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In 2019, the Alaska Office of the State Veterinarian, in collaboration with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the University of Alaska, began the Alaska Submit-A-Tick Program. Through this program, individuals who find ticks on themselves, their family members, pets, or wildlife (e.g. hunted or trapped animals) can submit ticks for species identification and pathogen testing. Researchers are asking Alaskans to submit ticks to help determine which tick species are currently in the state. Tick submissions will also help us learn more about how ticks are being imported into Alaska so that we can create effective strategies to limit their introduction. Ticks can transmit bacteria, parasites, and viruses that can cause diseases in humans and wildlife. Pathogen testing allows us to assess tickborne disease risk in the state.
Invasive Species Resources
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Search HelpAlaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Division of Environmental Health. State Veterinarian.
USDA. APHIS. Plant Protection and Quarantine.
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) was charged with implementing Section 10007 initially part of the 2014 Farm Bill to prevent the introduction or spread of plant pests and diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture and the environment. Under the Farm Bill, APHIS provides funding to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation, while working to safeguard the nursery production system.
For more information, see APHIS Programs that Receive Farm Bill Funds and Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721.
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry. Maine Forest Service.
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Are you a crabber, waterman, or concerned citizen? We need your help to detect and assess the status of Chinese Mitten Crabs. The "Mitten Crab Watch" website provides information on the invasion of the mitten crab and allows users to more easily report catches.
Please help us detect live mitten crabs by reporting any sighting in North America. We are especially interested in collecting sightings from the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, Hudson River, and San Francisco Bay --- where the crab has been common in the past. Please visit the Mitten Crab Watch website to learn more about the crab and to report sightings.
Rutgers University. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.
Mississippi Forestry Commission.
"Help Stop the Pop", MFC's popcorn tree control program, aims to track popcorn trees, assist municipalities with popcorn tree control, and educate landowners about proper tree removal. Chinese tallow trees, also known as the popcorn tree, are deceptive. They look attractive and ornamental, but they are actually highly invasive and will quickly damage the native ecosystem wherever they are planted. By reporting the location of these trees, you can help the Mississippi Forestry Commission (MFC) get a full picture of Mississippi's popcorn tree problem, which is the first step to combating the spread of this invasive species. Help the MFC stop the spread of this invasive species. Report sightings to HelpStopThePop.com. More Information visit the MFC's Chinese Tallow Tree information page.
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) announced today that a single dead specimen of the invasive pest known as spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) was reported and confirmed at a private residence in Boston. As a result, MDAR is urging the public to check for signs of spotted lanternfly adults in any potted plants that they may have received over the holiday season and to report any potential sightings of this pest on MDAR's online reporting form by taking photographs and collecting a specimen if possible. Residents should look for large, gray insects, about one inch long, with black spots and red underwings.
Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Washington Invasive Species Council.
The Washington Invasive Species Council, state agencies and researchers are calling for a census in May to help determine the location of Scotch broom throughout the state. "We need everyone's help to size up the problem," said Justin Bush, executive coordinator of the Washington Invasive Species Council. "Without baseline information about the location and population size, we don’t have enough details to determine solutions. The information from the census will help us set short- and long-term action plans." Yellow flowered, Scotch broom is hard to miss when blooming. It can be found in 30 of Washington's 39 counties (PDF | 282 KB). While known to be spread across the state, specific locations and patch sizes are not well documented, leading to the council's call for a month-long census.
"We're asking people to send us information from their neighborhoods," Bush said. "The information can be transmitted easily to the council by using the Washington Invasives mobile app or by visiting https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/report-a-sighting/. Sightings should include a photograph of the plant that shows enough detail that the plant can be verified by an expert. A description of the size of the patch is also helpful, such as whether the patch is the size of a motorcycle, a car, a school bus or multiple school buses. Photographs also can be shared with the council on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by using the hashtags #TheGreatScotchBroomCensus and #ScotchBroom2020Census."
Western Governors' Association.
The Invasive Species Data Mobilization Campaign of the Western Governors’ Association seeks to encourage national, state, and local land managers, private landowners, and non-governmental organizations to enter previously unavailable data into new or existing invasive species data management platforms using recommendations (May 2018; PDF | 244 KB) developed by WGA and invasive species data experts. WGA and the North American Invasive Species Management Association launched the campaign in December, 2020 with a webinar featured representatives from the four existing data platforms -- EDDMapS, iMapInvasives, BISON, and USGS NAS -- discussing the importance of invasive species data standardization and sharing.