Boston College Biologist Marc Muskavitch and Global Team Decode Pathogenome of Virus-Spreading Mosquito (Sep 30, 2010)
Boston College.
An international group of researchers has sequenced the genome of the Southern house mosquito, providing new insights into the most widespread disease-bearing mosquito and shedding new light on the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, encephalitis, and West Nile Virus. Their findings are published in a pair of papers in Science: Sequencing of Culex quinquefasciatus Establishes a Platform for Mosquito Comparative Genomics and Pathogenomics of Culex quinquefasciatus and Meta-Analysis of Infection Responses to Diverse Pathogens.

New Study Shows Over One Fifth of the World's Plants are Under Threat of Extinction (Sep 29, 2010)
International Union for Conservation of Nature.
A global analysis of extinction risk for the world's plants, conducted by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew together with the Natural History Museum, London and IUCN, has revealed that one in five of the world's plant species threatened with extinction. The study, Sampled Red List Index for Plants, is a major baseline for plant conservation and is the first time that the true extent of the threat to the world’s estimated 380,000 plant species is known. According to the Kew Gardens’ Plants At Risk – The Threat Facing Plants site, human induced activities are the largest threat, while invasive species represent 4.9% of the threats.

USDA Announces Funding to Address Threats to State and Private Forests (Sep 22, 2010)
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced annual funding to help all states and trust territories sustain the nation's urban and rural forests, and to protect communities and the environment from wildfires, insects, diseases and invasive species. Grant recipients, who will receive a total of $190 million, typically use the funding for firefighting and hazardous fuels reduction, tree planting operations, and overall forest management issues.

National Wildlife Refuge System Closes Caves to Slow Spread of White-Nose Syndrome (PDF | 410 KB) (Sep 13, 2010)
DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Wildlife Refuge System has decided to close caves and abandoned mines on refuges and implement research and monitoring protocols in a nationwide effort to slow the spread of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in bats. Since 2006, WNS has spread rapidly across the eastern U.S., killing more than 1 million bats.

Research Finds Economic Impact of Laurel Wilt Disease Could be "Catastrophic" (Sep 9, 2010)
American Society for Horticultural Science.
Scientists have found that the invasive fungus called laurel wilt disease and the redbay ambrosia beetle, which carries laurel wilt, represent a significant economic threat to Florida's avocado industry. According to the report Potential Economic Impact of Laurel Wilt Disease on the Florida Avocado Industry published in HortTechnology, direct losses from the invasion could range from $183 million to a remarkable high of $356 million.

No Holiday for Dulles CBP (Customs Border Protection) on Labor Day Weekend (Sep 9, 2010)
DHS. Customs and Border Protection.
Customs officers seized 14 Giant African Land Snails from a passenger traveling from Ghana. Believed to be originally from East Africa, Giant African Land Snails are reportedly one of the worst invasive species in the world and are known to have caused economic damage to crop plants. The snails, which can grow to 20 cm x 10 cm, are also illegal to possess in the U.S. The traveler declared the snails and was not penalized, though the snails posed a threat and were destroyed.

Council on Environmental Quality Appoints John Goss as Asian Carp Director (Sep 8, 2010)
Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee.
Continuing the Obama Administration's proactive response to the threat that Asian carp poses to the Great Lakes, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) today announced the appointment of John Goss as the Asian Carp Director. He will serve as the principal advisor to CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley on Asian carp issues, and oversee the coordination of Federal, state, and local efforts to keep Asian carp from establishing in the Great Lakes ecosystems.

EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grants Awarded (Sep 7, 2010)
Environmental Protection Agency.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson announced the first round of grant awards under President Barack Obama's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The initative is targeting the most significant environmental problems in the region, including combating invasive species.

Use of Wasp to Track EAB (Emerald Ash Borer) Increases (PDF | 43 KB) (Sep 1, 2010)
USDA. FS. Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry.
As the EAB, an ash tree killer, edges closer to New England woods, forest health managers are expanding a promising technique to detect low-level pest populations earlier. The recently implemented wasp program sponsored by the USDA Forest Service uses the natural behavior of the native wasp Cerceris fumipennis to search for and prey upon EAB.