Resource Search

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has unveiled a new online reporting tool for people to report any sightings of feral swine or their damage to the agency. Feral swine, also called wild boar and feral hogs, are an invasive species that cause significant damage to plant communities and wildlife habitat, prey on native wildlife, compete with native species for limited food and clean water resources and potentially spread diseases that pose substantial risk to livestock, wildlife, humans and pets. Commission biologists, along with other members of the N.C. Feral Swine Task Force, are seeking information from the public to better understand the distribution and abundance of feral swine across the state, and to estimate type and extent of damages they are causing, including damage to agricultural crops, timber, wildlife habitats, landscaping and others.

Reported sightings will help members of the task force determine priority areas where they can focus management efforts. Education and outreach events, technical assistance staff, loaner traps, and other control measures will be focused in areas of greatest need. For more information on feral swine in North Carolina, visit the Commission’s feral swine web page.

The combination of invasive species and climate change creates unique challenges for natural resource managers. We are developing a network of experts to produce useful and usable science to protect native systems and enhance resilience in the North Central region (CO, WY, KS, NE, SD, ND, MT). This project will expand the successful model of the Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change Management Network to the North Central region of the U.S. This effort will integrate the research and management of invasive species, climate change, and fire under one umbrella. Stakeholders in the North Central region have identified invasive species, woody encroachment, wildfire, and habitat and ecological transformation as key management issues which this project will address. Project length:  Jun 2, 2021 through Jun 1, 2023.
See also: Creating a North Central Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (NC RISCC) Management Network

Invasive species and climate change represent two of the five major global change threats to ecosystems. An emerging initiative of the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center aims to develop management-relevant research to improve invasive species management in the face of climate change. Through working groups, information sharing and targeted research, this project addresses the information needs of invasive species managers in the context of climate change. The working group combines climate and invasive species scientists with invasive species managers and policy makers from the northeast to promote a two-way dialogue to 1) share regional knowledge about current management strategies and scientific insights; and 2) identify and address planning and information needs of managers related to invasive species and climate change.

See also: Regional Effort on Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management -- Project Summary; includes: Publications, Presentations, Engagement (Tools, Handouts, News, Workshops, Webinars)
An emerging initiative of the Northeast Climate Science Center aims to develop management-relevant research to improve invasive species management in the face of climate change. RISCC Management is collaboratively led by the Department of Interior Northeast Climate Science Center, the New York Invasive Species Research Institute, and the University of Massachusetts to address the question “How can we manage for upcoming biological invasions in the light of climate change?” 

Biocontrol is an important management tool that utilizes one species (a biocontrol agent) to control another (a target host) and can be an effective approach for controlling populations of invasive species across broad spatial scales. Climate change, though, is complicating biocontrol, raising concerns that mismatches between how biocontrol agents and their hosts respond to climate change could alter the efficacy of current and future biocontrol programs. In response, a team of RISCC (Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change) Management Network and NE CASC (Climate Adaptation Science Center) researchers has published a new "Management Challenge" that details how climate change impacts the relationship between biocontrol agents and their target hosts and outlines management implications arising from this problem.

As of July 2022, the Northern giant hornet has not been found in Massachusetts.

View past news releases, blogs, and Pest Program updates about Asian giant hornet.

The Northern Giant Hornet Public Dashboard shares detection and trapping data. Citizen scientists were able to view detections in real time, including the number of reported sightings and number of hornets confirmed by type. Coordinating this information provided input on future trapping and demonstrated the benefit of collaboration with citizen scientists. WSDA has indicated that citizen data sharing and bottle trapping efforts are crucial to protect Washington from this invasive species.

Feral swine have recently invaded parts of the Northwest. They have been invading southwestern and central Oregon since 2004 and were first detected in Washington in 2016. Idaho has not seen significant numbers of feral swine, however migrating pigs may pose a threat. The population growth potential of feral swine is closely associated with food availability, which is becoming more abundant year-round due to warmer winter conditions that are linked to climate change. Projected increases in extreme events and average summer temperatures in the region are not expected to negatively impact the success of feral pigs. In response, timely population control measures are necessary to avoid damage to crops, forests, and rangelands.

Plants for planting can carry a wide variety of pests that are more likely to become established in the U.S. because they are already on a suitable host. In some cases, the plants themselves are the pest. To ensure U.S. import regulations provide adequate protection against the risk posed by plants for planting, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) established a regulated category called "Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis" (NAPPRA). NAPPRA allows APHIS to more fully protect U.S. agriculture from foreign pests while minimizing adverse economic and trade impacts. Under NAPPRA, plants for planting must undergo a pest risk analysis before APHIS will authorize the taxon for importation.

Before NAPPRA, APHIS' plants for planting regulations (also known as Q37) categorized imported plants as either prohibited (not allowed) or restricted (allowed under certain conditions). The regulations did not require a pest risk analysis prior to the importation of a new taxonomic group of plants. This differed from APHIS' fruits and vegetables regulations (Q56) where the importation of regulated articles is prohibited until APHIS completes a pest risk analysis.

The Funding Opportunity for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife QZAP FY2020 has officially been posted. The total funding amount for projects is approximately $1,830,000.00, which is a significant increase from years past. This opportunity will be open for application through October 18, 2020.

This webinar series will explore how agencies, universities and locally led organizations are working together to protect Michigan's natural resources through the Michigan Invasive Species Program. If you are concerned about the impacts of invasive species or interested in the techniques used to control them, join us as we examine species-specific actions, innovations in research and technology, and programs designed to help communities prevent and manage harmful invasive species.