The staff and board of the North American Invasive Species Management Association review invasive species headlines each month. This helps us stay on top of trends and further our mission to support, promote, and empower invasive species prevention and management in North America. We then share invasive species news most relevant for people who manage terrestrial and aquatic invasive species across the the United States, Canada, Mexico and the world.
Prevention, Outreach and Education
Three NW Ontario Invasive Species Projects Receive Recognition
Ontario — Read on TB News Watch
The Invasive Species Centre in Sault Ste. Marie has announced the recipients of its Education and Community Action Microgrant Awards for Ontario.
New Forest Service Assessment Delivers Research on Invasive Species
United States — Read on EurekAlert!
USDA Forest Service scientists have delivered a new comprehensive assessment of the invasive species that confront America’s forests and grasslands, from new arrivals to some that invaded so long ago that people are surprised to learn they are invasive.
New Research
Improving Predictions of Range Expansion for Invasive Species Using Joint Species Distribution Models and Surrogate Co‐occurring Species
Minnesota — Read on Journal of Biogeography
Results demonstrate that modelers can take advantage of detailed community data to develop SDMs that leverage surrogate native species as phytometers of environments beyond the current area of occupancy.
Lanternfly’s Attraction to Vertical Silhouettes Could Help Monitor, Trap It
Pennsylvania — Read on Penn State News
Spotted lanternflies are visually drawn toward and seemingly captivated by vertical objects such as utility poles, a behavior that could be valuable in predicting where the pests might be heading, according to entomologists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
High and Rising Economic Costs of Biological Invasions Worldwide
Global — Read on Nature
These costs remain strongly underestimated and do not show any sign of slowing down, exhibiting a consistent threefold increase per decade.
Effects of Starvation, Age, and Mating Status on Flight Capacity of Laboratory-Reared Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)
Detection, Management and Control
Unwelcome and Tough to Evict: California’s Costly, Uphill Battle against Invasive Species
California — Read on The Mercury News
As a research team from UC Davis discovered, invasive species don’t go quietly. Nor do they react well to full-on assaults. In fact, years of digilent and costly crab removal from a Bay Area lagoon went terribly wrong, triggering an unexpected population explosion.
How is Hawaiʻi Protected from Invasive Species?
Hawai’i — Read on University of Hawai’i News
When a biocontrol is “host-specific,” when it only impacts the intended pest or weed and does not harm other species or the environment, the benefit-to-cost ratio can be between 30:1 and 300:1. This makes modern, host-specific biocontrol among the safest and most cost-effective control measures available.
Guidance on the Use of Targeted Environmental DNA (eDNA) Analysis for the Management of Aquatic Invasive Species and Species at Risk
Canada – Read on Fisheries and Oceans Canada
This document was prepared in response to a request from Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) and Species at Risk (SAR) Programs for science advice on eDNA to support decision making on aquatic species and ecosystems.
Policy and Advocacy
Oregon Invasive Species Council Publishes Threats and Opportunities Primer
Oregon — Read on Oregon Invasive Species Council
The Oregon Invasive Species Council is pleased to share Invasive Species Threats & Opportunities: A Primer for Oregon Policymakers. The primer includes an overview of the importance of prevention and rapid response to avoid widespread consequences, examples of invasive species of concern across the state and the pressing invasive species threats within the geographic regions of Oregon, an overview of the state invasive species programs and lead state agencies, and more.
A Reptilian Nightmare: Florida Bans Nonnative species Despite Industry Outcry
Florida — Read on The Washington Post
Late last month, commissioners of the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took more extreme action, deciding 7 to 0 to ban possession and breeding of both those reptiles and 14 other nonnative species.
Portman, Hirono Praise Unanimous Senate Passage of Bipartisan Resolution to Designate April 2021 as “National Native Plant Month”
United States — Read on Senate.gov
U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) praised unanimous Senate passage of their bipartisan resolution designating April 2021 as “National Native Plant Month.” This resolution recognizes the importance of native plants to environmental conservation and restoration, as well as in supporting a diversity of wildlife.
Conversations
Can We Patch Up the Natural World We’ve Hurt?
Global — Read on The New York Times
“Under a White Sky” is a fascinating survey of novel attempts to manage natural systems of all sizes, from preserving tiny populations of desert fish to altering the entire atmosphere.
What You May Not Know About Those April Flowers
United States — Read on The New York Times
Americans have cultivated nonnative plants and flowers for so long, it has skewed our experience of spring.
