by peddling hunting licenses.
That's because all the deer hunt will do, is create better, less grazed habitat, Feral said. That means the deer that do survive will have more offspring, and quickly repopulate the area.
"I think it's a knee-jerk sign,'' said Laura Simon, field director of the urban wildlife program of the Humane Society of the United States. "People think doing something is better than doing nothing.''
But Simon said these hunts won't really change the imbalance of nature that now exists -- especially in the reduction of Lyme disease.
"It's really deceiving people,'' she said, pointing out that other animals -- especially white-footed mice -- play as large a part in the life cycle of the ticks that spread Lyme disease.
The reason for opening even relatively small parcels of town-owned open space up to deer hunts is simple: that's where the deer may be hanging out. If towns really want to make a serious reduction in the size of the herd, said Michael Gregonis, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Environmental Protection, they have to be willing to let hunters on that land. Where towns have allowed intensive hunts, deer numbers are going down, he said.
That's the key,'' he said. "Hunters have to have access.''
In Ridgefield, there have been few complaints prior to those registered by the residents of Lynch Brook Lane. But when the Board of Selectmen voted in September to expand the hunt from 7 sites to 11 -- including Lynch Brook Lane -- she became so angry she contemplated quitting her post.
Manner said she opposes hunting in general. But she said the Lynch Brook Lane neighborhood is so residential that it makes no sense to have hunters -- even bow hunters shooting down from stands -- use the land.
"This isn't winter,'' she said. "It's fall, people are out walking.''
One of the objecting neighbors, Suzie Scanlon, said no one in the neighborhood knew that the selectmen had opened the space to hunting until they read about it in the newspapers.
"I think we should have received notice and had a chance to express our safety concerns.''
"My daughter is in pre-school,'' said her neighbor, Rajal Young. "The open space is in our backyard. I just don't think it makes sense here.''
In response, Belote said the Deer Committee has agreed to limit the hunt to the half of the Lynch Brook open space area that's a less trafficked wetland. Since that's the portion of the open space that butts up against Madalyn Dyott's land, that change probably won't mollify the neighbors.
And the basic issue -- how to control an out-of-control deer herd in a suburban town -- remains.
"A lot of people think 'Hunting is great,'" Stefano Zandri said. "'Just not in my backyard.'"
Read the story at link.
--------------------------------------------------------
Essex County (NJ) executive gains unanimous support for proposed 2010 deer management program
By Office of the Essex County Executive
Essex County (New Jersey) Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced that the six municipalities where the Essex County Deer Management Program will be conducted have approved resolutions supporting the 2010 program. [...]
"Culling deer from our reservations is a very controversial and emotional issue and we thank the governing bodies from the six municipalities for allowing us the opportunity to explain our program and for providing their support. The local elected officials understand continuing our Deer Management Program is essential to protect our open space and prevent our reservations and forests from being destroyed by deer overbrowsing," DiVincenzo said. [...]
Read the full story at link.
---------------------------------------------------------------
New Brochure: "Alternatives to Ornamental Invasive Plants: A sustainable solution for Long Island horticulture"
Long Island, New York is one of many locations throughout the U.S. that has taken progressive steps towards improving the environment by reducing the spread of invasive plants. Invasive plants have damaged Long Island’s unique woodlands by replacing native flora, and in turn, negatively impacting wildlife and natural ecosystem processes. Invasive species are among the top causes of biodiversity loss across the globe.
You can be part of the solution, by growing and planting alternatives to ornamental invasive plants! These plants were selected based upon their similar ornamental characteristics and cultural requirements compared to the invasives.
Alternative plants may be native or non-native, but are not invasive. Alternative plants are well adapted to Long Island, and many are readily available at Long Island nurseries. You can help make the future of Long Island greener by growing these “native-friendly” plants!
A new brochure entitled "Alternatives to Ornamental Invasive Plants" was recently developed by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. Download a pdf copy of the brochure at link.
There is an additional brochure entitled "Invasive Plants: Frequently Asked Questions for Long Island’s Horticulture Professionals" that is available for download at link.
For more information, visit:
www.nyis.info
www.ccesuffolk.org
----------------------------------------------------------
New woodland invasive species subject of Elmira, NY talk
StarGazette.com
Learn about the history and diversity of invasive species and how the Asian Longhorned Beetle and Emerald Ash Borer will affect the area in the years to come at a presentation next month.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County, New York will present a talk on New Invasive Species at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3 in Conference Room 110 of the Human Resource Building, 425 Pennsylvania Ave. in Elmira.
This event is free and open to the public. RSVP by calling (607) 734-4453.
----------------------------------------------------------
Forest program on biological control of invasive plants set by Rutgers Extension
By Terry Wright
Somerset Reporter
November 10, 2009
A forest management/stewardship program called “Biological Control of Invasive Species in New Jersey” will be held Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office of Hunterdon County, 6 Gauntt Place (off Route 31), Raritan Township.
It’s designed for woodlot owners and anyone with an interest in forestry and/or wildlife management.
Dr. Mark Vodak, forestry extension specialist, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and Mark Mayer, supervising entomologist, N.J. Department of Agriculture will speak. Topics to be discussed include a brief overview of the mission of the Phillip Alampi Beneficial Insect Laboratory; biological controls for hemlock woolly adelgid, mile-a-minute weed, purple loose-strife, and gypsy moth; and current and future biological control projects.
Why these particular species are of concern, how to identify them, the management or control practices developed by the Lab, and the success of these practices will be the focus.
There will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion.
Pre-registration is required. To do so, or if you have any questions, call Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office of Hunterdon at 908-788-1339. Registration deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Link
---------------------------------------------------------
By TODD B. BATESGannett New Jersey
November 10, 2009
An invasive foreign plant is rapidly making inroads in New Jersey's critical dune systems, and Louise Wootton wants to stop it in its tracks.
Asiatic sand sedge (Carex kobomugi) — a "scruffy little plant" — threatens to take over the habitat of endangered and threatened species, such as the piping plover, according to Wootton, a biology professor at Georgian Court University in Lakewood.
The sedge also can result in lower dunes, lessening their ability to protect communities from flooding, Wootton said.
"It changes the ecosystem completely," she said.
The Brick resident has enlisted about 25 students from Georgian Court, Marine Academy of Science and Technology on Sandy Hook and Brookdale Community College in Middletown to help study the sedge, map its extent and study ways to get rid of it.
She wants government permission to begin eradicating the invader, which is rapidly making inroads on Sandy Hook, at Island Beach State Park and in some other beach areas.
The plant has no known predators or diseases here, she said.
"Delay is expensive," she said. "It's ecologically expensive and it's economically expensive, and that's a message we want to get out to the townships, too, because they are really good stewards of their dunes."
Wootton, who has studied invasive species for 12 years, is not alone in asking for the green light to fight Asiatic sand sedge. The yellow-green plant was first spotted in the United States in Island Beach State Park in 1929 but has mushroomed in recent years, according to Wootton.
The Asiatic sand sedge has out-competed, or is threatening to out-compete, native plants in areas where endangered and threatened species live or may live, according to a recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service letter to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Such species include the piping plover, an endangered beach-nesting bird.
Meanwhile, the large-headed sedge, another invasive plant, has also been found in New Jersey, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
The federal agency wants the DEP, at a minimum, to allow the removal of invasive plants in threatened and endangered species habitat through herbicide spraying, hand-pulling or other methods.
DEP spokeswoman Elaine Makatura had no comment on the letter.
"Aggressive invasive"
The Asiatic sand sedge is a perennial plant with deep roots that grows on coastal dunes and the upper areas of beaches, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service letter.
It forms a dense mat and drives out native plants, such as American beach grass and beach panic grass. It also invades the habitat of the piping plover, the threatened sea beach amaranth plant and other species.
The plant is "invading sites in New Jersey at a rapid rate," the Fish and Wildlife Service says. It occupies more than 90 acres in Island Beach State Park and on Sandy Hook.
Asiatic sand sedge populations also have been found in Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach, Long Branch, Manasquan, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and other locations.
"It's a very aggressive invasive," Wootton said. "It's one of the top 25 most unwanted species in New Jersey."
Digging and pulling out sedge plants by hand has been successful in controlling small infestations, according to the Alien Plant Working Group. But that method may not be feasible for larger efforts.
Wootton said the plant's roots are 3 to 4 feet deep, and hand-pulling is very labor-intensive and does not eliminate it.
Herbicides such as Rodeo kill the sedge down to its roots and are much more effective, she said.
"The damage that's done by the sedge is so much greater than responsible use of . . . Rodeo," she said. "We find that we're able to use very, very low amounts because we're using it with a backpack applicator, which allows us to be very specific in the application."
The National Park Service is looking into whether there are better alternatives than Rodeo, she said.
Science lesson
Alex Kloo of Manasquan, a 16-year-old junior at M.A.S.T., is performing tests to find the lowest effective level of Plateau, another herbicide, to kill Asiatic sand sedge with the least environmental damage. The park service does the spraying at Sandy Hook, he said.
Kloo got involved in the project because "it's so close to home for us," and he thought it would be "a great chance to make a big difference in the fight against" the plant.
"I love the beach," he said. The environment is "such a huge problem now" and environmentalism "should be a top priority and in a lot of people, it's just pushed to the wayside."
Read the article at link.
Photo by PCA Alien Plant Working Group.
---------------------------------------------------------
New Jersey lags on plan for combating invasive species
By TODD B. BATES
STAFF WRITER, Asbury Park Press
November 9, 2009
New Jersey is more than four years behind schedule in finishing a plan to combat invasive plants, animals and other organisms that threaten our environment.
But the plan should be ready within a few weeks or so, said John S. Watson Jr., deputy commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection.
"We believe (invasive species are) a problem that needs our attention,'' Watson said. "We do see significant forested areas that are impacted and we do need to make sure that we pay attention to it."
Some areas are "probably too far gone, but then we're going to be focusing on areas where we can really have an impact in eradicating those species,'' he said.
More than five years ago, then-Gov. James E. McGreevey signed an executive order creating a New Jersey Invasive Species Council. The council was charged with submitting a New Jersey Invasive Species Management Plan to the governor by June 2005.
The idea was to come up with measures to "combat these dangerous invaders and protect the state's biological diversity," according to a 2004 statement. [...]
Watson said the invasive species plan will list species believed to be most invasive.
It will recommend that retailers and landscape growers "reduce the availability of those species,'' he said.
Asked why the plan has taken this long to complete, he said "the short answer is there was a lot more work than was anticipated in getting the report done and our job was to get the report done right," not rapidly.
Read the article a link.
---------------------------------------------------------
“Invasive Species: Change and Dollars” Conference
A broad coalition of agencies and organizations will host a lively, high-profile summit on Jan. 10-14, 2010 in Washington, DC, to:
Call attention to invasive species issues – targeting Congress and Federal agencies
- Generate action – empowering new policies and adequate funding
- Build a national grassroots network – working together to limit the impacts of invasive species
Titled “Invasive Species: Change and Dollars,” the conference will be organized thematically and in the context of securing adequate resources to address invasive species in a time of global change. The three inter-related themes are:
- Climate Change
- Energy (including biofuels)
- The “Green” Economy
Attendees: Notable spokespersons, Federal agency and Congressional leadership, and leading experts in climate change, energy, and the “green economy” will be invited to present information, recommendations, and responses. It is expected that several hundred people from across the U.S. will attend this inaugural event. Broad media coverage will be arranged.
Invasive species (harmful non-native species) are one of the most significant drivers of global change. Consequently, they can have substantial impacts on the economy, infrastructure, and human health. Thus far, funding, legal authorities, and personnel have been inadequate to address the problem. For the U.S. “green agenda” to be successful, the government must address invasive species as a priority.
Visit the North American Weed Management Association website for more information.
---------------------------------------------------------
Coast Guard wants to toughen ballast water controls
Standards could be 1,000 times more strict by 2016
By Rona Kobell
Chesapeake Bay Journal
www.bayjournal.com
More than 20 years after the first zebra mussels hitched a ride into the Great Lakes, the United States still doesn't have a requirement to treat ballast water coming into the nation's ports from ships.
Officials with the U.S. Coast Guard are thinking about changing that. The agency has proposed a rule that would require ship owners to install treatment systems to reduce the number of organisms released into the water.
The current proposal calls for an initial phase that would match the International Maritime Organization standard, which has been in place since 2004, limiting the number of organisms allowed in the ballast tanks to 10 per cubic meter. But, beginning in 2012, the Coast Guard is calling for the phase-in of a new standard that would be 1,000 times stricter, allowing for only one organism per 100 cubic meters of water for all ships.
Both environmentalists and shipping companies welcome some form of standard, although they don't agree on how strict it should be, said Cmdr. Gary Croot, chief of the U.S. Coast Guard's environmental standards division. Environmentalists and regulators want the stricter standard to be implemented right away, while shipping companies would like more time.
Dealing with ballast water has been a murky issue since 1972, when it was initially regulated, then exempted, by the Clean Water Act.
Ocean-going cargo ships typically draw in water while in ports to stabilize their vessels at sea, then let out the water when they arrive at their destination. During the long journey, many of the organisms living in the ballast tank die. But hardy invaders live on, and they bring reproducing populations into new bodies of water that can devastate native species. [...]
Scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD, have identified more than 170 nonnative species that have established self-sustaining populations in the Bay, many of which are believed to have arrived in ballast water. Because of such concerns, a Bay Program task force in 2001 issued a report that called for federal action to regulate ballast water. [...]
--------------------------------------------------------
Deer culling operation in Connecticut
By Robert Miller
Staff Writer, NewsTimes.com
Updated: 11/07/2009 01:16:10 AM EST
RIDGEFIELD, CT -- The plot of open space is tucked between big new homes. The neatly trimmed fairways of Ridgefield Golf Course lie nearby.
But in the early hours of the morning, and again as the afternoon turns to dusk, a hunter sits in a deer stand high above the ground, compound bow and arrows at the ready.
When deer cross the open space -- lured by corn used as bait-- it's fair game.
The spot is one of 11 that hunters have chosen in the town-sanctioned effort to knock down Ridgefield's white-tailed deer herd by at least two-thirds -- from levels of about 60 deer per square mile to no more than 20 deer per square mile.
It's a take-no-prisoners operation.
"This isn't a hunt,'' said Stefano Zandri, the hunt master. "It's a deer culling operation.''
That is, it's an organized attempt to kill as many deer as possible using a dedicated core of hunters and feed as a lure to bring deer within range of the hunters' arrows.
And judged by that criteria, it's a success.
More deer were killed by bow hunters in Ridgefield than in any other town in the state in 2008. In 2009, it's in the lead again, with Redding second and Newtown third. No other towns in the state come close.
But at least one group of neighbors -- while not opposed to hunting deer per se -- find this year's move to expand the hunt to the Lynch Brook Lane subdivision much too close for comfort. They have asked the Board of Selectmen to suspend the hunt in their neighborhood until they have a chance to make their case in public.
"My daughter's swing set is 6 feet away from where they are hunting,'' said Madalyn Dyott, one of the Lynch Brook neighbors who oppose the hunt on the 18 acres of land that borders their homes. "I'm at a loss to understand this. It cannot be what was intended.''
In response, Tom Belote, chairman of the town's Deer Committee, said the Lynch Brook Lane neighbors are exceptions in their objection to the hunt, which is entering its third year, expanding from one site to 11 in the those years. Once people understand what the hunt is about, he said, they want it to happen.
"We haven't had any incidents or accidents and we haven't lost any deer,'' he said.
Ridgefield isn't alone in trying to sort out these issues.
Throughout the region, the same thing is happening in Brookfield, in Redding, in Wilton and at the Devil's Den Nature Preserve in Weston.
Newtown is considering establishing its own hunt.
The premise is simple. There far too many deer in the landscape and no predators to keep the herd in check.
That throws the environment out of whack -- the deer damage the forest ecosystem through over-browsing and play a major part in the spread of Lyme disease, hunting proponents say. When drivers hit them on the roads, it can total the car as well as the deer.
And because humans largely created this imbalance, they say, they have a responsibility to do something to reverse it.
"People talk about being good stewards of land, as it's humans over here and nature over there,'' said Patricia Sesto, co-chairman of the Fairfield County Municipal Deer management Alliance. "But humans are part of the environment.''
"The overpopulation is so severe that it will take an intense and ongoing culling,'' Belote said.
There are people who oppose hunting on principal. For them, the expansion of the hunt within individual towns, and to new towns -- is disheartening.
"It's very disturbing,'' said Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals. "It makes me incensed.''
For Feral, such "deer culling operations'' are nothing more than an effort by the state Department of Environmental Protection to make money by peddling hunting licenses.
That's because all the deer hunt will do, is create better, less grazed habitat, Feral said. That means the deer that do survive will have more offspring, and quickly repopulate the area.
"I think it's a knee-jerk sign,'' said Laura Simon, field director of the urban wildlife program of the Humane Society of the United States. "People think doing something is better than doing nothing.''
But Simon said these hunts won't really change the imbalance of nature that now exists -- especially in the reduction of Lyme disease.
"It's really deceiving people,'' she said, pointing out that other animals -- especially white-footed mice -- play as large a part in the life cycle of the ticks that spread Lyme disease.
The reason for opening even relatively small parcels of town-owned open space up to deer hunts is simple: that's where the deer may be hanging out. If towns really want to make a serious reduction in the size of the herd, said Michael Gregonis, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Environmental Protection, they have to be willing to let hunters on that land. Where towns have allowed intensive hunts, deer numbers are going down, he said.
That's the key,'' he said. "Hunters have to have access.''
In Ridgefield, there have been few complaints prior to those registered by the residents of Lynch Brook Lane. But when the Board of Selectmen voted in September to expand the hunt from 7 sites to 11 -- including Lynch Brook Lane -- she became so angry she contemplated quitting her post.
Manner said she opposes hunting in general. But she said the Lynch Brook Lane neighborhood is so residential that it makes no sense to have hunters -- even bow hunters shooting down from stands -- use the land.
"This isn't winter,'' she said. "It's fall, people are out walking.''
One of the objecting neighbors, Suzie Scanlon, said no one in the neighborhood knew that the selectmen had opened the space to hunting until they read about it in the newspapers.
"I think we should have received notice and had a chance to express our safety concerns.''
"My daughter is in pre-school,'' said her neighbor, Rajal Young. "The open space is in our backyard. I just don't think it makes sense here.''
In response, Belote said the Deer Committee has agreed to limit the hunt to the half of the Lynch Brook open space area that's a less trafficked wetland. Since that's the portion of the open space that butts up against Madalyn Dyott's land, that change probably won't mollify the neighbors.
And the basic issue -- how to control an out-of-control deer herd in a suburban town -- remains.
"A lot of people think 'Hunting is great,'" Stefano Zandri said. "'Just not in my backyard.'"
Read the story at link.
--------------------------------------------------------
Essex County (NJ) executive gains unanimous support for proposed 2010 deer management program
By Office of the Essex County Executive
Essex County (New Jersey) Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. announced that the six municipalities where the Essex County Deer Management Program will be conducted have approved resolutions supporting the 2010 program. [...]
"Culling deer from our reservations is a very controversial and emotional issue and we thank the governing bodies from the six municipalities for allowing us the opportunity to explain our program and for providing their support. The local elected officials understand continuing our Deer Management Program is essential to protect our open space and prevent our reservations and forests from being destroyed by deer overbrowsing," DiVincenzo said. [...]
Read the full story at link.
---------------------------------------------------------------
New Brochure: "Alternatives to Ornamental Invasive Plants: A sustainable solution for Long Island horticulture"
Long Island, New York is one of many locations throughout the U.S. that has taken progressive steps towards improving the environment by reducing the spread of invasive plants. Invasive plants have damaged Long Island’s unique woodlands by replacing native flora, and in turn, negatively impacting wildlife and natural ecosystem processes. Invasive species are among the top causes of biodiversity loss across the globe.
You can be part of the solution, by growing and planting alternatives to ornamental invasive plants! These plants were selected based upon their similar ornamental characteristics and cultural requirements compared to the invasives.
Alternative plants may be native or non-native, but are not invasive. Alternative plants are well adapted to Long Island, and many are readily available at Long Island nurseries. You can help make the future of Long Island greener by growing these “native-friendly” plants!
A new brochure entitled "Alternatives to Ornamental Invasive Plants" was recently developed by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County. Download a pdf copy of the brochure at link.
There is an additional brochure entitled "Invasive Plants: Frequently Asked Questions for Long Island’s Horticulture Professionals" that is available for download at link.
For more information, visit:
www.nyis.info
www.ccesuffolk.org
----------------------------------------------------------
New woodland invasive species subject of Elmira, NY talk
StarGazette.com
Learn about the history and diversity of invasive species and how the Asian Longhorned Beetle and Emerald Ash Borer will affect the area in the years to come at a presentation next month.
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County, New York will present a talk on New Invasive Species at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3 in Conference Room 110 of the Human Resource Building, 425 Pennsylvania Ave. in Elmira.
This event is free and open to the public. RSVP by calling (607) 734-4453.
----------------------------------------------------------
Forest program on biological control of invasive plants set by Rutgers Extension
By Terry Wright
Somerset Reporter
November 10, 2009
A forest management/stewardship program called “Biological Control of Invasive Species in New Jersey” will be held Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office of Hunterdon County, 6 Gauntt Place (off Route 31), Raritan Township.
It’s designed for woodlot owners and anyone with an interest in forestry and/or wildlife management.
Dr. Mark Vodak, forestry extension specialist, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and Mark Mayer, supervising entomologist, N.J. Department of Agriculture will speak. Topics to be discussed include a brief overview of the mission of the Phillip Alampi Beneficial Insect Laboratory; biological controls for hemlock woolly adelgid, mile-a-minute weed, purple loose-strife, and gypsy moth; and current and future biological control projects.
Why these particular species are of concern, how to identify them, the management or control practices developed by the Lab, and the success of these practices will be the focus.
There will be ample opportunity for questions and discussion.
Pre-registration is required. To do so, or if you have any questions, call Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office of Hunterdon at 908-788-1339. Registration deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Link
---------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Week of July 27, 2009
Two New York communities take very different approaches to tackling invasive milfoil
By John Stith / The Post Standard
Cazenovia and Skaneateles face the same problem -- an infestation of Eurasian milfoil, an invasive species that roots in shallow water and causes problems for boaters and swimmers.
Like many communities across the state, Cazenovia and Skaneateles had to decide how to get rid of the weedy plant. They could pull it out by hand, zap it with chemicals, bring in bugs or fish that eat it or put down mats that keep it from growing.
Cazenovia hit it with a herbicide. Skaneateles is pulling it out, one plant at a time.
Why the different approaches?
Cazenovia Lake is one-eighth the size of Skaneateles Lake, but the extent of its milfoil infestation is eight times larger. Hand-pulling would have cost an estimated $17 million. The herbicide treatment started this summer will cost about $450,000.
Skaneateles' effort to yank the weeds by hand is labor-intensive -- six boats and 30 divers are involved in the effort -- and expensive, costing about $1.2 million. But weeding by hand ensures that the plants are removed completely.
Both communities decided against mechanical harvesting, which uses blades to cut the milfoil off 4 to 5 feet below the surface. The process chops the weed into small pieces, which can drift off, root in the lake bottom and grow anew. Cazenovia in the past depended on mechanical harvesting.
The two communities are not alone in battling milfoil, according to state environmental officials.
In New York, milfoil has been found in the Hudson River, Lake Champlain and lakes in the Adirondacks and the Finger Lakes region. It's found in 17 states, largely along the Great Lakes and the West Coast, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"It's big, and it's widespread," said Leslie Surprenant, invasive species management coordinator for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The weed, which forms dense mats on the water surface, makes swimming and boating difficult or impossible and upsets the lake ecology, interfering with natural siltation and raising the nutrient level of the water, which encourages the growth of algae.
In 2006 and 2007, the state awarded $2.4 million in grants to municipalities and not-for-profit organizations for aquatic eradication projects, with about half of that money going to milfoil projects. The grant program has been suspended this year while the state grapples with its fiscal crisis.
Cazenovia Lake
The milfoil infestation in Cazenovia Lake was far worse than in Skaneateles Lake. The relatively shallow waters of Cazenovia Lake proved ideal for milfoil, and decades of mechanical harvesting had done little to control the weed.
"There were a number of us who believe the harvesting program was doing more harm than good," said Preston Gilbert, president of the Cazenovia Lake Association. The association is made up of residents from across the community, he said, and is not just a lake property owners group.
Last fall, a summit of sorts brought town and village officials, residents and experts together to look at alternatives. They chose to go with a herbicide, which would eliminate the milfoil without harming native plants and fish and other water animals, Gilbert said.
He said the town took on the task of getting approval from the state. The village committed to a monitoring program to inspect every boat entering the lake. Residents of the communities responded with donations to cover the cost.
"Everybody just committed to doing something," he said.
Within seven months, the town received state permission to use the herbicide, and the week of June 8 the lake was treated with Triclopyr.
"It's gone exceptionally well," Gilbert said.
Swimming was prohibited immediately after the application but has since been allowed, and a ban on drinking lake water ended earlier this month.
About half of the 234 acres infestation were treated. The remainder will be done next year, with spot treatments in 2011.
Skaneateles Lake
Skaneateles is in the third year of what will probably be a four-year effort to rid about 30 acres of milfoil. So far, about 20 acres have been weeded by hand.
"It's the only way to ensure that you permanently get something out," said John Menapace, project manager for the milfoil eradication project, which is doing the actual weeding for the Tri-County Skaneateles Lake Pure Water Association.
"You can visually see what's going on," he said. "You can grab the plant. You know you've taken it away."
The project started in 2006 with a small test patch, Menapace said, and the technique showed promise. Herbicides were not the answer for Skaneateles, since the lake is a public water supply for several communities, including Syracuse.
"We looked at all the different methods before we started this project and decided this would be the best for Skaneateles Lake," he said.
The full-fledged effort started in 2007 and continued in 2008 and again this year.
"There isn't any regrowth on anything that we've done," Menapace said. "There are some odds and ends that we missed that we will go back over."
Some areas of the lake bottom were too rocky to be weeded. Instead, divers laid down a mat, similar to landscaping fabric, to stifle growth.
The project needs about $200,000 to $300,000 to complete the job, and the Tri-County Association is in the midst of a fund-raising drive.
Long-term solution
Once the milfoil is brought under control, both lakes will need annual maintenance to keep the weed in check.
"We feel for a long-term project like that it should be institutionalized," said Bob Werner of Skaneateles, a retired professor from the State University of Environmental Science and Forestry and treasurer of the Tri-County Association. "That is to say there would be a commitment from the county, the city of Syracuse -- because it's their water supply -- the towns that surround the lake. Whatever entities are appropriate."
Gilbert said the recently formed Cazenovia Lake Watershed Council will take a lead role in safeguarding the lake in the future through monitoring, introducing biological controls like moths and weevils, and, in some case, hand-pulling.
"We're not done just because we've got milfoil out of the lake," Gilbert said.
The village will continue its boat inspection program, Gilbert said, at a cost of about $30,000 a year. The Lake Association was spending about $50,000 annually on mechanical harvesting, he said, and some of money would be available to pay for monitoring.
The town spent $40,000 this year on the herbicide treatment and plans to spend another $40,000 next year. Gilbert said he expects the town to budget money each year for monitoring.
He said any long-term monitoring will keep watch for other invasive species to check them before they become established in the lake.
"One of the things that's a major concern to Cazenovia Lake and all the other lakes in Upstate New York is there are some 130 invasive plants out there," he said.
Photo by . Liam Wilson, of Skaneateles, dives into Skaneateles Lake while diver Carrie Harkins of Baldwinsville monitors the equipment. Divers are digging up milfoil by hand. The divers rotate in one and a half hour intervals. The crews on each of the three boats cover about 1,000 square feet a day. The removal program is expected to take four years.
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New York implements quarantine to prevent spread of emerald ash borer
NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets
New York State is implementing a quarantine to prevent the spread of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a tree-killing beetle. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) are establishing a quarantine encompassing Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties that will restrict the movement of ash trees, ash products, and firewood from all wood species in order to limit the potential introduction of EAB to other areas of the state.
The state’s quarantine order will require restrictions on the intrastate movement of certain “regulated articles” – for instance, ash trees, certain wood products, and the Emerald Ash Borer. The order specifically defines regulated articles as:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will issue a parallel quarantine. Currently, federal EAB quarantine areas restricting the interstate movement of regulated articles are in 12 states: Illinois; Indiana; Kentucky; Maryland; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Virginia; West Virginia; and Wisconsin. Federally regulated articles (which differ slightly from New York’s list above) include ash nursery stock and green lumber, any other ash material including logs, stumps, roots, branches, as well as composted and uncomposted wood chips. Due to the difficulty in distinguishing between species of hardwood firewood, all hardwood firewood, including ash, oak, maple and hickory are federally regulated articles. [...]
DEC is continuing to enforce regulations that govern the movement of firewood. There is a state ban on untreated firewood entering New York and a restriction covering intrastate movement of untreated firewood to no more than a 50-mile radius from its source. This was enacted in 2008 as a precaution against the introduction and spread of EAB and other invasive species because of the documented risk of transmission by moving firewood. More information can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/28722.html on the DEC website. [...]
For more information, visit the following web pages: www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/emerald_ash_b/index.shtml http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/CAPS/pdf/Emerald%20Ash%20Borer%20Poster.pdf
By Veronica Slaght/For The Star-Ledger
The strike team's mission: search and destroy.
By John Stith / The Post Standard
Cazenovia and Skaneateles face the same problem -- an infestation of Eurasian milfoil, an invasive species that roots in shallow water and causes problems for boaters and swimmers.Like many communities across the state, Cazenovia and Skaneateles had to decide how to get rid of the weedy plant. They could pull it out by hand, zap it with chemicals, bring in bugs or fish that eat it or put down mats that keep it from growing.
Cazenovia hit it with a herbicide. Skaneateles is pulling it out, one plant at a time.
Why the different approaches?
Cazenovia Lake is one-eighth the size of Skaneateles Lake, but the extent of its milfoil infestation is eight times larger. Hand-pulling would have cost an estimated $17 million. The herbicide treatment started this summer will cost about $450,000.
Skaneateles' effort to yank the weeds by hand is labor-intensive -- six boats and 30 divers are involved in the effort -- and expensive, costing about $1.2 million. But weeding by hand ensures that the plants are removed completely.
Both communities decided against mechanical harvesting, which uses blades to cut the milfoil off 4 to 5 feet below the surface. The process chops the weed into small pieces, which can drift off, root in the lake bottom and grow anew. Cazenovia in the past depended on mechanical harvesting.
The two communities are not alone in battling milfoil, according to state environmental officials.
In New York, milfoil has been found in the Hudson River, Lake Champlain and lakes in the Adirondacks and the Finger Lakes region. It's found in 17 states, largely along the Great Lakes and the West Coast, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"It's big, and it's widespread," said Leslie Surprenant, invasive species management coordinator for the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
The weed, which forms dense mats on the water surface, makes swimming and boating difficult or impossible and upsets the lake ecology, interfering with natural siltation and raising the nutrient level of the water, which encourages the growth of algae.
In 2006 and 2007, the state awarded $2.4 million in grants to municipalities and not-for-profit organizations for aquatic eradication projects, with about half of that money going to milfoil projects. The grant program has been suspended this year while the state grapples with its fiscal crisis.
Cazenovia Lake
The milfoil infestation in Cazenovia Lake was far worse than in Skaneateles Lake. The relatively shallow waters of Cazenovia Lake proved ideal for milfoil, and decades of mechanical harvesting had done little to control the weed.
"There were a number of us who believe the harvesting program was doing more harm than good," said Preston Gilbert, president of the Cazenovia Lake Association. The association is made up of residents from across the community, he said, and is not just a lake property owners group.
Last fall, a summit of sorts brought town and village officials, residents and experts together to look at alternatives. They chose to go with a herbicide, which would eliminate the milfoil without harming native plants and fish and other water animals, Gilbert said.
He said the town took on the task of getting approval from the state. The village committed to a monitoring program to inspect every boat entering the lake. Residents of the communities responded with donations to cover the cost.
"Everybody just committed to doing something," he said.
Within seven months, the town received state permission to use the herbicide, and the week of June 8 the lake was treated with Triclopyr.
"It's gone exceptionally well," Gilbert said.
Swimming was prohibited immediately after the application but has since been allowed, and a ban on drinking lake water ended earlier this month.
About half of the 234 acres infestation were treated. The remainder will be done next year, with spot treatments in 2011.
Skaneateles Lake
Skaneateles is in the third year of what will probably be a four-year effort to rid about 30 acres of milfoil. So far, about 20 acres have been weeded by hand.
"It's the only way to ensure that you permanently get something out," said John Menapace, project manager for the milfoil eradication project, which is doing the actual weeding for the Tri-County Skaneateles Lake Pure Water Association.
"You can visually see what's going on," he said. "You can grab the plant. You know you've taken it away."
The project started in 2006 with a small test patch, Menapace said, and the technique showed promise. Herbicides were not the answer for Skaneateles, since the lake is a public water supply for several communities, including Syracuse.
"We looked at all the different methods before we started this project and decided this would be the best for Skaneateles Lake," he said.
The full-fledged effort started in 2007 and continued in 2008 and again this year.
"There isn't any regrowth on anything that we've done," Menapace said. "There are some odds and ends that we missed that we will go back over."
Some areas of the lake bottom were too rocky to be weeded. Instead, divers laid down a mat, similar to landscaping fabric, to stifle growth.
The project needs about $200,000 to $300,000 to complete the job, and the Tri-County Association is in the midst of a fund-raising drive.
Long-term solution
Once the milfoil is brought under control, both lakes will need annual maintenance to keep the weed in check.
"We feel for a long-term project like that it should be institutionalized," said Bob Werner of Skaneateles, a retired professor from the State University of Environmental Science and Forestry and treasurer of the Tri-County Association. "That is to say there would be a commitment from the county, the city of Syracuse -- because it's their water supply -- the towns that surround the lake. Whatever entities are appropriate."
Gilbert said the recently formed Cazenovia Lake Watershed Council will take a lead role in safeguarding the lake in the future through monitoring, introducing biological controls like moths and weevils, and, in some case, hand-pulling.
"We're not done just because we've got milfoil out of the lake," Gilbert said.
The village will continue its boat inspection program, Gilbert said, at a cost of about $30,000 a year. The Lake Association was spending about $50,000 annually on mechanical harvesting, he said, and some of money would be available to pay for monitoring.
The town spent $40,000 this year on the herbicide treatment and plans to spend another $40,000 next year. Gilbert said he expects the town to budget money each year for monitoring.
He said any long-term monitoring will keep watch for other invasive species to check them before they become established in the lake.
"One of the things that's a major concern to Cazenovia Lake and all the other lakes in Upstate New York is there are some 130 invasive plants out there," he said.
Photo by . Liam Wilson, of Skaneateles, dives into Skaneateles Lake while diver Carrie Harkins of Baldwinsville monitors the equipment. Divers are digging up milfoil by hand. The divers rotate in one and a half hour intervals. The crews on each of the three boats cover about 1,000 square feet a day. The removal program is expected to take four years.
---------------------------------------------------------
New York implements quarantine to prevent spread of emerald ash borer
NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets
New York State is implementing a quarantine to prevent the spread of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), a tree-killing beetle. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) are establishing a quarantine encompassing Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties that will restrict the movement of ash trees, ash products, and firewood from all wood species in order to limit the potential introduction of EAB to other areas of the state.
The state’s quarantine order will require restrictions on the intrastate movement of certain “regulated articles” – for instance, ash trees, certain wood products, and the Emerald Ash Borer. The order specifically defines regulated articles as:
· Entire ash trees of any size, inclusive of nursery stock.
· Any part of ash trees, including leaves, bark, stumps, limbs, branches, and roots.
· Ash lumber or ash logs of any length.
· Any item made from or containing ash wood.
· Any article, product or means of conveyance determined by APHIS, NYSDAM or the Department to present a risk of spreading the EAB infestation.
· Firewood from any tree species.
· Wood chips and bark mulch from any tree species, larger than 1 inch in two dimensions, whether composted or uncomposted.
New York’s order prohibits the movement of regulated articles within and beyond Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties without certification or compliance agreements issued by DAM. The state order also restricts the movement of the regulated wood products into or through the quarantine district by requiring several provisions including, but not limited to documentation listing the origin and destination of shipments, and prohibiting transporters from unnecessarily stopping while traveling through the quarantine district. The full order will be posted at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/47761.html on the DEC website.The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will issue a parallel quarantine. Currently, federal EAB quarantine areas restricting the interstate movement of regulated articles are in 12 states: Illinois; Indiana; Kentucky; Maryland; Michigan; Minnesota; Missouri; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Virginia; West Virginia; and Wisconsin. Federally regulated articles (which differ slightly from New York’s list above) include ash nursery stock and green lumber, any other ash material including logs, stumps, roots, branches, as well as composted and uncomposted wood chips. Due to the difficulty in distinguishing between species of hardwood firewood, all hardwood firewood, including ash, oak, maple and hickory are federally regulated articles. [...]
DEC is continuing to enforce regulations that govern the movement of firewood. There is a state ban on untreated firewood entering New York and a restriction covering intrastate movement of untreated firewood to no more than a 50-mile radius from its source. This was enacted in 2008 as a precaution against the introduction and spread of EAB and other invasive species because of the documented risk of transmission by moving firewood. More information can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/28722.html on the DEC website. [...]
For more information, visit the following web pages: www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/emerald_ash_b/index.shtml http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/CAPS/pdf/Emerald%20Ash%20Borer%20Poster.pdf
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7253.html
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NJ strike team declares war on invasive plantsBy Veronica Slaght/For The Star-Ledger
The strike team's mission: search and destroy.
The target: invasive plants.
New Jersey is under attack. Flowers, shrubs and weeds brought here from foreign shores are pushing out native plants and damaging delicate ecosystems.
Invasive species are the number two threat to biodiversity worldwide, second only to outright habitat destruction, according to Melissa Almendinger, invasive species coordinator at the Upper Raritan Watershed Association.
"There are some native plants that are just lost," Almendinger said. "On a global level, we're creating a monoculture."
However, not all exotic plants are invasive, Almendinger said, only those that grow densely and exclude other species over large areas. But, she added, all non-native plants have that potential.
Of the 1,000 foreign plants that have been introduced to the state, 30 are classified as "widespread" invasives, including the familiar shrubs multiflora rose and Japanese barberry.
Another 71 have been identified as "emerging" invasives. And, the rate of new plant introductions continues to rise, Almendinger said.
The recently formed Central Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team is searching for and identifying these new invasives in Hunterdon, Morris, Mercer and Somerset counties. Their job is to eliminate them before they spread out of control, Almendinger said.
She is leading the effort, with URWA staff and volunteers from the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space in Mercer County. The team has 37 other partners that include their land in the project and contribute labor.
First, volunteers head into a field armed with GPS units, plant identification books and cameras. They collect data and enter it onto a map. Then, Almendinger or volunteers return and cut down the plant. She said she sometimes places herbicide directly onto the stump to ensure its destruction.
The strike team faces an especially big job this fall right in its own backyard. Members plan to eradicate 2,000 linden viburnum -- a landscaping plant with white flowers and red berries -- that have overtaken its Bedminster heaadquarters' driveway.
The team's mission has been lauded by Kathleen Salisbury, president of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey.
"I think the work they're doing is especially significant because they're trying to identify the up-and-coming invasive plants," Salisbury said. Instead of hacking away at things that are already out of control, "they're trying to nip it in the bud," she said. "There's nobody else in the state that I know of that's doing anything like that." [...]
Some people are surprised that an organization committed to environmental conservation supports deer hunting, Almendinger said. She said she responds by saying that supporting deer hunting is actually saving the lives of other animals.
After the state's deer herd is cut back, "the hope is that eventually native plants will be able to fight back on their own," she added.
Anyone interested in volunteering with the strike team or learning more about invasive plants
can contact Almendinger at (908) 234-1852 or visit www.cjisst.org.
Read the full story at link
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Oxford University Press releases new books on invasive species
The new books are Bioeconomics of Invasive Species edited by Reuben P. Keller, David M. Lodge, Mark A. Lewis and Jason F. Shogren and Invasion Biology by Mark Davis.
“Bioeconomics… promises great benefits for policy and management because, currently, bioeconomic methods are not well developed. This book also reviews available methods, and includes many of the advances made by the group of authors.”
“Invasion Biology was written fifty years after the publication of Elton's pioneering monograph on the subject and provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the science of biological invasions while also offering new insights and perspectives relating to the processes of introduction, establishment, and spread.”
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Monday, May 25, 2009
Week of May 25, 2009
Renewed concerns over invasive beetle in Vermont and New Hampshire
Summer brings renewed concerns about the Asian longhorned beetle. The invasive pest has an appetite for maple trees, and has devastated entire forests in Massachusetts. So far, Vermont and New Hampshire have escaped the invasion.
But the concern is that the bugs will be transported here in firewood carried by campers. As a precaution, New Hampshire next month will ban out-of-state firewood at federal and state-owned campgrounds.
From WCAX News. Link
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Madison High School students control invasives at Wildlife Refuge
MADISON, NJ -- It was almost lunchtime on the Madison High School Day of Service and Mark DeBiasse, History Department Chairperson and Service Learning Coordinator, said that his cell phone had not rung once yet to report a problem from any of the more than 40 work sites he was supervising.
Sawing, drilling, measuring, mulching, planting, drawing, painting, digging -- and that's just the beginning, the task list goes on. More than 400 Madison High School students plus faculty members came together to work on service projects that spread lots of cheer and goodwill throughout the school district, the borough and beyond on Wednesday, May 20, during the high school's fifth annual Day of Service.
They formed green teams to test Passaic River water quality and remove invasive plant species at the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, while others organized a blood drive with the American Red Cross.
Read the full story at link.
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Saw Mill River Audubon plans “Trees for Tribs” planting
From Saw Mill River Audubon
Sunday, May 31, 9:00 a.m.
Volunteers Invited to Help Plant Native Trees and ShrubsThe last Sunday of May is planting day at Brinton Brook Sanctuary in Croton on Hudson. Everyone is invited to bring a spade, dig a hole, and “go native,” joining Saw Mill River Audubon (SMRA) and the New York State Department of Conservation (DEC) in planting native trees and shrubs to improve streamside habitats in the sanctuary. The restoration is part of the DEC’s “Trees for Tribs” program along tributaries to the Hudson River.
The DEC is providing 100 native plants carefully chosen for this site. The 40 trees and 60 shrubs represent 13 species, including witchhazel, American cranberrybush viburnum, red maple, and sassafras.
Advance preparation by SMRA included scouting the location with the DEC, removing invasive plants from the area, planning the location for each new plant, and preparing labels with plant names.
For information about volunteering, contact:
Ellen Heidelberger
Saw Mill River Audubon
914-666-6503
office@sawmillriveraudubon.org
http://www.sawmillriveraudubon.org/
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Giant Hogweed confirmed in Butler County, PA
HARRISBURG, Pa., May 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is warning residents of Forward Township in Evans City, Butler County, that Giant Hogweed, a noxious and invasive weed that can cause blistering and scarring on the skin of susceptible people, has been confirmed in their area.
Located along the Pittsburgh/Buffalo railroad tracks at the intersection of Spithaler School and Ash Stop roads, and at the intersection of the tracks and Ash Stop Road, the area with Giant Hogweed has been identified and marked with Department of Agriculture signage.
Citizens with suspected sightings of the plant are asked to call the Giant Hogweed Hotline at 1-877-464-9333. Brochures to aide in identification are available at the Forward Township Municipality Building or online at http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/ under "Plant and Animal Health."
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PA Gov., PDA Turn Up The Heat on Ash Borer
http://www.lancasterfarming.com/
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell proclaimed May 17-23 as “Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week” in Pennsylvania to help draw attention to the devastating, non-native invasive beetle that has been killing trees in six Pennsylvania counties during the past two years.
The governor urged the public to help contain the beetle’s spread to protect trees and also the jobs associated with Pennsylvania’s $25 billion forest products industry.
“The emerald ash borer has already killed tens of millions of ash trees nationwide and its arrival in Pennsylvania could have a damaging affect on our hardwoods industry,” Rendell said.
“Pennsylvania has been proactive in controlling its spread by enacting a firewood quarantine for counties found to have infestations and completing in-depth surveys to determine the extent of the infestations.
“By designating Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week, we are reminding citizens of the potentially severe impacts this beetle could have on our environment and economy so they can take steps to help stop its spread.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) held a press conference at Bald Eagle State Park in Centre County on Tuesday to recognize Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week. The conference took place in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Envirothon.
Firewood Transport Spreads Beetle
Firewood is the primary means of long distance movement for emerald ash borer and other invasive forest pests, so this camping season people are reminded to use only locally cut sources of firewood and to burn it completely on site. To help protect Pennsylvania’s forests and urban trees, “burn it where you buy it.”
People who suspect they have seen emerald ash borer should call the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s toll-free pest hotline at (866) 253-7189. For more information about the quarantine, contact Walt Blosser at (717) 772-5205, and for more information about emerald ash borer, contact Sven-Erik Spichiger at (717) 772-5229.
Information is also available at www.agriculture.state.pa.us/emeraldashborer.
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Garlic mustard puts Quarry Hill at risk
By KEITH WHITCOMB JR., Bennington Banner
POWNAL, VT — Timing is everything with garlic mustard, an invasive species of plant that grows on roadsides and in forests. Spotting it before it flowers is difficult, and going after it too late spreads the seeds.
"It's an evil plant," said David McDevitt, the Southern Vermont land steward with The Nature Conservancy. "There is no easy way to get rid of it."
The most effective way, McDevitt said Thursday atop Quarry Hill, where the Conservancy owns a parcel of land, is to pull it out of the ground by hand. McDevitt and a small number of volunteers have been up Quarry Hill three times this year and pulled nearly 100 pounds of the plant.
Ruth Botzow, a volunteer steward for the local Conservancy lands, said she goes up often on her own time to remove the weed.
The Conservancy acres on Quarry Hill are home to a number of rare and unique plants, which the garlic mustard is crowding out.
McDevitt said garlic mustard is widespread across Vermont and other parts of New England. Some areas in Massachusetts, he said, are so infested that pulling the plants by hand isn't an option. He said two days ago in Manchester, he and other volunteers pulled nearly 400 pounds of garlic mustard out of a preserve.
McDevitt said the seed pods can lie dormant for a number of years, meaning areas have to be continuously worked from year to year before progress is made. "If it's a really infested place, you'll be picking that spot for years until you can say you've beaten it," he said, adding the site on Quarry Hill has seem some progress, although last year was an unusually bad year for garlic mustard.
Read the full story at link.
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Find of Invasive Zebra Mussels Could Spell Serious Damage
By Ashley Halsey III, Washington Post
The discovery of eight shells no bigger than a fingernail in Maryland waters has signaled the arrival of the exotic zebra mussels that have caused an estimated $5 billion in damage to the Great Lakes.
If they spread, the invasive fresh-water mussels could threaten the less-salty waters of the Chesapeake Bay northward from Annapolis.
The zebra mussels found in Maryland apparently were transported on a recreational fishing boat that was plopped from a car trailer into the fresh waters of the Susquehanna River above Conowingo Dam. Whether that handful can get past the Harford County dam and into the Chesapeake may be a multibillion-dollar question.
"If a bit of debris with a zebra mussel on it gets to the dam, it goes through," said Merrie Street, spokeswoman for Conowingo Dam. "There is no filter."
Read the full story at link.
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Adirondack lake stewards try to stop spread of invasive species
By MICHAEL VIRTANEN, Associated Press
ALBANY — When boaters show up this summer to Great Sacandaga Lake in the lower Adirondacks they are likely to be met at public launch sites by stewards asking to check for alien plants or animals.
The stewards, college students, will be looking for aquatic invasive species that have been found so far in about one-quarter of the lakes surveyed in New York’s northern mountains.
They will also ask to check boats leaving the lake, which last fall was the first inland waterway in New York where the spiny water flea was found. They want to keep that small crustacean, native to Eurasia, from spreading to other American lakes and rivers.
“When we move from one waterway to another, we’ve just got go be mindful of what’s hitchhiking,” said Hilary Smith, director of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program. “We need to include cleaning our boat and gear as part of the sport.”
Using hundreds of volunteers, the program has monitored 216 Adirondack lakes, finding 53 with one or more harmful nonnative plants like Eurasian water milfoil, curly leaf pondweed or water chestnut.
“My sense is we’re going to find more uninvaded lakes than invaded,” Smith said.
Read the full story at link.
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Maryland sends in goats to save turtles
By Michael Dresser Baltimore Sun reporter
A herd of goats coming to the rescue of a handful of imperiled turtles may sound like the plot of a Saturday morning children's cartoon show, but that's just what's happening in the Carroll County town of Hampstead.
The State Highway Administration has enlisted the help of about 40 goats to devour invasive plant species in wetlands along the path of the soon-to-open, 4.4-mile Hampstead Bypass to protect the habitat of the bog turtle - a species listed as threatened in Maryland.
State highway officials decided to give the goats a tryout as four-legged lawn mowers rather than to attack the unwanted vegetation with mechanical mowers that might have killed the diminutive reptiles or damaged their boggy habitat on the fringe of Hampstead. The goats - leased from a local farmer who prefers to remain anonymous - have been on the job for a week, and highway officials say that so far they seem to be up to the task.
Until now, the bog turtles have been getting all of the attention. Highway and environmental officials have spent years hashing out the details of the $85 million bypass, and finding ways for the road and the reptiles to co-exist. The site where the goats are employed was once right in the highway's path, but officials rerouted it to the ridgeline above to avoid the sensitive wetlands.
William L. Branch, a biologist with the highway agency's Office of Environmental Design, said the decision to use goats to swallow up vegetation at the site - which officials prefer not to identify specifically because of the threat of turtle-poaching for the exotic pet trade - was the result of collective brainstorming by state and federal officials on how to build the road without damaging the local turtle population.
Branch said the Hampstead experiment is Maryland's first use of goats in connection with a state road project. He said officials had heard about previous projects using goats to control vegetation in bog turtle habitats in New Jersey and Pennsylvania - two of the other states in the reptile's range.
Read the full story at link.
------------------------------------------------------
Monday, May 4, 2009
Week of May 4, 2009
Updated May 8
---------------------------------------------------------
H.R. 669: Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act
H.R. 669 was introduced in January 2009 by Madeleine Bordallo (U.S. Delegate, Guam). The purpose of the bill is to prevent the introduction and establishment of nonnative wildlife species that negatively impact the economy, environment, or other animal species' or human health, and for other purposes. A subcomittee hearing was held on Apr 23. You can watch a video of the hearing here.
The bill would require the Secretary of the Interior to promulgate regulations establishing a process for assessing the risk of all nonnative wildlife species proposed for importation into the United States, other than those included in a list of approved species issued under the Act.
The bill would establish prohibitions on: (1) importation or transportation between states of nonnative species that are not included in the list of approved species; (2) permit violations; and (3) possession, purchase, sale, barter, release, or breeding of such species.
For more information, visit Link 1 and Link 2.
For a view from the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), visit Link 3.
For a view from The Nature Conservancy, visit Link 4.
For a view from the National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species (NECIS), visit Link 5
----------------------------------------------------------
June 2 workshop: Invasive Plants in the Hudson Valley: A Local Update on Research & Management
This workshop will guide participants in a better understanding of how invasive plants establish in forests, parks, rights-of-ways, and other natural areas. Presenters will address ecological conditions that allow for invasion, a framework of strategies for selecting the appropriate control methods, and updates on species of local concern.
Preregistration required through Cornell University Cooperative Extension Dutchess County. $35 includes full day training, educational mateials, and lunch. Space is limited, registration first come, first serve.
Certification Credits Pending for: NYSDEC Pesticide Categories 2, 3a, 10, 25 and 6; International Society of Arboriculture; and Society of American Foresters. LA Credits, pending approval.
Make checks payable to: Cornell University Cooperative Extension Dutchess County.
Send Registration to:
Cornell University Cooperative
Extension Dutchess County
Farm and Home Center
2715 Route 44, Suite 1
Millbrook, NY 12545
Att: Nancy Halas
Registration and payment must be received by May 22, 2009.
Location: Ladson Park & Arboretum, Somers, NY
Hosted by:
• Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Dutchess and Westchester Counties
• Cornell University Cooperative Extension Department of Natural Resources
in cooperation with:
• The Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation
• The Watershed Agricultural Council
---------------------------------------------------------
New York State Parks adopts sustainability blueprint, including invasive species
ALBANY, NY (05/04/2009)(readMedia)-- Allowing more lawns to return to meadows and using fewer pesticides are key elements of a new sustainability plan aimed at easing the impact that the daily operations of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) have on natural resources, the agency announced today.
[...]
The plan recommends OPRHP take an integrated approach to designing and constructing buildings and managing landscapes to minimize impact to the natural environment. A critical component is the goal to eliminate pesticides from parks, especially areas frequented by children, such as beaches, playgrounds, picnic areas, ballfields, campgrounds, and hiking trails. The plan acknowledges areas for which targeted pesticide will continue, most notably in the area of golf course management.
Under the pesticide guidelines, all OPRHP facilities and operations, including those of concessionaires, will eliminate pesticide use wherever possible. In instances where they are needed to protect health and safety or control invasive species, as well as at golf courses and arboretums, State Parks will use least toxic chemicals. All facilities will reduce the use of pesticides through Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques, which employs proactive mechanical, sanitary, cultural or biological methods to control pests to the maximum extent possible, with the use of chemicals only as a last resort. Through detailed surveillance, IPM focuses on establishing physical barriers to pests and reducing the food, water and shelter available to them.
To read the full story, visit Link.
--------------------------------------------------------
Florida FWC officials plan to spray invasive plants in Deer Point Lake
By S. BRADY CALHOUN / News Herald Writer
BAYOU GEORGE — Water hyacinth is a striking weed that must be destroyed, state officials said this week.
The weed, along with Cuban bulrush, has infested a couple of acres in Deer Point Lake near Bay Head Road, about 4.5 miles north of Deer Point Dam.
Someone introduced the two menaces to the lake, most likely when they dumped out the contents of an aquarium or a water garden, said Matt Phillips, a biologist and invasive plant specialist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Phillips, conducting a tour through Deer Point for the media Thursday, showed off the hyacinth, which has a purple bloom and air bladders to keep the weed afloat. The weeds also grow to about 3 feet in height and will continue to grow in wet soil, even if the lake is drained, he added.
"They (hyacinths) can double in weight in about two weeks," Phillips said.
Cuban bulrush is a grassy-looking weed that also floats above the water and does not naturally grow in Deer Point.
[...]
The FWC plans to combat the problem weeds by using a herbicide. In about a week, the weeds will be sprayed with 2, 4-D amine. This mild herbicide will not cause pollution or other problems in the lake, Phillips said.
The spray work will cost about $1,000, officials said. Florida officials spend about $2.4 million annually to spray for weeds in state waters, Phillips said.
Read the full story at Link
Photo by ROBERT COOPER © The News Herald.
---------------------------------------------------------
Retracing the Journey of Two Invasive Species
By HENRY FOUNTAIN, The New York Times
Scientists who study invasive species often start with some basic questions: where and when did the species take hold, and where did it come from? The answers are generally harder to obtain the longer an invader has been around.
Susan H. Brawley of the University of Maine and colleagues have answered those questions for two invasive species, the seaweed known as toothed wrack (Fucus serratus) and the common periwinkle (Littorina littorea), that have been around the coast of northeastern North America for at least 140 years.
Using genetic analyses, ecological data and historical shipping records, the researchers determined that both invaders came from Britain and Ireland to Nova Scotia as a result of the timber trade in that region, which began in the 1770s and peaked after 1815. The species probably hopped the Atlantic on ships’ ballast rock, which was dumped when the ships took on heavy loads of timber. The findings are published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In the case of the seaweed, the researchers were able to trace the species to two locations: Galway in Ireland and Greenock in Scotland. The source of the periwinkles could not be pinned down as precisely. The researchers suggest that there must be other, less conspicuous species that took the same invasion route in the 19th century.
Read the full story at Link.
Photo by Galice G. Hoarau - Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
--------------------------------------------------
May 7 Finger Lakes PRISM meeting
The next Finger Lakes PRISM meeting will take place this Thursday, May 7th at the Montezuma Audubon Center from 10 am – 1 pm.
Attached is a very general agenda, but please note that this meeting features two speakers. Bin Zhu of Finger Lakes Institute will be presenting on his latest research on aquatic invasive species in the Finger Lakes. And Mark Whitmore, from Cornell University will be presenting on hemlock wooly adelgid, Asian longhorned beetle and emerald ash borer.
--------------------------------------------------
Group vetoes chemical treatment of New Hampshire pond
By Eric Parry, EagleTribune.com
There won't be any chemicals used to treat milfoil in Big Island Pond this summer.
The Big Island Pond Corp. decided at a meeting Tuesday not to use the herbicide 2,4-D to treat the 50-acre pond that stretches across Derry, Hampstead and Atkinson, N.H.
Instead, the lake association is relying on a harvester and a team of divers to clean up the exotic nuisance plant this summer, according to Kevin Magner, president of the lake association.
"We're going to re-evaluate at the end of the year and see how it did," Magner said.
The harvester is a 30-foot pontoon boat fitted with a pump, 4-inch hoses, and a perforated deck that allows volunteers to collect the weed in bags and lets the water flow back into the pond.
A team of divers will pull the milfoil up by its roots and suction the plants through the hose to the boat deck.
Applications of 2,4-D were supposed to start in June. The lake corporation applied for funding through the state Department of Environmental Services to spread the chemical, according to DES limnologist Jody Connor. The chemical treatment was recommended in the first year of a five-year plan designed for the pond, Magner said. The lake association adopted the plan last year, and this summer would have been the first season the plan was put into action.
But just a few months ago, the lake association purchased the pontoon boat with the help of the New Hampshire Lake Association. Since then, a small group of lake residents have been working on the boat and planned to take it out for the first time over the weekend.
Connor said the Big Island Pond Corp. was only one of eight selected from 30 applications to receive some funding from the state to treat invasive aquatic plants. The DES had already committed to spending $7,000 of the $23,490 cost to spread the chemical, he said. Money for treatment comes from boating registrations in the state, according to Connor.
Although it's happened in the past, it's rare that a lake association or municipality would withdraw its request for funding. Removing the plant using just divers and the harvester can be a time-consuming task, Connor said.
"Typically, when someone has a bad exotic plant, they don't want to live with it and they want to deal with it," Connor said. The chemical is widely used in other bodies of water in the state to treat milfoil, but some residents along the pond said they were still concerned about the long-term effects it would have on the pond.
"The less chemicals we use on anything the better," said Patricia Goodridge, one of the board members who voted against using the chemical.
Read the story at Link
-------------------------------------------------------
New Jersey middle school state finalists with invasive species project
From Green Right Now Reports
Twenty-two teams of U.S. middle school students have been named state finalists in the inaugural Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, in which the students were asked to “go green” by creating and implementing environmental change in their local communities. Two national winning teams and one grand prize-winning team will be chosen and announced on May 18.
The Millburn Mustangs team analyzed the harmful effects of the prevalent Norway Maple tree on their growing community. The team members determined that this non-native, invasive tree was a threat to the ecosystem due to its dominance over other species of trees. The Mustangs teamed up with the town’s forester and through surveys, presentations and direct mailings they persuaded 87% of survey participants to replace their Norway Maple trees with other native trees provided by the city.
School: Millburn Middle School, New Jersey
Students: Brannon, Nils, Erik
Teacher/Mentor: Michelle Cho
--------------------------------------------------------
Diver Assisted Milfoil Machine – A New Tool for Managing Exotic Aquatic Plants
by Scott Ashley, Jody Connor and Amy Smagula, New Hampshire DES Limnologists in "The Sampler" Spring 2009
For the past two years, limnologists with the DES Biology Section, in cooperation with several individuals including divers and fabrication specialists, have developed a diver-assisted suction harvester device (milfoil machine or DAMM) to assist with managing exotic aquatic plant growth in New Hampshire’s waterbodies.
Exotic aquatic plant managers understand the importance of the integrated approach to provide long-term and more effective control of exotic plant infestations. A combination of scaled approaches is the proven method to manage exotic plants. The DAMM unit is one more tool available for the control of exotic plants in New Hampshire.
What It Is
The DAMM is essentially an aquatic vacuum cleaner used by divers to remove hand-pulled exotic plants and their roots from bottom sediments. This device is operated by specially licensed divers who hold Weed Control Diver certification through the Professional Association of Dive Instructors. The suction harvester is best suited to physically manage small to moderately sized infestations. However, a suction harvester has been working in large infested areas of Smith Cove, Lake Winnipesaukee, for the past two summers and is making excellent progress at controlling the variable milfoil growth in the cove.
The unit is constructed on a floating platform, such as a pontoon boat, barge, or even a swim platform mounted on pontoons. The deck of the platform is modified by cutting a 2’ x 3’ rectangle in the floor. The floor hole is lined with a plant collection net that retains any plants and roots that are suctioned from the
bottom sediments. Mounted on the deck is a vortex pump to draw plants pulled by the diver. A special low-density, large-diameter hose connected to the pump extends into the water from the vessel is used by the divers to suction the bottom plants. A certified diver works to systematically handremove the exotic plant by the roots and then feeds the plant and the roots up the hose. The plants, water and a small amount of sediment are discharged into the net-lined cut-out in the platform. The water filters through the net fabric while the plants remain in the net.
The deckhand sorts through the net contents to remove and set free any mussels or other aquatic life, then scoops the plants into a 20 gallon bucket or container to measure actual exotic plants and root volumes removed from the system. The material is then bagged for disposal in a landfill or compost site that is located a distance from a surface waterbody.
During the summer of 2008, the DES-operated harvester pulled over 3,000 gallons of milfoil.
For maximum cost effectiveness, the DAMM is best used for small to moderately sized infestations. It is not a technique that can be cost effective when used in a large areas of exotic aquatic plant infestation. The most cost effective method for large area infestations is the use of permitted herbicides by licensed applicators. Also, DAMM is not intended for use in controlling native aquatic plants.
Read the full story at Link
---------------------------------------------------------
Conference: Invasive Species in Coastal Dunes and Maritime Forests, July 16-17 2009
Georgian Court University in Lakewood New Jersey is joining with the New Jersey Sea Grant / NJ Marine Science Consortium to sponsor a conference on Invasive Species in Coastal Dunes and Maritime Forests that will be hosted at Georgian Court this summer. The conference will be held on July 16-17 with an optional field trip to these habitats on July 15. For details on registration, abstract submission, accommodations etc. please visit the conference WebPages at
http://www.georgian.edu/dunes/index.htm. Hope to see you there!
---------------------------------------------------------
Conference: Complicating Factors in Invasive Plant Management: Circumstances Beyond Our Control? August 11 and 12, 2009
Register online at www.morrisarboretum.org
To be held at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, PA
Schedule and Registration Brochure
---------------------------------------------------------
Pesticide is added to the longhorned beetle battle
WORCESTER, MA — The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans next year to step up its campaign to eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle by chemically treating trees in the city that are susceptible to the arbor-killing insect.
Suzanne Bond, a USDA spokeswoman, told the Telegram & Gazette that the massive federal treatment will most likely begin in the spring of 2010 after experts have a better idea of how widespread the infestation is.
The invasive beetles have been reported in Worcester, West Boylston, Boylston, Shrewsbury and Holden.
Michael P. Gilleberto of the city manager’s office said about 21,000 trees have already been taken down in the Greendale and Burncoat neighborhoods of Worcester in an attempt to prevent the insect’s spread.
[...]
Ms. Bond said the treatments will be paid for out of the $24.5 million allocated by the USDA this year to battle the infestation in Massachusetts. That money is also being used for research, surveys, removal of infested trees, public outreach and regulatory programs aimed at preventing the transportation of wood from infested areas.
USDA officials said the treatments will be conducted annually for at least three years.
Similar treatments have been done in Chicago, New York and two regions in New Jersey, the other areas infested by the bug.
In New York City, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has hired certified pesticide companies to treat 26,132 hardwood trees on Staten Island and 39,626 trees in Brooklyn and Queens. In Linden, N.J., 1,096 trees are being treated.
Ms. Bond said the trees are being treated with imidacloprid, the chemical found to be most effective in battling the insect.
[...]
Imidacloprid, which is commonly used in the lawn care industry to kill grubs and in treatments to rid pets of fleas, disperses through a tree’s vascular system.
When adult beetles emerge from tree bark during the summer, they munch on twigs and leaves that have become laced with the poison. Larvae feeding within the tree are also killed.
Officials said imidacloprid was used in successful campaigns against the beetles in Chicago and in New Jersey’s Hudson County.
Federal officials said the chemical offers little risk to humans or pets and, as in other places, it will be either injected into tree bark or put deep in the ground around the base of trees.
Read the full story at Link
---------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------
H.R. 669: Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act
H.R. 669 was introduced in January 2009 by Madeleine Bordallo (U.S. Delegate, Guam). The purpose of the bill is to prevent the introduction and establishment of nonnative wildlife species that negatively impact the economy, environment, or other animal species' or human health, and for other purposes. A subcomittee hearing was held on Apr 23. You can watch a video of the hearing here.
The bill would require the Secretary of the Interior to promulgate regulations establishing a process for assessing the risk of all nonnative wildlife species proposed for importation into the United States, other than those included in a list of approved species issued under the Act.
The bill would establish prohibitions on: (1) importation or transportation between states of nonnative species that are not included in the list of approved species; (2) permit violations; and (3) possession, purchase, sale, barter, release, or breeding of such species.
For more information, visit Link 1 and Link 2.
For a view from the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), visit Link 3.
For a view from The Nature Conservancy, visit Link 4.
For a view from the National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species (NECIS), visit Link 5
----------------------------------------------------------
June 2 workshop: Invasive Plants in the Hudson Valley: A Local Update on Research & Management
This workshop will guide participants in a better understanding of how invasive plants establish in forests, parks, rights-of-ways, and other natural areas. Presenters will address ecological conditions that allow for invasion, a framework of strategies for selecting the appropriate control methods, and updates on species of local concern.Preregistration required through Cornell University Cooperative Extension Dutchess County. $35 includes full day training, educational mateials, and lunch. Space is limited, registration first come, first serve.
Certification Credits Pending for: NYSDEC Pesticide Categories 2, 3a, 10, 25 and 6; International Society of Arboriculture; and Society of American Foresters. LA Credits, pending approval.
Make checks payable to: Cornell University Cooperative Extension Dutchess County.
Send Registration to:
Cornell University Cooperative
Extension Dutchess County
Farm and Home Center
2715 Route 44, Suite 1
Millbrook, NY 12545
Att: Nancy Halas
Registration and payment must be received by May 22, 2009.
Location: Ladson Park & Arboretum, Somers, NY
Hosted by:
• Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Dutchess and Westchester Counties
• Cornell University Cooperative Extension Department of Natural Resources
in cooperation with:
• The Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation & Conservation
• The Watershed Agricultural Council
---------------------------------------------------------
New York State Parks adopts sustainability blueprint, including invasive species
ALBANY, NY (05/04/2009)(readMedia)-- Allowing more lawns to return to meadows and using fewer pesticides are key elements of a new sustainability plan aimed at easing the impact that the daily operations of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) have on natural resources, the agency announced today.
[...]
The plan recommends OPRHP take an integrated approach to designing and constructing buildings and managing landscapes to minimize impact to the natural environment. A critical component is the goal to eliminate pesticides from parks, especially areas frequented by children, such as beaches, playgrounds, picnic areas, ballfields, campgrounds, and hiking trails. The plan acknowledges areas for which targeted pesticide will continue, most notably in the area of golf course management.
Under the pesticide guidelines, all OPRHP facilities and operations, including those of concessionaires, will eliminate pesticide use wherever possible. In instances where they are needed to protect health and safety or control invasive species, as well as at golf courses and arboretums, State Parks will use least toxic chemicals. All facilities will reduce the use of pesticides through Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques, which employs proactive mechanical, sanitary, cultural or biological methods to control pests to the maximum extent possible, with the use of chemicals only as a last resort. Through detailed surveillance, IPM focuses on establishing physical barriers to pests and reducing the food, water and shelter available to them.
To read the full story, visit Link.
--------------------------------------------------------
Florida FWC officials plan to spray invasive plants in Deer Point Lake
By S. BRADY CALHOUN / News Herald Writer
BAYOU GEORGE — Water hyacinth is a striking weed that must be destroyed, state officials said this week.
The weed, along with Cuban bulrush, has infested a couple of acres in Deer Point Lake near Bay Head Road, about 4.5 miles north of Deer Point Dam.Someone introduced the two menaces to the lake, most likely when they dumped out the contents of an aquarium or a water garden, said Matt Phillips, a biologist and invasive plant specialist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Phillips, conducting a tour through Deer Point for the media Thursday, showed off the hyacinth, which has a purple bloom and air bladders to keep the weed afloat. The weeds also grow to about 3 feet in height and will continue to grow in wet soil, even if the lake is drained, he added.
"They (hyacinths) can double in weight in about two weeks," Phillips said.
Cuban bulrush is a grassy-looking weed that also floats above the water and does not naturally grow in Deer Point.
[...]
The FWC plans to combat the problem weeds by using a herbicide. In about a week, the weeds will be sprayed with 2, 4-D amine. This mild herbicide will not cause pollution or other problems in the lake, Phillips said.
The spray work will cost about $1,000, officials said. Florida officials spend about $2.4 million annually to spray for weeds in state waters, Phillips said.
Read the full story at Link
Photo by ROBERT COOPER © The News Herald.
---------------------------------------------------------
Retracing the Journey of Two Invasive Species
By HENRY FOUNTAIN, The New York Times
Scientists who study invasive species often start with some basic questions: where and when did the species take hold, and where did it come from? The answers are generally harder to obtain the longer an invader has been around.
Susan H. Brawley of the University of Maine and colleagues have answered those questions for two invasive species, the seaweed known as toothed wrack (Fucus serratus) and the common periwinkle (Littorina littorea), that have been around the coast of northeastern North America for at least 140 years.Using genetic analyses, ecological data and historical shipping records, the researchers determined that both invaders came from Britain and Ireland to Nova Scotia as a result of the timber trade in that region, which began in the 1770s and peaked after 1815. The species probably hopped the Atlantic on ships’ ballast rock, which was dumped when the ships took on heavy loads of timber. The findings are published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In the case of the seaweed, the researchers were able to trace the species to two locations: Galway in Ireland and Greenock in Scotland. The source of the periwinkles could not be pinned down as precisely. The researchers suggest that there must be other, less conspicuous species that took the same invasion route in the 19th century.
Read the full story at Link.
Photo by Galice G. Hoarau - Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
--------------------------------------------------
May 7 Finger Lakes PRISM meeting
The next Finger Lakes PRISM meeting will take place this Thursday, May 7th at the Montezuma Audubon Center from 10 am – 1 pm.
Attached is a very general agenda, but please note that this meeting features two speakers. Bin Zhu of Finger Lakes Institute will be presenting on his latest research on aquatic invasive species in the Finger Lakes. And Mark Whitmore, from Cornell University will be presenting on hemlock wooly adelgid, Asian longhorned beetle and emerald ash borer.
--------------------------------------------------
Group vetoes chemical treatment of New Hampshire pond
By Eric Parry, EagleTribune.com
There won't be any chemicals used to treat milfoil in Big Island Pond this summer.
The Big Island Pond Corp. decided at a meeting Tuesday not to use the herbicide 2,4-D to treat the 50-acre pond that stretches across Derry, Hampstead and Atkinson, N.H.
Instead, the lake association is relying on a harvester and a team of divers to clean up the exotic nuisance plant this summer, according to Kevin Magner, president of the lake association.
"We're going to re-evaluate at the end of the year and see how it did," Magner said.
The harvester is a 30-foot pontoon boat fitted with a pump, 4-inch hoses, and a perforated deck that allows volunteers to collect the weed in bags and lets the water flow back into the pond.
A team of divers will pull the milfoil up by its roots and suction the plants through the hose to the boat deck.
Applications of 2,4-D were supposed to start in June. The lake corporation applied for funding through the state Department of Environmental Services to spread the chemical, according to DES limnologist Jody Connor. The chemical treatment was recommended in the first year of a five-year plan designed for the pond, Magner said. The lake association adopted the plan last year, and this summer would have been the first season the plan was put into action.
But just a few months ago, the lake association purchased the pontoon boat with the help of the New Hampshire Lake Association. Since then, a small group of lake residents have been working on the boat and planned to take it out for the first time over the weekend.
Connor said the Big Island Pond Corp. was only one of eight selected from 30 applications to receive some funding from the state to treat invasive aquatic plants. The DES had already committed to spending $7,000 of the $23,490 cost to spread the chemical, he said. Money for treatment comes from boating registrations in the state, according to Connor.
Although it's happened in the past, it's rare that a lake association or municipality would withdraw its request for funding. Removing the plant using just divers and the harvester can be a time-consuming task, Connor said.
"Typically, when someone has a bad exotic plant, they don't want to live with it and they want to deal with it," Connor said. The chemical is widely used in other bodies of water in the state to treat milfoil, but some residents along the pond said they were still concerned about the long-term effects it would have on the pond.
"The less chemicals we use on anything the better," said Patricia Goodridge, one of the board members who voted against using the chemical.
Read the story at Link
-------------------------------------------------------
New Jersey middle school state finalists with invasive species project
From Green Right Now Reports
Twenty-two teams of U.S. middle school students have been named state finalists in the inaugural Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, in which the students were asked to “go green” by creating and implementing environmental change in their local communities. Two national winning teams and one grand prize-winning team will be chosen and announced on May 18.
The Millburn Mustangs team analyzed the harmful effects of the prevalent Norway Maple tree on their growing community. The team members determined that this non-native, invasive tree was a threat to the ecosystem due to its dominance over other species of trees. The Mustangs teamed up with the town’s forester and through surveys, presentations and direct mailings they persuaded 87% of survey participants to replace their Norway Maple trees with other native trees provided by the city.School: Millburn Middle School, New Jersey
Students: Brannon, Nils, Erik
Teacher/Mentor: Michelle Cho
--------------------------------------------------------
Diver Assisted Milfoil Machine – A New Tool for Managing Exotic Aquatic Plants
by Scott Ashley, Jody Connor and Amy Smagula, New Hampshire DES Limnologists in "The Sampler" Spring 2009
For the past two years, limnologists with the DES Biology Section, in cooperation with several individuals including divers and fabrication specialists, have developed a diver-assisted suction harvester device (milfoil machine or DAMM) to assist with managing exotic aquatic plant growth in New Hampshire’s waterbodies.
Exotic aquatic plant managers understand the importance of the integrated approach to provide long-term and more effective control of exotic plant infestations. A combination of scaled approaches is the proven method to manage exotic plants. The DAMM unit is one more tool available for the control of exotic plants in New Hampshire.
What It Is
The DAMM is essentially an aquatic vacuum cleaner used by divers to remove hand-pulled exotic plants and their roots from bottom sediments. This device is operated by specially licensed divers who hold Weed Control Diver certification through the Professional Association of Dive Instructors. The suction harvester is best suited to physically manage small to moderately sized infestations. However, a suction harvester has been working in large infested areas of Smith Cove, Lake Winnipesaukee, for the past two summers and is making excellent progress at controlling the variable milfoil growth in the cove.The unit is constructed on a floating platform, such as a pontoon boat, barge, or even a swim platform mounted on pontoons. The deck of the platform is modified by cutting a 2’ x 3’ rectangle in the floor. The floor hole is lined with a plant collection net that retains any plants and roots that are suctioned from the
bottom sediments. Mounted on the deck is a vortex pump to draw plants pulled by the diver. A special low-density, large-diameter hose connected to the pump extends into the water from the vessel is used by the divers to suction the bottom plants. A certified diver works to systematically handremove the exotic plant by the roots and then feeds the plant and the roots up the hose. The plants, water and a small amount of sediment are discharged into the net-lined cut-out in the platform. The water filters through the net fabric while the plants remain in the net.
The deckhand sorts through the net contents to remove and set free any mussels or other aquatic life, then scoops the plants into a 20 gallon bucket or container to measure actual exotic plants and root volumes removed from the system. The material is then bagged for disposal in a landfill or compost site that is located a distance from a surface waterbody.
During the summer of 2008, the DES-operated harvester pulled over 3,000 gallons of milfoil.
For maximum cost effectiveness, the DAMM is best used for small to moderately sized infestations. It is not a technique that can be cost effective when used in a large areas of exotic aquatic plant infestation. The most cost effective method for large area infestations is the use of permitted herbicides by licensed applicators. Also, DAMM is not intended for use in controlling native aquatic plants.
Read the full story at Link
---------------------------------------------------------
Conference: Invasive Species in Coastal Dunes and Maritime Forests, July 16-17 2009
Georgian Court University in Lakewood New Jersey is joining with the New Jersey Sea Grant / NJ Marine Science Consortium to sponsor a conference on Invasive Species in Coastal Dunes and Maritime Forests that will be hosted at Georgian Court this summer. The conference will be held on July 16-17 with an optional field trip to these habitats on July 15. For details on registration, abstract submission, accommodations etc. please visit the conference WebPages at
http://www.georgian.edu/dunes/index.htm. Hope to see you there!
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Conference: Complicating Factors in Invasive Plant Management: Circumstances Beyond Our Control? August 11 and 12, 2009
Register online at www.morrisarboretum.org
To be held at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, PA
Schedule and Registration Brochure
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Pesticide is added to the longhorned beetle battle
WORCESTER, MA — The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans next year to step up its campaign to eradicate the Asian longhorned beetle by chemically treating trees in the city that are susceptible to the arbor-killing insect.
Suzanne Bond, a USDA spokeswoman, told the Telegram & Gazette that the massive federal treatment will most likely begin in the spring of 2010 after experts have a better idea of how widespread the infestation is.
The invasive beetles have been reported in Worcester, West Boylston, Boylston, Shrewsbury and Holden.
Michael P. Gilleberto of the city manager’s office said about 21,000 trees have already been taken down in the Greendale and Burncoat neighborhoods of Worcester in an attempt to prevent the insect’s spread.
[...]
Ms. Bond said the treatments will be paid for out of the $24.5 million allocated by the USDA this year to battle the infestation in Massachusetts. That money is also being used for research, surveys, removal of infested trees, public outreach and regulatory programs aimed at preventing the transportation of wood from infested areas.
USDA officials said the treatments will be conducted annually for at least three years.
Similar treatments have been done in Chicago, New York and two regions in New Jersey, the other areas infested by the bug.
In New York City, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has hired certified pesticide companies to treat 26,132 hardwood trees on Staten Island and 39,626 trees in Brooklyn and Queens. In Linden, N.J., 1,096 trees are being treated.
Ms. Bond said the trees are being treated with imidacloprid, the chemical found to be most effective in battling the insect.
[...]
Imidacloprid, which is commonly used in the lawn care industry to kill grubs and in treatments to rid pets of fleas, disperses through a tree’s vascular system.
When adult beetles emerge from tree bark during the summer, they munch on twigs and leaves that have become laced with the poison. Larvae feeding within the tree are also killed.
Officials said imidacloprid was used in successful campaigns against the beetles in Chicago and in New Jersey’s Hudson County.
Federal officials said the chemical offers little risk to humans or pets and, as in other places, it will be either injected into tree bark or put deep in the ground around the base of trees.
Read the full story at Link
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