An official website of the United States government.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers have identified the "least wanted" aquatic invasive species (AIS) that present an imminent threat to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River region. In 2013, the Governors and Premiers committed to take priority action on the transfer of these species to and within the region. Since then, the states and provinces have taken more than 50 separate actions to restrict these high-risk AIS, and the US federal government has similarly restricted four of the species. See also: Aquatic Invasive Species for more resources.
Invasive Species Resources
Provides access to all site resources (alphabetically), with the option to search by species common and scientific names. Resources can be filtered by Subject, Resource Type, Location, or Source.
Displaying 1 to 20 of 175
Search HelpConference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers.
Aquatic Invaders in the Marketplace.
Find non-invasive plant alternatives that may be appropriate in your region.
Aquatic Invaders in the Marketplace.
Predicting the next invasive species allows us to take action before they reach our waterways—an economically and environmentally smarter approach than responding after they’ve arrived. To get a jump on potential invaders, scientists have developed methods that pinpoint the risk a species poses to specific environments based on factors like history of invasion, its ability to survive in similar habitats, and how difficult it is to control. Using these tools and the information they provide, natural resource managers, environmental educators, and individuals who buy and sell live aquatic organisms can make more informed decisions on how to protect their waterways from potential AIM.
University of Alaska - Anchorage. Alaska Center for Conservation Science.
Wildlife Forever.
Wildlife Forever has teamed up with more than 2,500 organizations across the nation, including Federal, State, and Canadian organizations, to stop the spread of invasive species with the CLEAN DRAIN DRY Initiative. This national campaign educates outdoor recreational users on how to prevent the spread of invasive species. Strategic communications, marketing, outreach and educational services provide access to consistent messaging and resources for local communities to implement prevention programs.
Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands); Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance.
CAB International.
To date no studies have been undertaken on the costs and benefits of IAS management in the Caribbean. This may partly explain why there has been negligible funding to combat the onslaught of these exotic species in the region. As a result it was decided to provide individuals involved in the UNEP-GEF Project, "Mitigating the Threats of Invasive Alien Species in the Insular Caribbean" with training and an opportunity to undertake Cost-Benefit Analyses (CBAs) on some selected IAS. The CBAs undertaken and reported in this publication clearly demonstrates that the benefits of managing IAS outweigh the costs.
Vermont Invasives.
An emerald ash borer (EAB) beetle was detected in a tree located in Londonderry, VT. The mapped area in Vermont (PDF | 1.25 MB) to which "Slow-the-Spread" recommendations apply now covers:
- All of Londonderry, Windham, and Landgrove;
- Most of Jamaica, Winhall, Peru, Weston, Andover and Grafton; and
- Extends into Chester, Townshend, Stratton, Athens, Mount Tabor, and Wardsboro.
October means that non-flight season Recommendations to Slow the Spread of Emerald Ash Borer are now in effect when moving ash from the infested area. With the heating season underway, and firewood deliveries actively occurring, it’s important to remember that untreated ash firewood should never move out of infested areas. Be sure that your purchase or transportation of both log length and split firewood will not unnecessarily spread EAB. There’s a lot of spread to slow: While the infested area map shows that high-risk areas for EAB include many towns, visibly infested trees still remain rare in Vermont. You can help by following the "Slow-the-Spread" recommendations.
Nature Conservancy. Don't Move Firewood.
Provides specific state information on their firewood regulations and recommendations (includes Canada and Mexico).
Cornell University. New York Invasive Species Research Institute.
A cozy campfire for summer days, a warm fireplace for winter evenings– the use of firewood is an "established cultural norm". However, moving firewood from place to place can have devastating consequences, as it can spread forest pests that decimate forests to collectively cost an estimated $4.2 – $14.4 billion per year. In order to better address the problem of people moving firewood and vectoring forest pests, Solano and colleagues examined trends and gaps in the existing literature on firewood and human-mediated forest pest movement in North America. The existing literature demonstrates the risk of firewood movement, but fails to address the level of awareness the public has on such risks, or the level of effectiveness of firewood regulations to prevent forest pest spread.