Each year, NAISMA hosts an annual conference connecting terrestrial and aquatic invasive species management, research, policy, and outreach initiatives and opportunities across North America.
September 27-30, 2021
The NAISMA Board of Directors, Staff, and Planning Committee are excited for this year’s opportunity to bring our high quality agenda, professional development, and networking opportunities to invasive species managers in North America and beyond.
This year’s conference is a great deal for anyone who does invasive species management, research, policy, or outreach and education who are looking for an affordable professional development opportunity. Become a member for registration discounts.
CEC/CEU credits will be applied for CCA, ISA, SAF, SER, and some states’ Pesticide Applicator Credits.
The only invasive species management conference to…
Bridge geographic divides
between West and East, North and South, land and water
Connect science to action
through research, policy, and outreach initiatives and opportunities across North America
Transboundary Cooperation
Our 2021 Conference will feature topics with national, and international reach and impact; case studies of regional partnerships; and technical updates.
What to Expect
Unparalleled breadth. Expert insight. Inspiring content that bridges all corners of North America, all disciplines, and all taxa within invasive species management.
What’s Different
Virtual sessions will include interactive Q&A and panel discussions; connect with attendees and speakers directly on the Conference Mobile App social networking area before, during, and after the conference.
Keynote Speakers
Tuesday, September 28th
Transboundary Cooperation: A Case Study of Waterton National Park and Glacier National Park
Jeff Mow, Superintendent, Glacier National Park, Montana
Jeff Mow arrived at Glacier National Park in August of 2013. A 31-year veteran of the National Park Service, Mow served 21 of those years in Alaska. Most recently he was the superintendent of Kenai Fjords National Park based in Seward and in 2012 served as the acting superintendent of Denali National Park. Mow has had many duty stations in Alaska ranging from the icy waters of Glacier Bay to the treeless tundra at Gates of the Arctic.
Mow is a native of Los Angeles. He is a 1981 graduate of Carleton College in Northfield, MN, where he majored in environmental education. He attended graduate school at the University of Michigan, focusing on geology. During college and graduate school, he spent four summers in southwestern Montana as a geologic field assistant with the U.S. Geological Survey. After teaching geology at a community college and working for four years as an instructor at the Yosemite Institute, Mow moved north to Alaska to begin his career with the National Park Service.
Mow’s other assignments have included serving on U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, a Congressional and Legislative Affairs Specialist for the National Park Service in Washington DC, and superintendent of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado.
Early in his National Park Service career he learned the value of community service and has served as Rotary Club President, Mayor of Alaska’s smallest incorporated city, and community EMT and volunteer firefighter.
Mow is married, has a son in college, and is living in Whitefish. The Mow family enjoys a variety of winter activities and in the “off-season” they enjoy hiking, biking and paddling.
Salman Rashid, Superintendent, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta
Sal began his career at Parks Canada in 2001 as a Conservation Biologist for the Mountain Parks.
Since that time he has taken on many assignment opportunities, most recentlyas the Associate Director of the Natural Resources Conservation Branch in Ottawa. Prior to that he was Resource Conservation Manager in Jasper as well as the Field Unit Superintendent in Jasper. Sal has acted as the Field Unit
Superintendent in Waterton twice before coming on as the Superintendent in November of 2018 so is relatively familiar with the operations and situational landscape in Waterton. Sal was excited to be back in Waterton where he had his first graduate program field site in 1991. Prior to working for Parks Canada, Sal worked for eight years for both the Alberta and BC provincial governments in a project management capacity. Sal holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences from the University of Calgary. Sal has been with Parks Canada for 21 years now.
Wednesday, September 29th
A BioCultural Approach to Integrating Indigenous Knowledge with Western Science for Invasive Species Management and Policy
Paulette Fox, Blackfoot Confederacy, Blood Tribe, Southern Alberta
Paulette M. Fox is a member of the Blackfoot Confederacy from the Blood Tribe in southern Alberta. In her Blackfoot language she is known as Natowawaahkaki, which means “Holy Walking Woman.” She owns and operates her own environmental consulting business, Harmony Walkers Inc. Her work with indigenous communities includes a decade with her own tribe along with the IINNII Initiative that involves over 20 Tribes and First Nations in North America. She is a spiritual leader and knowledge keeper. Having worked with provincial government and local industry she is known as a relationship builder and creative designer for linking indigenous knowledge with appropriate aspects of policy, regulation and legislation. Currently she is working with the Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent and the Blackfeet Nation in Montana. Paulette has taught for many years at the Red Crow Community College, bringing environmental science and indigenous knowledge together in the classroom. She has also presented and guest-lectured about the importance of buffalo to her culture and how indigenous people see and use the land. She has an MSc degree in environmental science from the University of Lethbridge and a B.Sc from the University of Calgary.
Thursday, September 30th
Update from the US Fish and Wildlife Service
Martha Williams, Principal Deputy Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service
Growing up on a farm in Montana, Martha Williams gained an appreciation for open lands, waters, wildlife, and people. This passion led her to the wild places of the West and a career spent fostering a love of the outdoors and stewarding the protection of natural resources.
On January 20, 2021, Williams was sworn in as Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is designated to exercise the delegable authority of the director.
Preceding her appointment, Williams served as the Director of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks from 2017 to 2020. There, she delivered leadership that embraced the diversity of Montana’s natural resources and outdoor recreational values that also incorporated public expectations and values into the agency’s direction.
Previously, Williams was an Assistant Professor of Law at the Blewett School of Law at the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana and co-directed the university’s Land Use and Natural Resources Clinic. She also co-supervised the Public Land and Resources Law Review and the Environmental Law Group.
William’s appointment to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a return to the Department of the Interior for the new Principal Deputy Director. Williams served as Deputy Solicitor Parks and Wildlife at the Department of the Interior for two years, providing counsel to the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service.
From 1988-2011, Williams was agency legal counsel for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, where she advised and represented the department on real estate transactions, Endangered Species Act policy and litigation, and on state and national environmental policy acts. During her tenure, she also taught continuing legal education classes on real property law and on public participation in government.
Williams earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Montana School of Law. She serves on the Boards of Directors for the National Conservation Leadership Institute and the Archie Bray Foundation and on the Advisory Board for the Franke School of Forestry and Conservation at the University of Montana . Williams is a hunter and an angler.
Field Trips
Wednesday, September 29th
Every Wednesday field trip will take place in the afternoon.
Mt. Jumbo Hike – 4 hours
Leaders and Speakers:
- Clancy Jandreau, Missoula Conservaton Lands
- Morgan Valliant, Missoula Conservation Lands
- Stephanie Rogge, Missoula Weed District
~5 mile, moderate hike starting at the Jumbo Saddle, hiking to the top of Mt Jumbo from the north and then down the south face. The hike will pass through a variety of different plant communities, focusing on City of Missoula Conservation Land’s invasive species management, active restoration projects, wildlife management in the wildland/urban interface, trails and provide you with great views of the Missoula and Clark Fork Valleys along the way.
Working Dogs for Conservation (WD4C) – 3 hours
Leader/Speaker: Aimee Hurt, WD4C
Working Dogs for Conservation is the world’s leading conservation detection dog organization. Our dogs can detect weeds before they break the surface, animals that live below ground, and aquatic organisms invisible to the human eye. Visit the Working Dogs for Conservation International Training Center just 15 minutes from the conference hotel where you will see one or more dogs demonstrate how they train using scent equipment, how training differs for various species, view outdoor demos on the 44-acre property, and have a chance to ask WD4C staff how their invasive species training and contracting for managers across the US works and how it could work for your management needs.
National Bison Range – 5 hours
Leaders and Speakers:
- Amy Lisk, USFWS
- Melissa Maggio, Missoula County Weed District
- Jessica Mitchell, University of Montana
- Stephanie Gillan, The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
- Annie Sorrell, USFWS
We will kick off this tour with a stop at the Bison Range Visitors Center for an introductory presentation about the rich history and culture of the area and the unprecedented transition occurring from USFWS to Tribal ownership and management. This will be followed by a drive over Red Sleep Mountain for gorgeous views of the Mission Valley and Mission Mountains with Glacier National Park in the distance as well as wildlife viewing opportunities (bison, elk, big horn sheep, antelope, bears and more!). Multiple stops along the way to discuss ventenata management and remote sensing activities that have occurred on the range as well as a history of weed management (on multiple systems) utilizing biocontrol dating back to the 1950s.
Thursday, September 30th
Flathead Lake – CSKT Lake Trout Facility at Blue Bay – 6.5 hours
Leaders and Speakers:
- Kate Wilson
- Barry Hansen (lake trout)
- Les Evarts (lake trout)
- Virgil Duplis (flowering rush)
- Jennifer Andreas (biocontrol, flowering rush)
- Lindsey Bona-Eggeman, Missoula Weed District
- Katie Finley-Squeque, Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribe
Join biologists on Flathead Lake to learn about the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribe’s management of lake trout, an introduced fish species in the west. Travel from Whitefish down the east side of Flathead Lake to Blue Bay, a campground and day use area operated by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Over lunch, the participants will hear about the history and co-management of the Flathead Lake fishery, lake trout biology and the Tribes’ innovative management approach to lake trout, which includes both angler incentives with the ‘Mack Days’ fishing events and a the use of nets for capture. From there the group will split into smaller groups in order to visit three separate tours on-site: take a boat ride on the netting vessels (weather dependent); tour the lake trout processing facility where the Tribe’s non-profit Native Fish Keepers Inc. filets, packs and freezes their fish for distribution; and learn about flowering rush, an invading aquatic plant that is threatening Flathead Lake’s habitat and recreational access.
This field trip will leaving Missoula at 10:30 AM and returning around 5 PM. Lunch provided. Hiking/trail shoes, jacket and long pants recommended.
Weed Free Products Tour – 4.5 hours
Learn how to do the NAISMA Certified Weed Free Gravel and new Mulch inspection protocols and standards by touring a local gravel pit and mulch producer in Missoula County. Many federal, state, and local lands require the use of certified weed free forage, gravel or mulch on their properties. The NAISMA Certified Weed Free Products program is the only program in North America that provides land managers with assurance that noxious weeds will not be spread through the movement of forage, hay, mulch, or gravel. In addition, the program provides continuity between participating provinces and states, maintains standards, provides guidelines, and ensures uniform training. Partnering agencies are welcome to include additional species and standards to their own programs. Participating entities are simply required to meet the NAISMA minimum standards.
Registration
Registration Now Open
If you are registering for multiple individuals with an organization you will want to fill out the registration form for each individual. Multiple registrations can be added to the same cart before completing your purchase.
We look forward to seeing you in September!
*Members: discount for 2021 conference will appear in cart during checkout, make sure you’re logged in. Join NAISMA here
Pricing
Three 3 days of in-person conference content include:
- Three (3) Keynote Sessions with International and National Leaders and Experts
- 20+ In-person, 60 minute sessions (some presentations may be remotely broadcast)
- Special workshop opportunities during event
- Field Trips (additional cost required)
- All-access pass to exhibit hall
- Complimentary tote bag with take-home gift
- Printed program and badge
- All-access to virtual sessions and exhibits
- State pesticide CECs for some states and national associations TBD
- Social networking opportunities
- Meals:
- Breakfast and break refreshments every day
- Lunch on 2 days
- Welcome reception (complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cash bar)
- Optional Not a Banquet and Awards Dinner add-on
Early Bird (Before or on July 31)
- $299 Non-NAISMA members
- $269 Members | Join NAISMA here
- $125 Students
Late Registration (After July 31)
- $379 Non-NAISMA members
- $340 Members | Join NAISMA here
- $150 Students
Optional Add-ons:
- Field Trips: $45
- Not a Banquet and Awards Dinner: $65
Three 3 days of virtual conference content include:
- Stream in-person keynotes and conference sessions all 3 mornings of the in-person event
- Virtual conference sessions in the afternoons
- All-access pass to virtual exhibit hall
- Complimentary tote bag with take-home gift will be sent to you
- State pesticide CECs for some states and national associations TBD
- Virtual social networking opportunities
Early Bird (Before or on July 31)
- $199 Non-NAISMA members
- $160 Members | Join NAISMA here
- $75 Students
Late Registration (After July 31)
- $249 Non-NAISMA members
- $220 Members | Join NAISMA here
- $99 Students
At-A-Glance Agenda
Location and Accommodations
Missoula, Montana
Accommodations
Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown
Centrally located park-side along the Clark Fork River – just steps from vibrant shopping, nightlife, and entertainment. With the best location and superior conference service support, groups and guests are guaranteed a distinctive Missoula experience.
- Click on the link below, and change the dates of arrival to 9/26/21.
- NAISMA 2021 General Booking Link
- For phone reservations, our Front Desk is available 24/7 at 406-721-8550. Please reference group code: NA1
- Click on the link below, and change the dates of arrival to 9/26/21.
- NAISMA 2021 Government Booking Link
- For phone reservations, our Front Desk is available 24/7 at 406-721-8550. Please reference group code: NA2
Holiday Inn Missoula Downtown offers a free shuttle from the Missoula (MSO) airport. Call in advance to the hotel to arrange your airport pick up when you have made your flight arrangements.
Agenda Details
A preliminary agenda will be released in June 2021.
Diversity and Equity Scholarships
NAISMA supports a culture of inclusion through all of our programs, communications, and work to support invasive species managers who work to improve biodiversity every day.
We aim to connect NAISMA’s work and support for invasive species managers alongside civil rights moving forward. Past environment and conservation leaders have not always created equitable opportunities for people who are Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Color (BIPOC). Addressing the challenges of invasive species now and in the future will require multidisciplinary and multicultural collaboration to the fullest extent possible.
To that end, NAISMA created the Annual Conference Diversity and Equity Scholarship to foster a more inclusive exchange of ideas among invasive species managers, outreach professionals, researchers and other professionals who work with invasive species.
The Scholarship Provides:
- the registration fee for the NAISMA Annual Conference
- a complimentary 1-year membership to NAISMA
Nomination Criteria:
- nominate self-identifying BIPOC individuals who work with invasive species
- self-nomination is accepted
- in 2021, we are not asking recipients to give a presentation
- applicants do not have to be current NAISMA members
- applicants may be invited to discuss how NAISMA can support more diversity and inclusion in invasive species management
Diversity & Equity Scholarship Submission
Call for Abstracts
The 2021 North American Invasive Species Management Association Conference’s theme is Transboundary Cooperation.
Abstracts for 2021 are due by Friday, April 30th at 11:59 p.m. CST.
Exhibitor & Sponsor Opportunities
The 2021 NAISMA Annual Conference is the organization’s 28th Annual Conference and will be co-hosted with the Montana Invasive Species Council.
The 2021 Conference will be a hybrid in-person and virtual conference. Both in-person and virtual platforms will provide exhibitor and sponsor networking including 1 on 1 meetings, and sponsor recognition opportunities. Thanks to our hybrid approach we expect nearly 500 attendees from a range of backgrounds in invasive species management from across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and beyond.
All in-person attendees will have access to all virtual content.
As the most-comprehensive, all-taxa, international invasive species conference in North America, this year’s conference sessions will highlight transboundary cooperation.
The program includes various opportunities to connect with the invasive species management community, including concurrent sessions, an exhibit fair, field trips and a silent auction.
For more information, please email Belle Bergner at .
Frequently Asked Questions
NAISMA hosts the only conference to bridge geographic divides in invasive species management
Attending a NAISMA conference is your opportunity to network with leaders in the invasive species field
- No, anyone can register and attend the annual conference. NAISMA members receive 10% off the annual conference registration fee (25% for the virtual conference in 2020).
Yes, the conference travels.
View our past and future invasive species conference locations here.
- All invasive species management concerns are considered during the development of each conference agenda. The focus or theme each year shifts depending on the strengths, uniqueness, and new invasive species concerns are present in the region that the conference is held.
- Click here to see a sample of the 2019 conference agenda.
We encourage organizations and agencies to click this link to join NAISMA as a partner organization, which provides discounts for multiple staff plus additional benefits to your organization. Once enrolled, you will assign individual staff as NAISMA members within your partner organization so that they receive a discount link through our Members’ Area.
Virtual Attendance at the Conference FAQ
- A plenary presentation followed by live Q&A with the keynote speaker.
- Streaming of 2 of the 4 concurrent, live sessions in the morning and special virtual sessions in the afternoon.
- Q & A during all sessions.
- Video networking opportunities.
- Text-based messaging directly with attendees and speakers throughout the conference.
- Exhibits to learn more about invasive species management products and services.
- The Schedule is interactive. Click on the session you want to enter and the presenter’s screen will appear on the conference platform on the same webpage. You won’t have to click between different browser windows or Zoom or any other platform. Everything will exist in the conference main window.[/caption]
- An Activity Stream on the virtual conference “town hall” where attendees can post their reactions to presentations, new ideas generated, and questions for other attendees.
This is the main virtual conference center called “Town Hall”. This is what you see when you enter the conference and is where you’ll find all of the features of the event. 
The Activity stream is where attendees are welcome to post comments, reactions to presentations or sessions, highlight lessons learned, new ideas, an more. - A moderator will facilitate a Q&A in every session.
- Live networking breaks between sessions
- Poster presentations will be live sessions with poster presenters
- Attendees will also be able to communicate through private messages to other attendees and speakers.
Click on the Community or Speaker icons to message attendees or speakers directly, right in the conference platform. They’ll see your message right away and you can start chatting 1 on 1 just as if you were in a session room together!