NYDEC Begins Emergency Rule-Making for Hydrilla Infestation Treatment
ALBANY, NY (05/09/2012)(readMedia)-- The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation adopted an emergency rule to allow for herbicide treatment to combat hydrilla, an invasive plant species that has plagued parts of the Cayuga Inlet since last summer, the agency announced today. "Immediate action is necessary to stop the spread of hydrilla to preserve native plants and indigenous aquatic ecosystems throughout New York state," said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. "By amending the regulation to allow the use of fluridone pellets, DEC is helping control the infestation of a destructive species that threatens the Finger Lakes economy and habitat." The emergency regulation allows the use of fluridone pellets in waters less than two feet deep for 90 days. Upon expiration, DEC intends to renew the temporary, emergency regulation until a permanent rule is in place. The rule amends 6 NYCRR 326.2(b)(4)(ii), which prohibits the application of fluridone pellet formulations in waters less than two feet deep. ...
Read the full story at link.
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MN to test dogs against emerald ash borer
Stephanie Hemphill
Minnesota Public Radio
HARDEN HILLS, Minn. — Specially-trained dogs could soon help enforce quarantines against Emerald ash borer in Minnesota. Ramsey, Hennepin, Houston, and Winona counties have quarantines that prohibit the movement of ash materials, and any other hardwood firewood. State officials say it is difficult to distinguish one type of firewood from another. Four dogs will join human workers this summer as they inspect yard waste sites and trucks hauling compost, said Liz Erickson, spokeswoman for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. "Our regulatory crew has a schedule of what sites to visit, so on their regular site visits they'll take the dogs to have a more efficient and effective site visit," Erickson said. The dogs — two Labrador Retrievers (one yellow, one black), a German Shepherd, and a Belgian Malanois — are being trained by the non-profit group Working Dogs for Conservation to detect ash wood and Emerald ash borer larvae. The invasive pests threaten ash trees across the state and across the country. ...
Read the full story at link.
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Goats tackle invasive species
Associated Press
BALTIMORE (AP) Brian Knox's goats are a bit of a novelty in Maryland, munching invasive species that have proven too tough for mowers, weed whackers and herbicides.
On the West Coast, his business model is already so trite it has inspired a tongue-in-cheek Canadian auto insurance commercial saluting "Goat Renter Guy."
Back East, Knox isn't overly worried about others stealing the idea, which involves first fencing off overgrown areas to keep the goats from munching elsewhere.
"One of the things that keeps the competition down is people don't like ticks, they don't like thorns and they don't like to sweat," Knox said. "And if you're running goats, you've got all of that, that and poison ivy. I've always got poison ivy, the goats don't get it, but I'm covered all the time." Knox, a forester by training who runs Sustainable Resource Management, Inc., an Easton-based consulting firm, said his Eco-Goats subsidiary is becoming a bigger part of his operation. ...
Read the full story at link.
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'Rock snot' infects Delaware River
Ben Horowitz/The Star-Ledger
An invasive form of algae has spread aggressively south in the Delaware River, creating dense shag-carpet-like mats that threaten insects and plants, and the fish that feed on them.
There is no way to eradicate or even control the algae, known as didymo — or even less formally as "rock snot." Even more troubling, the microscopic plant can spread easily, according to officials at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
As a result, officials are urging boaters, fishermen and waders to take extra precautions to avoid infecting other areas of the Delaware or other rivers and streams. ...
Read the full story at link.
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New York State wants you (and your smartphone) to help map invasive species
By Lissa Harris
Call it Conservation 2.0: Citizen science is getting more and more digitally connected all the time.
Take iMapInvasives, an ambitious new project for mapping the spread of invasive species. iMapInvasives combines citizen reports from the field with larger databases maintained by state agencies and nonprofits, allowing backyard nature buffs to make real contributions to public scientific knowlege on invasives. The service launched recently in a handful of states, including New York, but it has national ambitions. In New York State, the iMapInvasives project is being run by the New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP), a collaboration between the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the nonprofit Nature Conservancy.
On Tuesday, May 8, the iMapInvasives team is seeking volunteers equipped with smartphones to help road-test some new features in the field, and map the spread of invasives in the Esopus Bend Preserve while they're at it. ... Read the full story at link.
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Showing posts with label didymo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label didymo. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Week of March 28, 2011
Updated 3/31/11
Connecticut DEP Reports Didymo Discovered in the West Branch Farmington River
First Confirmation of this Invasive Species in Connecticut
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that the highly invasive freshwater alga, Didymosphenia geminata, known as “didymo”, has been discovered in the West Branch Farmington River, a very popular trout stream in northwestern Connecticut.
The presence of didymo was first confirmed in the northeastern United States in 2007, and has since spread to other popular trout streams in a number of Northeastern states (New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia). This is the first report of didymo in Connecticut.
DEP first learned of the possible presence of didymo in the West Branch Farmington River from several anglers on March 18th. One of these anglers also provided an initial sample to DEP. Following initial review by DEP staff, samples were sent to the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation where biologists have direct experience identifying didymo. Late last Friday, Vermont officials confirmed that the sample was indeed didymo.
“This find is very troubling,” said DEP Deputy Commissioner Susan Frechette. “Extensive blooms of this organism can harm the river ecosystem and decrease its recreational and economic value. In an effort to confirm identification, staff from DEP’s Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse surveyed a number of sites in the river and a major tributary along a seven mile stretch of the West Branch Farmington River in Hartland and Barkhamsted. Unfortunately numerous clumps of didymo were found at all the surveyed sites in the river downstream of the Riverton bridge. Once didymo has spread, there’s no practical way to remove it from a river.”
Didymo is most frequently found in cold, relatively shallow streams and rivers having a rocky bottom, characteristics that are also typical of good trout habitat. During blooms, didymo can form thick mats of material that feel like wet wool and are typically gray, white and/or brown, but never green in color. These mats form on the bottoms of rivers and streams and can potentially smother aquatic plants, aquatic insects and mollusks, impact fish habitat, and alter aquatic food chains. Dense mats of didymo can also reduce the recreational and aesthetic value of the affected river. Since didymo also prefers areas open to sunlight, it is not anticipated that this species will become problematic in smaller headwater streams as long as they have well shaded riparian and naturally forested riparian areas.
Humans are the primary vector responsible for the recent spread of didymo. Anglers, kayakers and canoeists, boaters and jet skiers can all unknowingly spread didymo. The microscopic cells can cling to fishing gear, waders (felt soles can be especially problematic), boots and boats, and remain viable for months under even slightly moist conditions. To prevent the spread of didymo to additional waters, DEP asks that anglers, especially those who also fish the Farmington River or streams outside Connecticut, and other users practice CHECK, CLEAN, DRY procedures.
• CHECK: Before leaving a river, stream or lake, remove all obvious clumps of algae and plant material from fishing gear, waders, clothing & footwear, canoes & kayaks, and anything else that has been in the water and look for hidden clumps. Leave them at the site. If you find any later, clean your gear and dispose of all material in the trash.
• CLEAN: Soak/spray & scrub boats and all other “hard” items for at least one minute in either very hot (140°F) water, a 2% bleach solution, or a 5% dishwashing detergent solution. Absorbent materials such as clothes and felt soles on waders should be soaked for at least 40 minutes in very hot water (140°F), or 30 minutes in hot water (115°F) with 5% dishwashing detergent. Freezing thoroughly will also kill didymo.
• DRY: If cleaning is not practical, after the item is completely dry to touch, wait an additional 48 hours before contact or use in any other waterway.
The above procedures will also be effective against other unwanted organisms.
Didymo is just one of a number of aquatic invasive species that have either invaded the state or are threatening to do so. DEP will continue its work to combat the spread of invasive species, focusing on prevention, education and early detection. DEP is an active member of the Invasive Plants Council and supports both an Invasive Plant Program and an Aquatic Nuisance Species Program in collaboration with the University of Connecticut. When available, DEP has provided funding from a variety of sources to educate the public on the threats posed by invasive species and to combat specific invasive species including fanwort, water chestnut and hydrilla. In addition, the DEP has recently proposed new regulations to prohibit the possession or importation into the state of a number of invasive invertebrates.
Since its discovery in the northeast in 2007, DEP has taken additional precautions to prevent the introduction and/or spread of didymo (and other invasive species). DEP’s Inland Fisheries Division instituted an operational “Biosecurity” policy for its own field operations, including elimination of the use of felt-soled waders. Also, as part of its invasive species outreach efforts, informational fliers on didymo were distributed to many of the state’s bait & tackle shops and information about didymo has been prominently displayed in the CT Anglers Guide and on its website.
Individuals wishing to report possible sightings of didymo and other aquatic nuisance species can contact DEP’s Inland Fisheries Division at 860-424-3474. More information on didymo and other aquatic nuisance species can be found on the DEP website (www.ct.gov/dep) or in the CT Angler’s Guide (www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/fishing/anglers_guide/anguide.pdf). An excellent source for detailed information on didymo is the Biosecurity New Zealand web site (http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/didymo).
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USDA Treats New York Trees Against Asian Longhorned Beetle
WASHINGTON, March 24, 2011 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will treat a total of 29,764 trees susceptible to the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) with the insecticide imidacloprid in New York this spring.
Control treatments will start the week of April 4, weather permitting, on 21,294 trees in Queens, 299 trees in Brooklyn and on 8,171 trees in Staten Island. Treatments are a vital component of the area-wide eradication strategies used to prevent further infestation and reduce populations of this invasive pest.
Control treatment applications are conducted by program officials, through the use of contracted New York licensed pesticide applicators. ALB host trees are treated by directly injecting the insecticide into the soil around the base of the tree, or into the trunk of the tree, allowing the imidacloprid to be dispersed through the tree’s vascular system. This enables the insecticide to reach ALB adults feeding on small twigs and leaves, and larvae feeding just beneath the bark of treated host trees.
Imidacloprid is a registered pesticide under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. It is used in agriculture, the lawn care industry to kill lawn grubs and in some pet treatments to kill fleas. Approved for ALB program use, imidacloprid is applied each year for ALB eradication to a limited area in the United States. APHIS oversees treatment applications and conducts environmental monitoring as part of the ALB eradication program.
The public can assist the eradication effort by allowing program officials access to their property to evaluate susceptible trees for any signs of ALB infestation and/or to treat trees that are susceptible to ALB infestation. Control treatments are applied to noninfested ALB host trees. All ALB infested trees or trees showing signs of infestation must be removed and destroyed in order to eliminate the ALB infestation. This action applies to treated trees as well.
ALB threatens urban and suburban trees, as well as valued forest resources, and threatens such industries as maple syrup production, hardwood lumber processing, nurseries and tourism. Control treatments are part of the ALB cooperative eradication program’s effort to prevent further infestation of this invasive insect and reduce populations.
APHIS and its cooperators undertake eradication by imposing quarantines, regulating the movement of ALB and ALB host material, conducting visual inspections, removing infested trees and chemically treating noninfested host trees as part of an integrated eradication strategy.
The ALB program is a cooperative effort among various federal, state and local agencies including, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Forest Service and Agricultural Research Service; as well as the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. For more information on the treatment program, call in New York 1-866-265-0301 or 1-877-STOP-ALB or visit www.BeetleBusters.info for more information about ALB, including pictures and where to report a suspected beetle or suspected signs of infestation.
For treatment maps, review the ALB website at www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/
plant_pest_info/asian_lhb/index.shtml and select “ALB Program Maps.”
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Invasive Stink Bugs: Wanted Dead or Alive
The Saugerties Post Star
Saugerties, NY —
The ‘new kid on the block’, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is a recent addition to the urban/agricultural landscape in the Hudson Valley. It was first observed entering NY homes in 2008. Populations of this species have been steadily on the rise over the past three years, making their presence known primarily in the southern parts of the valley. This insect has been found invading the homes of suburban and Metropolitan New Yorkers living in the 5 boroughs, Nassau, Suffolk, Orange, Westchester, Putnam, Ulster, and Dutchess counties. Many residents are taking notice of them as temperatures rise and insects become more active, making their way out of homes and back into the landscape.
The BMSB does not bite or sting people, pets or livestock. Being a member of the Hemiptera family of insects, it inserts its piercing/sucking mouthparts into plants and feeds on the juices found in stems, leaves and seeds. The insect has shown a wide host range including tomato, pepper, lima bean, soybean, sweet and field corn, apple, pear, peach, berries and some ornamental trees and shrubs. In addition to causing severe damage to farmers’ crops and homeowners’ gardens, the pest has become a residential nuisance as adults fly from near and far to congregate on and in houses during the fall while seeking winter shelter. Reports from the Mid Atlantic region indicate some homeowners have removed thousands of BMSB from their dwellings this winter. Locally, homeowners in the Hudson Valley region also report finding BMSB in their homes this spring with samples being sent to scientists at Cornell’s Hudson Valley Laboratory in Highland, NY. Thus far the laboratory has received over 30 reports and samples from the region, with specimens mostly coming from inside the home, ranging from just a few insects along the window sills to hundreds being observed in closets, attic spaces and stacks of covered firewood.
Since its introduction from Asia into the mid-Atlantic during the mid-1990’s, the BMSB has made its way to the top of the insect ‘most wanted list’. It was first identified in the United States in 2001 in Allentown, Pennsylvania from a specimen sent to Cornell’s Entomologist E. Richard Hoebeck. The pest has spread throughout the mid-Atlantic but was relatively unnoticed except by scientists who study such events. However, over the past two years, BMSB has developed into populations rivaling biblical proportions in some parts of the Mid-Atlantic causing extensive economic injury to vegetable and fruit crops in the region. In 2010, their feeding damage resulted in 20 to 80% crop loss on some farms in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey....
Anyone who has seen this pest is asked to send a sample to Peter Jentsch, BMSB Project, Cornell Hudson Valley Lab, P.O. Box 727, Highland, N.Y. 12528. The bugs should be placed in a small plastic container, such as a medicine bottle or film canister. A submission form available on the Cornell Cooperative Extension website at (http://hudsonvf.cce.cornell.edu/scouting%20reports/BMSB%20Project/BMSB%20Sample%20Submission%20Form.pdf) should be filled out and sent along with the sample so the distribution of the insect can be mapped. Live specimens will be added to the research colony for the Eastern New York Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Project, which began last year.
For more information on this pest, visit the NE IPM Center at http://www.northeastipm.org/bmsb.cfm.
To read the full story, go to link.
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BioBullies Curriculum Available
Natural Biodiversity is pleased to announce the completion of the BioBullies curriculum. This supplemental environmental curriculum focuses on the education of fourth through eighth graders about invasive species.The curriculum is available on the Natural Biodiversity website at www.naturalbiodiversity.org/biobullies/curriculum, or to request a high resolution CD, contact Natural Biodiversity.
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Connecticut DEP Reports Didymo Discovered in the West Branch Farmington River
First Confirmation of this Invasive Species in Connecticut
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced that the highly invasive freshwater alga, Didymosphenia geminata, known as “didymo”, has been discovered in the West Branch Farmington River, a very popular trout stream in northwestern Connecticut.
The presence of didymo was first confirmed in the northeastern United States in 2007, and has since spread to other popular trout streams in a number of Northeastern states (New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia). This is the first report of didymo in Connecticut.
DEP first learned of the possible presence of didymo in the West Branch Farmington River from several anglers on March 18th. One of these anglers also provided an initial sample to DEP. Following initial review by DEP staff, samples were sent to the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation where biologists have direct experience identifying didymo. Late last Friday, Vermont officials confirmed that the sample was indeed didymo.
“This find is very troubling,” said DEP Deputy Commissioner Susan Frechette. “Extensive blooms of this organism can harm the river ecosystem and decrease its recreational and economic value. In an effort to confirm identification, staff from DEP’s Bureau of Water Protection and Land Reuse surveyed a number of sites in the river and a major tributary along a seven mile stretch of the West Branch Farmington River in Hartland and Barkhamsted. Unfortunately numerous clumps of didymo were found at all the surveyed sites in the river downstream of the Riverton bridge. Once didymo has spread, there’s no practical way to remove it from a river.”
Didymo is most frequently found in cold, relatively shallow streams and rivers having a rocky bottom, characteristics that are also typical of good trout habitat. During blooms, didymo can form thick mats of material that feel like wet wool and are typically gray, white and/or brown, but never green in color. These mats form on the bottoms of rivers and streams and can potentially smother aquatic plants, aquatic insects and mollusks, impact fish habitat, and alter aquatic food chains. Dense mats of didymo can also reduce the recreational and aesthetic value of the affected river. Since didymo also prefers areas open to sunlight, it is not anticipated that this species will become problematic in smaller headwater streams as long as they have well shaded riparian and naturally forested riparian areas.
Humans are the primary vector responsible for the recent spread of didymo. Anglers, kayakers and canoeists, boaters and jet skiers can all unknowingly spread didymo. The microscopic cells can cling to fishing gear, waders (felt soles can be especially problematic), boots and boats, and remain viable for months under even slightly moist conditions. To prevent the spread of didymo to additional waters, DEP asks that anglers, especially those who also fish the Farmington River or streams outside Connecticut, and other users practice CHECK, CLEAN, DRY procedures.
• CHECK: Before leaving a river, stream or lake, remove all obvious clumps of algae and plant material from fishing gear, waders, clothing & footwear, canoes & kayaks, and anything else that has been in the water and look for hidden clumps. Leave them at the site. If you find any later, clean your gear and dispose of all material in the trash.
• CLEAN: Soak/spray & scrub boats and all other “hard” items for at least one minute in either very hot (140°F) water, a 2% bleach solution, or a 5% dishwashing detergent solution. Absorbent materials such as clothes and felt soles on waders should be soaked for at least 40 minutes in very hot water (140°F), or 30 minutes in hot water (115°F) with 5% dishwashing detergent. Freezing thoroughly will also kill didymo.
• DRY: If cleaning is not practical, after the item is completely dry to touch, wait an additional 48 hours before contact or use in any other waterway.
The above procedures will also be effective against other unwanted organisms.
Didymo is just one of a number of aquatic invasive species that have either invaded the state or are threatening to do so. DEP will continue its work to combat the spread of invasive species, focusing on prevention, education and early detection. DEP is an active member of the Invasive Plants Council and supports both an Invasive Plant Program and an Aquatic Nuisance Species Program in collaboration with the University of Connecticut. When available, DEP has provided funding from a variety of sources to educate the public on the threats posed by invasive species and to combat specific invasive species including fanwort, water chestnut and hydrilla. In addition, the DEP has recently proposed new regulations to prohibit the possession or importation into the state of a number of invasive invertebrates.
Since its discovery in the northeast in 2007, DEP has taken additional precautions to prevent the introduction and/or spread of didymo (and other invasive species). DEP’s Inland Fisheries Division instituted an operational “Biosecurity” policy for its own field operations, including elimination of the use of felt-soled waders. Also, as part of its invasive species outreach efforts, informational fliers on didymo were distributed to many of the state’s bait & tackle shops and information about didymo has been prominently displayed in the CT Anglers Guide and on its website.
Individuals wishing to report possible sightings of didymo and other aquatic nuisance species can contact DEP’s Inland Fisheries Division at 860-424-3474. More information on didymo and other aquatic nuisance species can be found on the DEP website (www.ct.gov/dep) or in the CT Angler’s Guide (www.ct.gov/dep/lib/dep/fishing/anglers_guide/anguide.pdf). An excellent source for detailed information on didymo is the Biosecurity New Zealand web site (http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/didymo).
----------------------------------------------------------
USDA Treats New York Trees Against Asian Longhorned Beetle
WASHINGTON, March 24, 2011 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will treat a total of 29,764 trees susceptible to the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) with the insecticide imidacloprid in New York this spring.
Control treatments will start the week of April 4, weather permitting, on 21,294 trees in Queens, 299 trees in Brooklyn and on 8,171 trees in Staten Island. Treatments are a vital component of the area-wide eradication strategies used to prevent further infestation and reduce populations of this invasive pest.
Control treatment applications are conducted by program officials, through the use of contracted New York licensed pesticide applicators. ALB host trees are treated by directly injecting the insecticide into the soil around the base of the tree, or into the trunk of the tree, allowing the imidacloprid to be dispersed through the tree’s vascular system. This enables the insecticide to reach ALB adults feeding on small twigs and leaves, and larvae feeding just beneath the bark of treated host trees.
Imidacloprid is a registered pesticide under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. It is used in agriculture, the lawn care industry to kill lawn grubs and in some pet treatments to kill fleas. Approved for ALB program use, imidacloprid is applied each year for ALB eradication to a limited area in the United States. APHIS oversees treatment applications and conducts environmental monitoring as part of the ALB eradication program.
The public can assist the eradication effort by allowing program officials access to their property to evaluate susceptible trees for any signs of ALB infestation and/or to treat trees that are susceptible to ALB infestation. Control treatments are applied to noninfested ALB host trees. All ALB infested trees or trees showing signs of infestation must be removed and destroyed in order to eliminate the ALB infestation. This action applies to treated trees as well.
ALB threatens urban and suburban trees, as well as valued forest resources, and threatens such industries as maple syrup production, hardwood lumber processing, nurseries and tourism. Control treatments are part of the ALB cooperative eradication program’s effort to prevent further infestation of this invasive insect and reduce populations.
APHIS and its cooperators undertake eradication by imposing quarantines, regulating the movement of ALB and ALB host material, conducting visual inspections, removing infested trees and chemically treating noninfested host trees as part of an integrated eradication strategy.
The ALB program is a cooperative effort among various federal, state and local agencies including, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Forest Service and Agricultural Research Service; as well as the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. For more information on the treatment program, call in New York 1-866-265-0301 or 1-877-STOP-ALB or visit www.BeetleBusters.info for more information about ALB, including pictures and where to report a suspected beetle or suspected signs of infestation.
For treatment maps, review the ALB website at www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/
plant_pest_info/asian_lhb/index.shtml and select “ALB Program Maps.”
---------------------------------------------------------
Invasive Stink Bugs: Wanted Dead or Alive
The Saugerties Post Star
Saugerties, NY —
The ‘new kid on the block’, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is a recent addition to the urban/agricultural landscape in the Hudson Valley. It was first observed entering NY homes in 2008. Populations of this species have been steadily on the rise over the past three years, making their presence known primarily in the southern parts of the valley. This insect has been found invading the homes of suburban and Metropolitan New Yorkers living in the 5 boroughs, Nassau, Suffolk, Orange, Westchester, Putnam, Ulster, and Dutchess counties. Many residents are taking notice of them as temperatures rise and insects become more active, making their way out of homes and back into the landscape.
The BMSB does not bite or sting people, pets or livestock. Being a member of the Hemiptera family of insects, it inserts its piercing/sucking mouthparts into plants and feeds on the juices found in stems, leaves and seeds. The insect has shown a wide host range including tomato, pepper, lima bean, soybean, sweet and field corn, apple, pear, peach, berries and some ornamental trees and shrubs. In addition to causing severe damage to farmers’ crops and homeowners’ gardens, the pest has become a residential nuisance as adults fly from near and far to congregate on and in houses during the fall while seeking winter shelter. Reports from the Mid Atlantic region indicate some homeowners have removed thousands of BMSB from their dwellings this winter. Locally, homeowners in the Hudson Valley region also report finding BMSB in their homes this spring with samples being sent to scientists at Cornell’s Hudson Valley Laboratory in Highland, NY. Thus far the laboratory has received over 30 reports and samples from the region, with specimens mostly coming from inside the home, ranging from just a few insects along the window sills to hundreds being observed in closets, attic spaces and stacks of covered firewood.
Since its introduction from Asia into the mid-Atlantic during the mid-1990’s, the BMSB has made its way to the top of the insect ‘most wanted list’. It was first identified in the United States in 2001 in Allentown, Pennsylvania from a specimen sent to Cornell’s Entomologist E. Richard Hoebeck. The pest has spread throughout the mid-Atlantic but was relatively unnoticed except by scientists who study such events. However, over the past two years, BMSB has developed into populations rivaling biblical proportions in some parts of the Mid-Atlantic causing extensive economic injury to vegetable and fruit crops in the region. In 2010, their feeding damage resulted in 20 to 80% crop loss on some farms in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey....
Anyone who has seen this pest is asked to send a sample to Peter Jentsch, BMSB Project, Cornell Hudson Valley Lab, P.O. Box 727, Highland, N.Y. 12528. The bugs should be placed in a small plastic container, such as a medicine bottle or film canister. A submission form available on the Cornell Cooperative Extension website at (http://hudsonvf.cce.cornell.edu/scouting%20reports/BMSB%20Project/BMSB%20Sample%20Submission%20Form.pdf) should be filled out and sent along with the sample so the distribution of the insect can be mapped. Live specimens will be added to the research colony for the Eastern New York Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Project, which began last year.
For more information on this pest, visit the NE IPM Center at http://www.northeastipm.org/bmsb.cfm.
To read the full story, go to link.
----------------------------------------------------------
BioBullies Curriculum Available
Natural Biodiversity is pleased to announce the completion of the BioBullies curriculum. This supplemental environmental curriculum focuses on the education of fourth through eighth graders about invasive species.The curriculum is available on the Natural Biodiversity website at www.naturalbiodiversity.org/biobullies/curriculum, or to request a high resolution CD, contact Natural Biodiversity.
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Monday, December 14, 2009
Week of December 14, 2009
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
Read the full article at link.
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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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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
Read the full article at link.
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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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Monday, June 15, 2009
Week of June 15, 2009
An Unsightly Algae Extends Its Grip to a Crucial New York Stream
By ANTHONY DEPALMA, The New York Times
SHANDAKEN, N.Y. — The Esopus Creek, a legendary Catskill Mountain fly fishing stream that is an integral part of New York City’s vast upstate drinking water system, is one of the latest bodies of water to be infected with Didymosphenia geminata, a fast-spreading single-cell algae that is better known to fishermen and biologists around the world as rock snot.
Although officials had been on the lookout for spreading Didymo, as it is also called, since it was first confirmed in New York two years ago, they had not found it in the Esopus when they canvassed the area last fall. A fly fisherman told state biologists a few weeks ago that he thought he had seen the telltale gray tendrils of Didymo clinging to rocks on the bed of the Esopus here, about 120 miles northwest of Manhattan.
Investigators later confirmed that Didymo had spread along 12 miles of the Esopus from Shandaken to the Ashokan Reservoir. Biologists believe it is being transported by sport fishermen. [...]
Read the full story at link.
Photo by Kelly Shimoda for The New York Times.
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Canada and U.S. agree to renegotiate Great Lakes pact
Paul Morse, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. -- Canada and the U.S. have agreed to renegotiate their pact on protecting the Great Lakes.
In her first trip to Canada since becoming the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton met with Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon on Saturday to announce the reopening of the Great Lakes agreement, which was created in 1972 and last amended 22 years ago. The move is being cheered by environmentalists and politicians who say the Great Lakes agreement is in desperate need of an overhaul to deal with growing and new threats such as invasive species and climate change.
Read the full story at link.
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Invasive plants on the way out at Fort Hill
EASTHAM, MASS. - Members of the National Park Service Northeast Exotic Plant Management Team arrived at Fort Hill in Eastham Wednesday for a week of working on control of exotic plant growth there. While the work is under way, said George Price, superintendent of Cape Cod National Seashore, some minor trail detours may be in effect.
“The Fort Hill areas is a significant ecological and cultural resource within the park,” Price said. “Over the past few years neighbors and visitors have seen the results of our efforts to restore this important landscape to what it once was – a native grass and shrub land with a sweeping view of Nauset Marsh. Our efforts to control non-native plans in this landscape continue.”
This special team, based at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Areas, travels around the Northeast assisting parks with exotic vegetation problems. This is the third year the team has come to Fort Hill to eradicate exotic shrubs and vines that are choking out native species and altering the normal structure and functioning of the ecosystem. The team will conduct spot applications of the herbicide Garlon 3A and Garlon 4, which affects broadleaf species and not grasses. The active ingredient in Garlon has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as “practically nontoxic” to mammals, fish, insects and invertebrates. The team members are licensed professionals “who take extreme care in applying herbicides so that only the target foliage is coated.”
Read the article at link.
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Root Of The Problem: Curly Pondweed Should Be Gone By Fourth Of July
By Nick Dean, Post-Journal.com
The aquatic vegetation lining much of Chautauqua Lake's (NY) shoreline should be gone by July 4, according to officials.
Weeds to most, the water plant life presently prevalent in the lake is not Eurasian Milfoil, a weed which has been a problem in past years.
According to Rick Constantino, Chautauqua County Watershed Coordinator, the non-native weed is Curly Pondweed - an annual species which does not reach nuisance levels during the summer.
Read the story at link.
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"Invasive Plants in the Northeast of Asia and America: Trading Problems, Trading Solutions."
Dates: 10-12 August 2009, at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Symposium sponsored by the New England Invasive Plant Center
For more information, the symposium agenda & schedule, and to register
see: http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/default.aspx?EventID=726341
This symposium will have open sessions with invited speakers and panel discussions, plus contributed presentations and posters. One objective of the symposium is to develop potential international research collaborations of mutual interest on the broad problem of biological invasions.
The invited participants will include scientists with interests in both pure and applied research related to invasive species biology from the U.S., Japan, South Korea, China and far eastern Russia. We have also invited selected scientists and policy makers from the U.S. and Asian government agencies. If you are interested in attending the symposium, or contributing talk or poster presentation go to:
http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/default.aspx?EventID=726341
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By ANTHONY DEPALMA, The New York Times
SHANDAKEN, N.Y. — The Esopus Creek, a legendary Catskill Mountain fly fishing stream that is an integral part of New York City’s vast upstate drinking water system, is one of the latest bodies of water to be infected with Didymosphenia geminata, a fast-spreading single-cell algae that is better known to fishermen and biologists around the world as rock snot.
Although officials had been on the lookout for spreading Didymo, as it is also called, since it was first confirmed in New York two years ago, they had not found it in the Esopus when they canvassed the area last fall. A fly fisherman told state biologists a few weeks ago that he thought he had seen the telltale gray tendrils of Didymo clinging to rocks on the bed of the Esopus here, about 120 miles northwest of Manhattan.
Investigators later confirmed that Didymo had spread along 12 miles of the Esopus from Shandaken to the Ashokan Reservoir. Biologists believe it is being transported by sport fishermen. [...]
Read the full story at link.
Photo by Kelly Shimoda for The New York Times.
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Canada and U.S. agree to renegotiate Great Lakes pact
Paul Morse, THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. -- Canada and the U.S. have agreed to renegotiate their pact on protecting the Great Lakes.
In her first trip to Canada since becoming the U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton met with Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon on Saturday to announce the reopening of the Great Lakes agreement, which was created in 1972 and last amended 22 years ago. The move is being cheered by environmentalists and politicians who say the Great Lakes agreement is in desperate need of an overhaul to deal with growing and new threats such as invasive species and climate change.
Read the full story at link.
-------------------------------------------------------
Invasive plants on the way out at Fort Hill
EASTHAM, MASS. - Members of the National Park Service Northeast Exotic Plant Management Team arrived at Fort Hill in Eastham Wednesday for a week of working on control of exotic plant growth there. While the work is under way, said George Price, superintendent of Cape Cod National Seashore, some minor trail detours may be in effect.
“The Fort Hill areas is a significant ecological and cultural resource within the park,” Price said. “Over the past few years neighbors and visitors have seen the results of our efforts to restore this important landscape to what it once was – a native grass and shrub land with a sweeping view of Nauset Marsh. Our efforts to control non-native plans in this landscape continue.”
This special team, based at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Areas, travels around the Northeast assisting parks with exotic vegetation problems. This is the third year the team has come to Fort Hill to eradicate exotic shrubs and vines that are choking out native species and altering the normal structure and functioning of the ecosystem. The team will conduct spot applications of the herbicide Garlon 3A and Garlon 4, which affects broadleaf species and not grasses. The active ingredient in Garlon has been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as “practically nontoxic” to mammals, fish, insects and invertebrates. The team members are licensed professionals “who take extreme care in applying herbicides so that only the target foliage is coated.”
Read the article at link.
---------------------------------------------------------
Root Of The Problem: Curly Pondweed Should Be Gone By Fourth Of July
By Nick Dean, Post-Journal.com
The aquatic vegetation lining much of Chautauqua Lake's (NY) shoreline should be gone by July 4, according to officials.
Weeds to most, the water plant life presently prevalent in the lake is not Eurasian Milfoil, a weed which has been a problem in past years.
According to Rick Constantino, Chautauqua County Watershed Coordinator, the non-native weed is Curly Pondweed - an annual species which does not reach nuisance levels during the summer.
Read the story at link.
----------------------------------------------------------
"Invasive Plants in the Northeast of Asia and America: Trading Problems, Trading Solutions."
Dates: 10-12 August 2009, at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Symposium sponsored by the New England Invasive Plant Center
For more information, the symposium agenda & schedule, and to register
see: http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/default.aspx?EventID=726341
This symposium will have open sessions with invited speakers and panel discussions, plus contributed presentations and posters. One objective of the symposium is to develop potential international research collaborations of mutual interest on the broad problem of biological invasions.
The invited participants will include scientists with interests in both pure and applied research related to invasive species biology from the U.S., Japan, South Korea, China and far eastern Russia. We have also invited selected scientists and policy makers from the U.S. and Asian government agencies. If you are interested in attending the symposium, or contributing talk or poster presentation go to:
http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/default.aspx?EventID=726341
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Monday, May 18, 2009
Week of May 18, 2009
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid 2009 Volunteer Monitoring Summary for Ithaca, New York
Cornell Plantations, in partnership with the Cornell Department of Natural Resources, Finger Lakes Land Trust, Finger Lakes Native Plant Society, Cayuga Trails Club, and numerous volunteers, recently completed a monitoring campaign to detect new hemlock woolly adelgid populations in the Ithaca area.
The hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) causes nearly 100 percent mortality in the local, native eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). This invasive species has decimated hemlock populations across the eastern United States.
Over 120 volunteers attended three seminars where they were trained to identify and report new infestations. With the support of the newly trained volunteers, conservation partners, and 28 adjoining private property owners, Plantations’ Natural Areas Program coordinated volunteer surveys in nine surrounding hemlock forest natural areas in proximity to previously known hemlock woolly adelgid occurrences. In total, volunteers spent nearly 250 hours and surveyed 568 acres. Volunteers also logged their survey locations and findings on the New York Invasive Species Research Institute database to share this valuable information with other conservation agencies and scientists.
The good news resulting from the surveys is that hemlock woolly adelgids do not appear to be widely established within local hemlock forests at present. One new light infestation was documented within Plantations’ Edwards Lake Cliffs Natural Area, bringing the total number of infested sites around Cayuga, Seneca, and Keuka Lakes to 23. To view a map of the currently known populations within the central Finger Lakes region, visit here
Todd Bittner
Natural Areas Director
Cornell Plantations
Ithaca, NY
Photo: Mark McClure
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New York’s Emerald Ash Borer Survey Orientation
2009 General Training
May 26th, 2009 at Ray Brook
DEC Office
1115 Rt 86
Ray Brook, NY 12977
May 28th, 2009 at USDA office in Ellicottville
8 Martha St
PO Box 776
Ellicottville, NY 14731-0776
9:00 AM to end of day.
All participants welcome.
It’s recommended that you bring your own bag lunch. Lunch options are limited at these locations.
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2009 Request for Proposals: Pulling Together Initiative
The Pulling Together Initiative seeks proposals that will help control invasive plant species, mostly through the work of public/private partnerships such as Cooperative Weed Management Areas. PTI applications are accepted from private non-profit (501)(c) organizations, local, county, and state government agencies, and from field staff of federal government agencies. Individuals and for-profit businesses are not eligible to receive PTI grants, but are encouraged to work with eligible applicants to develop and submit applications to PTI.
Application deadline: June 30, 2009
For more information, please visit our web site www.nfwf.org/pti.
Ellen G. Gabel
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
1133 Fifteenth St., NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
202-857-0166 (main)
202-857-0162 (fax)
ellen.gabel@nfwf.org
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Bill aims to keep Everglades free of exotic pets
By Leslie Clark and Curtis Morgan
The Miami Herald
Water managers dispatched two experts to Washington, D.C., recently to back a controversial congressional bill targeting an Everglades problem that seems to get bigger every year.
The latest, largest evidence emerged last week: A Burmese python stretching 16 ½ feet, the longest yet of hundreds, perhaps thousands of the exotic constrictors the South Florida Water Management District has pulled off its lands and levees in the past few years.
More sobering: The female, found on the L-67 levee south of Tamiami Trail, was pregnant, carrying a clutch of 59 eggs – more proof the giant snakes are breeding in the wild.
"These are not little snakes running around. These are massive, dangerous animals," said district spokesman Randy Smith.
But at its first hearing in April, the bill ran into what a cosponsor quipped was a "hornet's nest of opposition" from pet owners, breeders, hobbyists and pet stores. They expressed outrage to lawmakers in telephone calls, e-mails and YouTube videos – including one titled Pets in Peril, Politicians Gone Wild – arguing that the legislation would bar the ownership of anything more exotic than a Doberman or a Siamese cat.
"One-third of our nation has nonnative species as pets, and apart from dogs, cats and goldfish, which are exempt [in the bill], virtually every species in those homes falls under" the legislation, said Marshall Meyers, chief executive officer of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. The board of directors of the trade group – which comprises pet retailers, wholesalers and hobbyists – spans the spectrum from executives with retail giants Petsmart and PETCO to the owner of the Gourmet Rodent in Jonesville, Fla.
The bill, warned Meyers in a "pet alert" summoning pet owners to action, "could shut down major segments of the pet industry virtually overnight."
To read the complete article, visit http://www.miamiherald.com./
Photo of Dr. Skip Snow courtesy Everglades National Park.
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Beware of the slime
By Blaise Schweitzer, Daily Freeman staff
Anglers, flyfishers, trout aficionados and fishery officials of all stripes are following the path of the invasive rock snot alga, also known as the didymo alga.
Not native to this area, the alga can spread and devastate recreational fishing — costing a region jobs and robbing fishermen (and women) of the joy of catching aquatic bounty.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer scored some raised eyebrows when he went public in April with his plan to ask the U.S. Senate for $15 million to protect area streams from the worst of the alga species, the aforementioned didymo.
The money would go toward the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via the Interior-Environment Appropriation Subcommittee, to be distributed toward public relations, set up washing stations and hire inspectors to stop boaters from bringing the alga into non-contaminated waters.
Even the form of the word algae or alga gets people arguing. Steve Sanford, the head of the invasive species arm of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said people look at him like he’s silly, when he uses the singular form alga, when referring to the didymo alone. “Or pretentious,” he continued, “and they might be right on both counts.”
The public perception of him for his use of alga or algae — for references to multiple species at the same time — is less important to him than that the public get the message and apply it to their fishing habits.
That’s because much of the solution lies in the hands, (and boots, bilges and props) of boaters and anglers. All it takes is one infected pair of waders or a dirty kayak to carry didymo alga to an uninfected stream and before long that stream may be all-but-useless to future generations of flyfishers and the like.
Sanford said the length of time it may take for the alga to ruin a waterway for fishing could vary based on a plethora of factors.“We don’t really know what its impact on New York waters will be or if all New York waters will react the same way because the chemistry and temperature and flow regimes in each of these waters is unique,” Sanford said. “Ecosystems are so complex that it’s really very difficult to predict with any accuracy what the impact is going to be.”
One of the paths of transmission for the didymo is through the felt bottoms many anglers attach to the soles of their waders or fishing boots. The felt gives good traction when confronted by the slippery “rock snot” but it also picks up the alga itself.
Unless the anglers — and others who move between area streams and creeks — are very careful as they move around the region, more waterways will become infected.
For anglers, that means washing the felt soles and/or replacing them with fresh ones after washing the boot bottoms. If they don’t go through the routine, the next stream may well be infected. New waders without felt soles are available. But as Leslie Surprenant, an invasive species specialist for New York State pointed out, “Waders are not cheap.”
Having said that, she is fairly certain a wholesale change in required equipment will not occur. “I don’t think we’re going to see New York State ban felt-soled waders.”
Area businesses will wake up to the problem, Sanford said, if those who use inner tubes or rent canoes or kayaks leave the area because the “rock snot” is unpleasant to be around.
“If it gets really bad to where people don’t want to use these waters any more, that’s a significant (economic) impact, usually at the local level,” Sanford said.
Read the full story at link
Photo of didymo by Tim Daley, New York City Department of Enviromental Protection
---------------------------------------------------------
Pest Alert: An Orchid Mealybug, Pseudococcus dendrobiorum
University of Florida Insect Diagnostician Lyle Buss submitted this NEW HEMISPHERE and NEW CONTINENTAL US RECORD on April 2, 2009 to the Division of Plant Industry. The initial collection of this specimen was made by a University of Florida researcher on March 27, 2009 on a Phalaenopsis orchid (Phalaenopsis species).
Lyle Buss, ljbuss@ufl.edu, Senior Biologist Scientist Entomology & Nematology Insect Diagnostics Internship, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science
Link
----------------------------------------------------------
Deeply Divided Panel Backs Eradication of Mute Swans
By Ashley Halsey III, Washington Post Staff Writer
Maryland's majestic white mute swans have dwindled in number from 4,000 to just a few hundred, and a sharply divided state panel recommended yesterday that the invasive species be eliminated to preserve wetlands and endangered native birds.
"The mute swan is an environmental hazard to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem," according to recommendations sent to John R. Griffin, secretary of the Department of Natural Resources. "The mute swan is one of the world's most aggressive species of waterfowl."
The report, from an advisory committee appointed by Griffin, said that the mute swans pose a "formidable threat" to native wildlife species and "feed aggressively" on fragile submerged grasses and that efforts to kill the remaining swans, estimated to number 500, should continue.
"Ending lethal control would lead to rapid population growth that would ultimately mean that more mute swans would have to be killed to maintain a population level of 500 swans," the report said. "We believe that it is very important for this population-reduction effort to continue to reduce the mute swan population to as low a level as can be achieved."
[...]
The animal rights advocates defended the animals as an "engaging and captivating part of the Chesapeake Bay."
"The callous and brutal treatment that these magnificent swans receive at the hands of the Maryland DNR is simply appalling," the Humane Society of the United States said in a letter to Griffin. The organization said the birds are shot or their necks are broken by DNR employees.
Read the full story at link.
--------------------------------------------------------
Bear Swamp (NY) honeysuckle pull on May 30th
Come be a part of the Adopt a Natural Resource Agreement by helping to pull invasive honeysuckle bushes from Bear Swamp State Forest.
*Gloves and Tools Will Be Provided*
When: Saturday, May 30th @ 9:00am
Where: Colonial Lodge, Rt. 41a & Hartnett Rd Intersection, Sempronius, NY
Contact: Brendan Murphy, bfmurphy@syr.edu, 914-263-3976
*Please RSVP by Thursday, May 28th*
--------------------------------------------------------
Plant sale to benefit Long Island Native Grass Initiative
There will be a Native Plant Sale to benefit the Long Island Native Grass Initiative (LINGI) on Friday, June 12, Saturday, June 13, Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Suffolk County Community College Eastern Campus Greenhouse in Riverhead, NY.
The species currently available for sale include Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), Little Bluestem (Schizachryium scoparium), Big Blue Stem (Andropogon gerardii), Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), Purple Top (Tridens flavus) and various forbs.
For further information on the plant sale, contact Polly Weigand, coordinator and soil district technician for the Suffolk County Soil and Water Conservation District at 631-727-2315, ext. 3, or at Polly.Weigand(at)suffolkcountyny.gov.
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Lack of NY state funding doesn't stop phragmites removal project
By Erin Schultz, The Suffolk Times
If you live around Marion Lake (Suffolk County, NY), you've probably seen them before -- those tall green reeds that routinely spread around the small inland lake.
Although cut down last fall, stalks of young phragmites are yet again proliferating in the lake and threatening its delicate ecosystem.
But not to worry. Lori Luscher -- founder of the Marion Lake Restoration Committee -- is taking matters into her own hands, promising to rid the lake of the reeds with or without the promised $60,000 government grant to help fund the phragmites eradication project's crucial second phase.
Ms. Luscher tried for years to obtain proper permits and a $100,000 matching grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to remove the phragmites -- invasive plants that have been suffocating the five-acre lake for over a decade.
The part-time East Marion resident of 30 years also organized fundraisers and has been able to collect over $80,000 to match the DEC.
Due to a state-wide funding freeze earlier this year, the DEC put the matching funds on hold. But earlier this week, Ms. Luscher said she found out from government officials that the grant money is coming soon -- she just doesn't know when.
"We're in the top ten," she said. "It's just been held up."
She added that members of the Group for the East End are talking about lending the restoration committee the $30,000 it will take just to cut the stalks for phase two of the eradication project, which also includes hand-applying an environmentally friendly chemical to each stalk.
Read the full story at link.
Photo by Peter Blasl. Jack Luscher chops at phragmites around Marion Lake last Saturday as fellow East Marion residents watch.
---------------------------------------------------------
Cornell Plantations, in partnership with the Cornell Department of Natural Resources, Finger Lakes Land Trust, Finger Lakes Native Plant Society, Cayuga Trails Club, and numerous volunteers, recently completed a monitoring campaign to detect new hemlock woolly adelgid populations in the Ithaca area.
The hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) causes nearly 100 percent mortality in the local, native eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). This invasive species has decimated hemlock populations across the eastern United States.Over 120 volunteers attended three seminars where they were trained to identify and report new infestations. With the support of the newly trained volunteers, conservation partners, and 28 adjoining private property owners, Plantations’ Natural Areas Program coordinated volunteer surveys in nine surrounding hemlock forest natural areas in proximity to previously known hemlock woolly adelgid occurrences. In total, volunteers spent nearly 250 hours and surveyed 568 acres. Volunteers also logged their survey locations and findings on the New York Invasive Species Research Institute database to share this valuable information with other conservation agencies and scientists.
The good news resulting from the surveys is that hemlock woolly adelgids do not appear to be widely established within local hemlock forests at present. One new light infestation was documented within Plantations’ Edwards Lake Cliffs Natural Area, bringing the total number of infested sites around Cayuga, Seneca, and Keuka Lakes to 23. To view a map of the currently known populations within the central Finger Lakes region, visit here
Todd Bittner
Natural Areas Director
Cornell Plantations
Ithaca, NY
Photo: Mark McClure
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New York’s Emerald Ash Borer Survey Orientation
2009 General Training
May 26th, 2009 at Ray Brook
DEC Office
1115 Rt 86
Ray Brook, NY 12977
May 28th, 2009 at USDA office in Ellicottville
8 Martha St
PO Box 776
Ellicottville, NY 14731-0776
9:00 AM to end of day.
All participants welcome.
It’s recommended that you bring your own bag lunch. Lunch options are limited at these locations.
---------------------------------------------------------
2009 Request for Proposals: Pulling Together Initiative
The Pulling Together Initiative seeks proposals that will help control invasive plant species, mostly through the work of public/private partnerships such as Cooperative Weed Management Areas. PTI applications are accepted from private non-profit (501)(c) organizations, local, county, and state government agencies, and from field staff of federal government agencies. Individuals and for-profit businesses are not eligible to receive PTI grants, but are encouraged to work with eligible applicants to develop and submit applications to PTI.
Application deadline: June 30, 2009
For more information, please visit our web site www.nfwf.org/pti.
Ellen G. Gabel
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
1133 Fifteenth St., NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
202-857-0166 (main)
202-857-0162 (fax)
ellen.gabel@nfwf.org
--------------------------------------------------------
Bill aims to keep Everglades free of exotic pets
By Leslie Clark and Curtis Morgan
The Miami Herald
Water managers dispatched two experts to Washington, D.C., recently to back a controversial congressional bill targeting an Everglades problem that seems to get bigger every year.The latest, largest evidence emerged last week: A Burmese python stretching 16 ½ feet, the longest yet of hundreds, perhaps thousands of the exotic constrictors the South Florida Water Management District has pulled off its lands and levees in the past few years.
More sobering: The female, found on the L-67 levee south of Tamiami Trail, was pregnant, carrying a clutch of 59 eggs – more proof the giant snakes are breeding in the wild.
"These are not little snakes running around. These are massive, dangerous animals," said district spokesman Randy Smith.
But at its first hearing in April, the bill ran into what a cosponsor quipped was a "hornet's nest of opposition" from pet owners, breeders, hobbyists and pet stores. They expressed outrage to lawmakers in telephone calls, e-mails and YouTube videos – including one titled Pets in Peril, Politicians Gone Wild – arguing that the legislation would bar the ownership of anything more exotic than a Doberman or a Siamese cat.
"One-third of our nation has nonnative species as pets, and apart from dogs, cats and goldfish, which are exempt [in the bill], virtually every species in those homes falls under" the legislation, said Marshall Meyers, chief executive officer of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. The board of directors of the trade group – which comprises pet retailers, wholesalers and hobbyists – spans the spectrum from executives with retail giants Petsmart and PETCO to the owner of the Gourmet Rodent in Jonesville, Fla.
The bill, warned Meyers in a "pet alert" summoning pet owners to action, "could shut down major segments of the pet industry virtually overnight."
To read the complete article, visit http://www.miamiherald.com./
Photo of Dr. Skip Snow courtesy Everglades National Park.
--------------------------------------------------------
Beware of the slime
By Blaise Schweitzer, Daily Freeman staff
Anglers, flyfishers, trout aficionados and fishery officials of all stripes are following the path of the invasive rock snot alga, also known as the didymo alga.
Not native to this area, the alga can spread and devastate recreational fishing — costing a region jobs and robbing fishermen (and women) of the joy of catching aquatic bounty.U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer scored some raised eyebrows when he went public in April with his plan to ask the U.S. Senate for $15 million to protect area streams from the worst of the alga species, the aforementioned didymo.
The money would go toward the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via the Interior-Environment Appropriation Subcommittee, to be distributed toward public relations, set up washing stations and hire inspectors to stop boaters from bringing the alga into non-contaminated waters.
Even the form of the word algae or alga gets people arguing. Steve Sanford, the head of the invasive species arm of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, said people look at him like he’s silly, when he uses the singular form alga, when referring to the didymo alone. “Or pretentious,” he continued, “and they might be right on both counts.”
The public perception of him for his use of alga or algae — for references to multiple species at the same time — is less important to him than that the public get the message and apply it to their fishing habits.
That’s because much of the solution lies in the hands, (and boots, bilges and props) of boaters and anglers. All it takes is one infected pair of waders or a dirty kayak to carry didymo alga to an uninfected stream and before long that stream may be all-but-useless to future generations of flyfishers and the like.
Sanford said the length of time it may take for the alga to ruin a waterway for fishing could vary based on a plethora of factors.“We don’t really know what its impact on New York waters will be or if all New York waters will react the same way because the chemistry and temperature and flow regimes in each of these waters is unique,” Sanford said. “Ecosystems are so complex that it’s really very difficult to predict with any accuracy what the impact is going to be.”
One of the paths of transmission for the didymo is through the felt bottoms many anglers attach to the soles of their waders or fishing boots. The felt gives good traction when confronted by the slippery “rock snot” but it also picks up the alga itself.
Unless the anglers — and others who move between area streams and creeks — are very careful as they move around the region, more waterways will become infected.
For anglers, that means washing the felt soles and/or replacing them with fresh ones after washing the boot bottoms. If they don’t go through the routine, the next stream may well be infected. New waders without felt soles are available. But as Leslie Surprenant, an invasive species specialist for New York State pointed out, “Waders are not cheap.”
Having said that, she is fairly certain a wholesale change in required equipment will not occur. “I don’t think we’re going to see New York State ban felt-soled waders.”
Area businesses will wake up to the problem, Sanford said, if those who use inner tubes or rent canoes or kayaks leave the area because the “rock snot” is unpleasant to be around.
“If it gets really bad to where people don’t want to use these waters any more, that’s a significant (economic) impact, usually at the local level,” Sanford said.
Read the full story at link
Photo of didymo by Tim Daley, New York City Department of Enviromental Protection
---------------------------------------------------------
Pest Alert: An Orchid Mealybug, Pseudococcus dendrobiorum
University of Florida Insect Diagnostician Lyle Buss submitted this NEW HEMISPHERE and NEW CONTINENTAL US RECORD on April 2, 2009 to the Division of Plant Industry. The initial collection of this specimen was made by a University of Florida researcher on March 27, 2009 on a Phalaenopsis orchid (Phalaenopsis species).
Lyle Buss, ljbuss@ufl.edu, Senior Biologist Scientist Entomology & Nematology Insect Diagnostics Internship, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science
Link
----------------------------------------------------------
Deeply Divided Panel Backs Eradication of Mute Swans
By Ashley Halsey III, Washington Post Staff Writer
Maryland's majestic white mute swans have dwindled in number from 4,000 to just a few hundred, and a sharply divided state panel recommended yesterday that the invasive species be eliminated to preserve wetlands and endangered native birds.
"The mute swan is an environmental hazard to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem," according to recommendations sent to John R. Griffin, secretary of the Department of Natural Resources. "The mute swan is one of the world's most aggressive species of waterfowl."
The report, from an advisory committee appointed by Griffin, said that the mute swans pose a "formidable threat" to native wildlife species and "feed aggressively" on fragile submerged grasses and that efforts to kill the remaining swans, estimated to number 500, should continue.
"Ending lethal control would lead to rapid population growth that would ultimately mean that more mute swans would have to be killed to maintain a population level of 500 swans," the report said. "We believe that it is very important for this population-reduction effort to continue to reduce the mute swan population to as low a level as can be achieved."
[...]
The animal rights advocates defended the animals as an "engaging and captivating part of the Chesapeake Bay."
"The callous and brutal treatment that these magnificent swans receive at the hands of the Maryland DNR is simply appalling," the Humane Society of the United States said in a letter to Griffin. The organization said the birds are shot or their necks are broken by DNR employees.
Read the full story at link.
--------------------------------------------------------
Bear Swamp (NY) honeysuckle pull on May 30th
Come be a part of the Adopt a Natural Resource Agreement by helping to pull invasive honeysuckle bushes from Bear Swamp State Forest.
*Gloves and Tools Will Be Provided*
When: Saturday, May 30th @ 9:00am
Where: Colonial Lodge, Rt. 41a & Hartnett Rd Intersection, Sempronius, NY
Contact: Brendan Murphy, bfmurphy@syr.edu, 914-263-3976
*Please RSVP by Thursday, May 28th*
--------------------------------------------------------
Plant sale to benefit Long Island Native Grass Initiative
There will be a Native Plant Sale to benefit the Long Island Native Grass Initiative (LINGI) on Friday, June 12, Saturday, June 13, Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Suffolk County Community College Eastern Campus Greenhouse in Riverhead, NY.
The species currently available for sale include Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), Little Bluestem (Schizachryium scoparium), Big Blue Stem (Andropogon gerardii), Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), Purple Top (Tridens flavus) and various forbs.
For further information on the plant sale, contact Polly Weigand, coordinator and soil district technician for the Suffolk County Soil and Water Conservation District at 631-727-2315, ext. 3, or at Polly.Weigand(at)suffolkcountyny.gov.
--------------------------------------------------------
Lack of NY state funding doesn't stop phragmites removal project
By Erin Schultz, The Suffolk Times
If you live around Marion Lake (Suffolk County, NY), you've probably seen them before -- those tall green reeds that routinely spread around the small inland lake.Although cut down last fall, stalks of young phragmites are yet again proliferating in the lake and threatening its delicate ecosystem.
But not to worry. Lori Luscher -- founder of the Marion Lake Restoration Committee -- is taking matters into her own hands, promising to rid the lake of the reeds with or without the promised $60,000 government grant to help fund the phragmites eradication project's crucial second phase.
Ms. Luscher tried for years to obtain proper permits and a $100,000 matching grant from the state Department of Environmental Conservation to remove the phragmites -- invasive plants that have been suffocating the five-acre lake for over a decade.
The part-time East Marion resident of 30 years also organized fundraisers and has been able to collect over $80,000 to match the DEC.
Due to a state-wide funding freeze earlier this year, the DEC put the matching funds on hold. But earlier this week, Ms. Luscher said she found out from government officials that the grant money is coming soon -- she just doesn't know when.
"We're in the top ten," she said. "It's just been held up."
She added that members of the Group for the East End are talking about lending the restoration committee the $30,000 it will take just to cut the stalks for phase two of the eradication project, which also includes hand-applying an environmentally friendly chemical to each stalk.
Read the full story at link.
Photo by Peter Blasl. Jack Luscher chops at phragmites around Marion Lake last Saturday as fellow East Marion residents watch.
---------------------------------------------------------
Monday, April 27, 2009
Week of April 27, 2009
Updated May 1
---------------------------------------------------------
NYSDEC confirms presence of didymo in Esopus Creek
Aquatic Algae Discovered in Popular Recreational Waterway
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced that didymo, an invasive species, has been confirmed in the Esopus Creek in Ulster County.
This is the first known presence of this aquatic algae, also called “rock snot,” in the Esopus and the third confirmed location in New York State. The Esopus is a popular recreational waterway for fishing, kayaking and tubing, and is a drinking water source for New York City.
DEC collected samples and confirmed the presence of didymo in the vicinity of several public access sites along a 12-mile stretch of the Esopus from the “Shandaken Portal” (which transfers water to the Esopus from Schoharie Reservoir) to New York City’s Ashokan Reservoir.
Didymo Impact
Unlike many other aquatic invasive plants, didymo (Didymosphenia geminata) grows on the bottom of both flowing and still waters. It is characterized by the development of thick, gooey mat-like growths – which can last for months – even in fast flowing streams. In addition to making footing difficult, didymo can impede fishing by limiting the abundance of bottom dwelling organisms that trout and other species of fish feed on.
There are currently no known methods for controlling or eradicating didymo once it infests a water body.
Didymo mats look like brown or white fiberglass insulation or tissue paper (photo at: www.dec.ny.gov/animals/50272.html). While didymo appears slimy and stringy, it feels rough and fibrous, similar to wet wool and does not fall apart when handled.
Previously, didymo had been confirmed in the Batten Kill in Washington County near the Vermont border and in the East and West branches of the Delaware River. [...]
Water recreationists are urged to use the “Check, Clean and Dry” method to limit the spread of invasive species.
Check - Before leaving a river, stream or pond, remove all obvious traces of algae and look for hidden clumps and leave them at the affected site. If any is found later, it should be disposed of in trash receptacles, not washed down drains.
Clean - Treatment varies. The solution needs to completely penetrate thick, absorbent items such as felt-soled waders and wading boots.
For non-absorbent items, try these methods:
-- Detergent or salt: Soak or spray all surfaces for at least one minute in a 5% solution (by volume) of dishwashing detergent or salt (7 ounces of detergent or salt added to a gallon of water).
-- Bleach: Soak or spray all surfaces for at least one minute in a 2% solution (by volume) of household bleach (3 ounces of bleach per gallon of water).
-- Hot water: Soak for at least one minute in very hot water (140 degrees F – hotter than most tap water) or for at least 20 minutes in water kept at 115 degrees F (uncomfortable to touch).
For absorbent items, longer soaking times are required. Use these methods:
-- Hot water: Soak for at least 40 minutes in water kept above 115 degrees F.
-- Hot water plus detergent: Soak for 30 minutes in hot water kept above 115 degrees F, containing 5% dishwashing detergent.
Dry – If cleaning is not practical, after the item is completely dry to the touch, wait an additional 48 hours before contact or use in any new waterway. Check thick, absorbent items closely to assure that they are dry throughout. Equipment and gear can also be placed in a freezer until all moisture is frozen solid.
NOTE: If cleaning, drying or freezing is not practical, restrict equipment use to a single water body. DEC encourages anglers to consider alternatives to felt-soled waders such as rubber studded boots.
ALSO, it is especially important that any gear used out of state be treated before use in New York waters.
--------------------------------------------------------
Filming new Forest Service invasives video in Florida
The United States Forest Service would like to film a video this summer (July/August) in Florida that focuses on invasives and recreation. The video's intent is to showcase invasive species that impact recreational activities and make a connection to what recreationist can do to prevent the spread of invasives and aid in prevention/control (EDRR, mapping, monitoring, vehicle washing, gear cleaning, etc).
The USFS has already produced a video that focuses on invasive species and hunting/fishing.
http://www.fs.fed.us/invasivespecies/prevention/defending.shtml.
This video intends to cover other recreational activities such as :
Hiking and camping, rock climbing, caving, watchable wildlfie recreation, horseback riding, off highway vehicles, water sports etc.
We are looking for good filming locations and individuals that we can interview (non-governmental if possible) to better connect with the audience. Folks who are actually connected with the recreational activity (trail riders, hikers who kill weeds etc.). We are looking for a wide
diversity of issues (plant, animals, terrestrial, aquatic), recreational activities and ethnically and culturally diverse interviewees.
All videos made will be available for future work and can be shared (free) with participating organizations ( videos will all be in High Definition video and sound.)
I am assisting in coordinating this effort so please send me any suggestions you may have.
thanks
Tony Pernas, Coordinator
National Park Service
Biological Resources Management Division Florida/Caribbean Exotic Plant Management Team
18001 Old Cutler Road, Suite 419
Palmetto Bay, Fl 33157-6422
Phone: (786) 249-0073
Fax: (305) 253-0463
-------------------------------------------------------
Capital Mohawk PRISM meeting
The next meeting of the Capital Mohawk PRISM will be held at NYS Dept of Ag and Markets on May 15 at noon.
Peg Sauer
-------------------------------------------------------
Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program earns top EPA award, gears up for field season
Keene Valley, NY — April 30, 2009 — The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) was one of 26 projects across New York state to receive the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s highest honor: the Environmental Quality Award. The award ceremony was held last week in Manhattan in conjunction with Earth Day.
“These exemplary environmental stewards have gone above and beyond for environmental change in local communities across New York,” said EPA Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou.
Founded in 1998 and housed by The Nature Conservancy in Keene Valley, APIPP is leading the charge to protect Adirondack natural resources from the damaging effects of invasive species by engaging partners and finding solutions through a coordinated, strategic, and integrated regional approach. Unlike many places, the opportunity exists in the Adirondacks to hold the line against invasive species and prevent them from wreaking havoc on natural resources and economic vitality.
Read the full story at Link
Photo © The Nature Conservancy
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People in the news: He len Hamilton
He len Manilton, president of the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, has been recognized as an "Armed and Dangerous: Destroying Virginia's Invasive Species with Volunteers" award winner by the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Hamilton was recognized for her work in protecting native Virginia plant species from invasive species. Link
---------------------------------------------------------
Carnivorous lionfish threaten eastern habitats
by Emily Coakley
Overfishing usually hurts underwater ecosystems, but researchers are hoping it can control an invasive species that is wreaking havoc off the East Coast of the United States.
The fish are reproducing "at a pace unlike anything scientists have ever seen from an invasive fish species in this part of the world," reports the Raleigh News & Observer.
"They’re eating everything. They could wipe out entire reefs," Lisa Mitchell told the N&O. She leads the Florida-based nonprofit Reef Environmental Education Foundation, which is working with Caribbean islands on the lionfish issue.
Read the full story at Link
--------------------------------------------------------
Bat mortality rate catastrophic
By: Ryan Burgess, CapitalNews9.com
CHESTER, Mass - "That's spreading really quick," said Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program Director Tom French.
He's studying a fast spreading disease that's killing thousands of bats in the northeast. It's called White-Nose Syndrome and experts still don't fully understand it.
Chester mine in Hampden County use to house 10,000 bats. But in just two winters, all but 100 are dead.
"I think in the past two winters, we've lost a half a million bats in New England and New York," said French.
Read the full story at Link
--------------------------------------------------------
Invasive species in Western New York: the battle continues
From the New York Flora Association Blog
Eighteen enthusiastic volunteers from SUNY-Fredonia and the Nature Sanctuary Society of Western New York visited the Alexander Preserve in Zoar Valley on April 25th to remove several invasive species within the Preserve in honor of Earth Week. Target species of choice for removal were daylily and bush honeysuckle. Link
----------------------------------------------------------
Air pollution, invasive species threaten Smokies environment
---------------------------------------------------------
NYSDEC confirms presence of didymo in Esopus Creek
Aquatic Algae Discovered in Popular Recreational Waterway
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis today announced that didymo, an invasive species, has been confirmed in the Esopus Creek in Ulster County.This is the first known presence of this aquatic algae, also called “rock snot,” in the Esopus and the third confirmed location in New York State. The Esopus is a popular recreational waterway for fishing, kayaking and tubing, and is a drinking water source for New York City.
DEC collected samples and confirmed the presence of didymo in the vicinity of several public access sites along a 12-mile stretch of the Esopus from the “Shandaken Portal” (which transfers water to the Esopus from Schoharie Reservoir) to New York City’s Ashokan Reservoir.
Didymo Impact
Unlike many other aquatic invasive plants, didymo (Didymosphenia geminata) grows on the bottom of both flowing and still waters. It is characterized by the development of thick, gooey mat-like growths – which can last for months – even in fast flowing streams. In addition to making footing difficult, didymo can impede fishing by limiting the abundance of bottom dwelling organisms that trout and other species of fish feed on.
There are currently no known methods for controlling or eradicating didymo once it infests a water body.
Didymo mats look like brown or white fiberglass insulation or tissue paper (photo at: www.dec.ny.gov/animals/50272.html). While didymo appears slimy and stringy, it feels rough and fibrous, similar to wet wool and does not fall apart when handled.
Previously, didymo had been confirmed in the Batten Kill in Washington County near the Vermont border and in the East and West branches of the Delaware River. [...]
Water recreationists are urged to use the “Check, Clean and Dry” method to limit the spread of invasive species.
Check - Before leaving a river, stream or pond, remove all obvious traces of algae and look for hidden clumps and leave them at the affected site. If any is found later, it should be disposed of in trash receptacles, not washed down drains.
Clean - Treatment varies. The solution needs to completely penetrate thick, absorbent items such as felt-soled waders and wading boots.
For non-absorbent items, try these methods:
-- Detergent or salt: Soak or spray all surfaces for at least one minute in a 5% solution (by volume) of dishwashing detergent or salt (7 ounces of detergent or salt added to a gallon of water).
-- Bleach: Soak or spray all surfaces for at least one minute in a 2% solution (by volume) of household bleach (3 ounces of bleach per gallon of water).
-- Hot water: Soak for at least one minute in very hot water (140 degrees F – hotter than most tap water) or for at least 20 minutes in water kept at 115 degrees F (uncomfortable to touch).
For absorbent items, longer soaking times are required. Use these methods:
-- Hot water: Soak for at least 40 minutes in water kept above 115 degrees F.
-- Hot water plus detergent: Soak for 30 minutes in hot water kept above 115 degrees F, containing 5% dishwashing detergent.
Dry – If cleaning is not practical, after the item is completely dry to the touch, wait an additional 48 hours before contact or use in any new waterway. Check thick, absorbent items closely to assure that they are dry throughout. Equipment and gear can also be placed in a freezer until all moisture is frozen solid.
NOTE: If cleaning, drying or freezing is not practical, restrict equipment use to a single water body. DEC encourages anglers to consider alternatives to felt-soled waders such as rubber studded boots.
ALSO, it is especially important that any gear used out of state be treated before use in New York waters.
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Filming new Forest Service invasives video in Florida
The United States Forest Service would like to film a video this summer (July/August) in Florida that focuses on invasives and recreation. The video's intent is to showcase invasive species that impact recreational activities and make a connection to what recreationist can do to prevent the spread of invasives and aid in prevention/control (EDRR, mapping, monitoring, vehicle washing, gear cleaning, etc).
The USFS has already produced a video that focuses on invasive species and hunting/fishing.http://www.fs.fed.us/invasivespecies/prevention/defending.shtml.
This video intends to cover other recreational activities such as :
Hiking and camping, rock climbing, caving, watchable wildlfie recreation, horseback riding, off highway vehicles, water sports etc.
We are looking for good filming locations and individuals that we can interview (non-governmental if possible) to better connect with the audience. Folks who are actually connected with the recreational activity (trail riders, hikers who kill weeds etc.). We are looking for a wide
diversity of issues (plant, animals, terrestrial, aquatic), recreational activities and ethnically and culturally diverse interviewees.
All videos made will be available for future work and can be shared (free) with participating organizations ( videos will all be in High Definition video and sound.)
I am assisting in coordinating this effort so please send me any suggestions you may have.
thanks
Tony Pernas, Coordinator
National Park Service
Biological Resources Management Division Florida/Caribbean Exotic Plant Management Team
18001 Old Cutler Road, Suite 419
Palmetto Bay, Fl 33157-6422
Phone: (786) 249-0073
Fax: (305) 253-0463
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Capital Mohawk PRISM meeting
The next meeting of the Capital Mohawk PRISM will be held at NYS Dept of Ag and Markets on May 15 at noon.
Peg Sauer
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Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program earns top EPA award, gears up for field season
Keene Valley, NY — April 30, 2009 — The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) was one of 26 projects across New York state to receive the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s highest honor: the Environmental Quality Award. The award ceremony was held last week in Manhattan in conjunction with Earth Day.
“These exemplary environmental stewards have gone above and beyond for environmental change in local communities across New York,” said EPA Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou.
Founded in 1998 and housed by The Nature Conservancy in Keene Valley, APIPP is leading the charge to protect Adirondack natural resources from the damaging effects of invasive species by engaging partners and finding solutions through a coordinated, strategic, and integrated regional approach. Unlike many places, the opportunity exists in the Adirondacks to hold the line against invasive species and prevent them from wreaking havoc on natural resources and economic vitality.Read the full story at Link
Photo © The Nature Conservancy
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People in the news: He len Hamilton
He len Manilton, president of the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, has been recognized as an "Armed and Dangerous: Destroying Virginia's Invasive Species with Volunteers" award winner by the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Hamilton was recognized for her work in protecting native Virginia plant species from invasive species. Link
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Carnivorous lionfish threaten eastern habitats
by Emily Coakley
Overfishing usually hurts underwater ecosystems, but researchers are hoping it can control an invasive species that is wreaking havoc off the East Coast of the United States.
The fish are reproducing "at a pace unlike anything scientists have ever seen from an invasive fish species in this part of the world," reports the Raleigh News & Observer.
"They’re eating everything. They could wipe out entire reefs," Lisa Mitchell told the N&O. She leads the Florida-based nonprofit Reef Environmental Education Foundation, which is working with Caribbean islands on the lionfish issue.
Read the full story at Link
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Bat mortality rate catastrophic
By: Ryan Burgess, CapitalNews9.com
CHESTER, Mass - "That's spreading really quick," said Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program Director Tom French.He's studying a fast spreading disease that's killing thousands of bats in the northeast. It's called White-Nose Syndrome and experts still don't fully understand it.
Chester mine in Hampden County use to house 10,000 bats. But in just two winters, all but 100 are dead.
"I think in the past two winters, we've lost a half a million bats in New England and New York," said French.
Read the full story at Link
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Invasive species in Western New York: the battle continues
From the New York Flora Association Blog
Eighteen enthusiastic volunteers from SUNY-Fredonia and the Nature Sanctuary Society of Western New York visited the Alexander Preserve in Zoar Valley on April 25th to remove several invasive species within the Preserve in honor of Earth Week. Target species of choice for removal were daylily and bush honeysuckle. Link
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Air pollution, invasive species threaten Smokies environment
By Nancy Bompey, Citizen-Times.com
CATALOOCHEE – Little Cataloochee Valley still holds evidence of the more than 1,200 people who once called the remote section of what is now Great Smoky Mountains National Park home.
Visitors walking through the area might see an old church, a log cabin, or a stone wall amid the thickets of multiflora rose shrubs.
Red maples and tulip poplars have overgrown old settlements like Little Cataloochee Valley since the park's creation in 1934, as has the Japanese ornamental species once planted around cabins.
A park crew now spends whole days in the valley cutting down the shrubs along with combating dozens of other nonnative species that have made their way into the park.
“We're making a lot of progress, but to say will there be a day when they will be completely gone and not an issue anymore, I don't think that day will ever come,” crew member Kristin Glover said. “There are always new exotics. It's a never-ending cycle. We have no idea what could be around the bend.”
Exotic, invasive plants are just one threat the Smokies face as it celebrates 75 years as a national park. Invasive pests like the hemlock woolly adelgid are killing trees, air pollution has changed ecosystems and altered views, and the park is preparing for the effects of climate change on native species.
[...]
Native species suffer
While air pollution may be the most widespread threat to the park, nonnative plants, pests and animals also pose a major menace to the Smokies.
These species that occur outside of their native range came to the area through the deliberate or accidental introduction by humans, and it is part of the park's mission to manipulate and eradicate them if they threaten native resources.
“A lot of people don't realize what all is affecting the park,” Linzey said. “The park has limited resources, and I think they are doing as good a job as they can with what they have.”'
One of the most destructive nonnative species has been the wild hogs that found their way into the park in the 1950s from surrounding areas. The animals' rooting and wallowing threatens many native ecological communities in the park.
Read the full story at Link
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Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Week of January 12, 2009
Updated 1/17
New York Governor slashes invasive species funding
DEC chief defends moves as careful way to trim spending
By BRIAN NEARING, staff writer, TimesUnion.com
ALBANY — State lawmakers had harsh words Tuesday for Gov. David Paterson's plan to cut $50 million from an environmental fund and slash support in areas like a zoos, solar energy, waterfront revitalization and a breast cancer registry. Programs to fight invasive species would drop from $5 million to $1.5 million.
"These changes shock and disappoint me," said Assemblyman Robert Sweeney of Suffolk County, chairman of the Assembly's Environmental Conservation Committee, during a legislative hearing on the environmental aspects of Paterson's proposed $121.1 billion budget. "This is offensive to anyone who cares about these issues."
At the hearing, DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis defended the governor's proposal as a "careful and calculated decision on where cuts could be accommodated." While saying that the fund had been scaled back to its "core mission," Grannis also admitted that the environmental fund — created in 1993 to pay for environmental projects — is the "most complicated and sensitive part of the budget."
Grannis and Parks Commissioner Carol Ash urged lawmakers to support Paterson's proposal to expand the state's bottle recycling law to cover sports drinks and other non-carbonated beverages. The governor is relying on $118 million from that switch to support the environmental fund.
State Sen. Carl Marcellino, a Suffolk County Republican who was the longtime chairman of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee until Democrats took control last week, said Paterson's changes "dismiss a decade of hard work building up this fund. Now it is swept out the door." [Note from Bill: Senator Marcellino has been a very strong leader in advancing invasive species policies in New York State.]
Marcellino also reminded Grannis of his time as a state assemblyman, when he had resisted Gov. George Pataki's efforts to divert cash from the fund into the overall budget.
"These were raids, Pete, remember?" Marcellino said. "Are we ever going to get that money back? And you are going to add more to that pile?"
Brian Nearing can be reached at 454-5094 or by email at bnearing@timesunion.com.
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Top 5 Invasive Plants Threatening Southern Forests in 2009
Asheville, NC — U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) Ecologist Jim Miller, Ph.D., one of the foremost authorities on nonnative plants in the South, today identified the invasive plant species he believes pose the biggest threats to southern forest ecosystems in 2009.
“Cogongrass, tallowtree, and Japanese climbing fern are among the fastest moving and most destructive nonnative plant species facing many southern landowners this year,” said Miller.
“Rounding out the top five invasive species that I’m very concerned about would be tree-of-heaven and nonnative privets. While our forests are besieged by numerous invasive plants, these and other nonnative species present serious financial and ecological threats to the South and its forests in 2009.” Link
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Invasive algae found in four new locations
KEITH WHITCOMB JR., Staff Writer, BenningtonBanner.com
ARLINGTON, VT. — The results of testing over the summer for an invasive species of algae have confirmed its presence in four new locations in the Vermont section of the Batten Kill, the Batten Kill Watershed Alliance announced this week.
Didymosphenia geminate, commonly called "rock snot" or didymo, is a type of algae diatom, said Leslie Matthews, an environmental scientist with the Water Quality Division of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. The single-celled organism can "bloom," creating mats of brown material on the riverbed and rocks which could possibly interfere with the life cycles of insects and fish.
The water samples that Matthews analyzed were collected by the Batten Kill Watershed Alliance using a grant from the Vermont Aquatic Nuisance Species Grant-in-Aid program. Eight sites were tested along the river and its tributaries, four of which showed the presence of didymo.
Those sites were in Manchester and Arlington along the Batten Kill itself, the West Branch River in Manchester and the Green River in Sandgate. Matthews said the didymo populations were small, by comparison to similar, native organisms found in the water. She said each sample contained between 500 and 1,000 diatoms, out of which three to four were didymo.
The alliance said the project's cost was $1,383, which included sampling equipment, paying a group of river stewards to distribute educational pamphlets, and the installation of an education kiosk in Arlington. The alliance intends to apply for another grant to fund a study in 2009 to track the algae's population. Link
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New brochure: Terrestrial Invasive Plants of the Potomac River Watershed
From the Maryland/DC office of The Nature Conservancy. Link
New York Governor slashes invasive species funding
DEC chief defends moves as careful way to trim spending
By BRIAN NEARING, staff writer, TimesUnion.com
ALBANY — State lawmakers had harsh words Tuesday for Gov. David Paterson's plan to cut $50 million from an environmental fund and slash support in areas like a zoos, solar energy, waterfront revitalization and a breast cancer registry. Programs to fight invasive species would drop from $5 million to $1.5 million.
"These changes shock and disappoint me," said Assemblyman Robert Sweeney of Suffolk County, chairman of the Assembly's Environmental Conservation Committee, during a legislative hearing on the environmental aspects of Paterson's proposed $121.1 billion budget. "This is offensive to anyone who cares about these issues."
At the hearing, DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis defended the governor's proposal as a "careful and calculated decision on where cuts could be accommodated." While saying that the fund had been scaled back to its "core mission," Grannis also admitted that the environmental fund — created in 1993 to pay for environmental projects — is the "most complicated and sensitive part of the budget."
Grannis and Parks Commissioner Carol Ash urged lawmakers to support Paterson's proposal to expand the state's bottle recycling law to cover sports drinks and other non-carbonated beverages. The governor is relying on $118 million from that switch to support the environmental fund.
State Sen. Carl Marcellino, a Suffolk County Republican who was the longtime chairman of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee until Democrats took control last week, said Paterson's changes "dismiss a decade of hard work building up this fund. Now it is swept out the door." [Note from Bill: Senator Marcellino has been a very strong leader in advancing invasive species policies in New York State.]
Marcellino also reminded Grannis of his time as a state assemblyman, when he had resisted Gov. George Pataki's efforts to divert cash from the fund into the overall budget.
"These were raids, Pete, remember?" Marcellino said. "Are we ever going to get that money back? And you are going to add more to that pile?"
Brian Nearing can be reached at 454-5094 or by email at bnearing@timesunion.com.
----------------------------------------------------------
Top 5 Invasive Plants Threatening Southern Forests in 2009
Asheville, NC — U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) Ecologist Jim Miller, Ph.D., one of the foremost authorities on nonnative plants in the South, today identified the invasive plant species he believes pose the biggest threats to southern forest ecosystems in 2009.
“Cogongrass, tallowtree, and Japanese climbing fern are among the fastest moving and most destructive nonnative plant species facing many southern landowners this year,” said Miller.
“Rounding out the top five invasive species that I’m very concerned about would be tree-of-heaven and nonnative privets. While our forests are besieged by numerous invasive plants, these and other nonnative species present serious financial and ecological threats to the South and its forests in 2009.” Link
----------------------------------------------------------
Invasive algae found in four new locations
KEITH WHITCOMB JR., Staff Writer, BenningtonBanner.com
ARLINGTON, VT. — The results of testing over the summer for an invasive species of algae have confirmed its presence in four new locations in the Vermont section of the Batten Kill, the Batten Kill Watershed Alliance announced this week.
Didymosphenia geminate, commonly called "rock snot" or didymo, is a type of algae diatom, said Leslie Matthews, an environmental scientist with the Water Quality Division of the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. The single-celled organism can "bloom," creating mats of brown material on the riverbed and rocks which could possibly interfere with the life cycles of insects and fish.
The water samples that Matthews analyzed were collected by the Batten Kill Watershed Alliance using a grant from the Vermont Aquatic Nuisance Species Grant-in-Aid program. Eight sites were tested along the river and its tributaries, four of which showed the presence of didymo.
Those sites were in Manchester and Arlington along the Batten Kill itself, the West Branch River in Manchester and the Green River in Sandgate. Matthews said the didymo populations were small, by comparison to similar, native organisms found in the water. She said each sample contained between 500 and 1,000 diatoms, out of which three to four were didymo.
The alliance said the project's cost was $1,383, which included sampling equipment, paying a group of river stewards to distribute educational pamphlets, and the installation of an education kiosk in Arlington. The alliance intends to apply for another grant to fund a study in 2009 to track the algae's population. Link
-----------------------------------------------------------
New brochure: Terrestrial Invasive Plants of the Potomac River Watershed
From the Maryland/DC office of The Nature Conservancy. Link
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