Wildlife Trade Threatens Public Health and Ecosystems: Study outlines potential risks to native species and human health (Apr 29, 2009)
National Science Foundation.
A research team including Brown University has found that the U.S. wildlife import system is broken. The poorly regulated U.S. wildlife trade can lead to devastating effects on ecosystems, native species, food supply chains and human health.

Ecology: Reducing the Risks of the Wildlife Trade (May 1, 2009)
Science Magazine.
Free access to summary; full access requires subscription.

North America Works to Halt Invasive Species (Apr 23, 2009)
Commission for Environmental Cooperation.
The new report, Trinational Risk Assessment Guidelines for Aquatic Alien Invasive Species was developed in cooperation with experts from Canada, Mexico and the United States. These guidelines will be used as a tool for North American resource managers to assess the risk of introducing nonnative species into a natural ecosystem.

FORT Scientists to Receive DOI Cooperative Conservation Award (Apr 22, 2009)
DOI. USGS. Fort Collins Science Center.
A team of scientists from the USGS Fort Collins Science Center are being recognized with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Cooperative Conservation Award on May 7. Their Advanced Invasive Species Modeling Room leverages research conducted by the USGS and the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory at Colorado State University to better document, map, and predict the spread of harmful plants, animals, and diseases in the United States.

Unregulated Biofuel Crops Pose Invasive Pest Risk (Apr 22, 2009)
Science Daily.
Biofuel crops being promoted and planted as a "green" renewable solution to energy needs might actually be aggressive invasive pests, caution University of Hawaii-Manoa researchers. The findings, "Assessing Biofuel Crop Invasiveness: A Case Study," are reported in the journal PLoS ONE, a Public Library of Science resource.

Ecologists Put Price Tag on Invasive Species: Research reports costs of invasive species' damage to ecosystem services (Apr 20, 2009)
Ecological Society of America.
In a study, How well do we understand the impacts of alien species on ecosystem services? A pan-European, cross-taxa assessment (published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment e-view), ecologists have listed the invasive species that cause the most harm to environment and cost the most money to control.

Species Profile -- Alligatorweed
USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.
Alligatorweed is a perennial aquatic weed introduced to the southern U.S. from South America in the early 1880's from ballast water. Alligatorweed infestations blocked rivers, canals, and ditches across the South, often causing severe flooding. Alligatorweed forms dense mats that crowd out native species and impede recreational activities such as boating, swimming, and fishing.

Earth Day Network Partners with National Environmental Education Week -- April 12-18, 2009
Earth Day Network.
Earth Day Network is partnered with National Environmental Education Week, which annually promotes understanding and protection of the natural world by actively engaging K-12th grade students and educators of all environmental subjects (see Educators Network for lesson plans). Earth Day Network includes an event listing searchable by keywords, location and by date.

Plans for Non-native Oysters in Bay Dropped: Foreign Species Deemed Ecologically Dangerous (PDF | 163 KB) (Apr 7, 2009)
Baltimore Sun.
Virginia, Maryland and the Army Corps of Engineers announced a new strategy Monday for restoring oysters in the Chesapeake Bay that excludes any use of exotic Asian oysters. The decision ends years of debate about whether to introduce an Asian oyster into the bay and concludes nearly five years of formal study, costing $17 million in state and federal funds. The preferred alternative will focus solely on reviving native oysters - by building more artificial reefs in the Bay, expanding oyster farming opportunities and growing more baby oysters at more hatcheries.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease: Novel Technologies Improve Detection and Control (Apr 2009)
USDA. Agricultural Research Service Magazine.
Scientists at the ARS Plum Island Animal Disease Center are using Infrared thermography (IRT) cameras to see what human eyes can't. IRT cameras can identify at-risk cattle 48 hours before they begin to show any clinical symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease. In the event of an outbreak, this technology could facilitate rapid containment of the disease.