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White-nose syndrome (WNS) has killed more than six million bats over the past decade. WNS is caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Studies show that bats eat enough insect pests to save the U.S. corn industry more than $1 billion a year in crop damage and pesticide costs, and more than $3 billion per year to all agricultural production including forests.
 

To help fund the research needed to combat this deadly disease, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced $2.5 million in grants for research of high priority questions about WNS that will improve our ability to manage the disease and conserve affected bats.

See also: Weed I.D. and Options for Control for more species

Note: Economics of Damage and Control

Love them or hate them, there's no doubt the European Starling is a wildly successful bird. A new study from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology examines this non-native species from the inside out. What exactly happened at the genetic level as the starling population exploded from just 80 birds released in New York City's Central Park in 1890, peaking at an estimated 200 million breeding adults spread all across North America? The study appears in the journal Molecular Ecology - "Environmental correlates of genetic variation in the invasive European starling in North America."

Have you recently planted maple, crabapple, or other trees? MDAR is asking everyone to check them for spotted lanternfly egg masses or recently hatched nymphs after we were alerted that trees or shrubs with SLF egg masses may have been recently shipped to Massachusetts. Please give all nursery stock a thorough check (including pots or other containers), especially if the plants have tags that indicate they are from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or other SLF-infested states, and report any finds.

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.

Provides state rapid response plans and guidelines, state rapid response exercises, federal rapid response plans, provincial rapid response plans/guidelines, after-response action reports, and examples of quagga/zebra mussel eradication projects.

Washington state agencies are asking people to clean their gear, pets and clothing this spring to prevent invasive plants from establishing here.

Washington state agencies are asking for your help to check your trees for signs and symptoms of invasive insects. Damaging invasive insect species, such as spotted lanternfly, longhorned beetles, and emerald ash borer, are emerging in their adult form. ate summer is often the peak time for these invasive insects to emerge from trees in their adult stage. If you see or suspect you see an invasive insect, report a sighting.

me of the Mid-Atlantic Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species’ participant states have created management plans and programs for invasive species. These plans have been developed at different times and are customized to address each state’s needs.

This summer, the Vermont Lakes and Ponds Program is seeking volunteers to help monitor and collect information about lakes and ponds in the state. With over 800 lakes and ponds, volunteers are key to the success of the program’s lake monitoring efforts. Volunteers can be found statewide greeting lake visitors, inspecting boats, collecting water samples, tracking algal or cyanobacteria blooms, reporting aquatic invasive species, and more. For general information, interested parties are welcome to visit the volunteer webpage.

Do you hike, ride, bird, camp, fish, or otherwise recreate in state parks, forests or wildlands? Lend YOUR eyes to help Maryland's biodiversity! The Maryland Natural Heritage Program designed Statewide Eyes to allow volunteers and researchers alike to collect more information about invasive plants on state lands quickly. Volunteers (like you!) use a free mobile application called the Mid-Atlantic Early Detection Network (MAEDN) to identify, photograph and map the location of invasive plants, focusing on ecologically significant sites.

Find spotted lanternfly (SLF) quarantine regulations and reporting information by state

Invasive species surveillance programs can utilize environmental DNA sampling and analysis to provide information on the presence of invasive species. Wider utilization of eDNA techniques for invasive species surveillance may be warranted. This paper covers topics directed towards invasive species managers and eDNA practitioners working at the intersection of eDNA techniques and invasive species surveillance. It provides background information on the utility of eDNA for invasive species management and points to various examples of its use across federal and international programs.

Citation: Morisette, J., S. Burgiel, K. Brantley, et al. 2021. Strategic considerations for invasive species managers in the utilization of environmental DNA (eDNA): Steps for incorporating this powerful surveillance tool. Management of Biological Invasions. 12(3): 747-775.

Collaborative study determines effective messengers, language choices, and modes of delivery for disseminating educational information on how firewood choices can impact forest health. A recent study done in collaboration between The Nature Conservancy’s Don’t Move Firewood campaign and researchers from Clemson University showed that most people in the U.S. don’t know firewood can harbor invasive forest insects and diseases, but when targeted education materials are used effectively, they can learn and are likely to change their behavior.

Ash and elm trees play important roles in the U.S. economy, culture, and environment. In the eastern United States, elm (especially American elm) and ash trees are in trouble because of two threats: the emerald ash borer (an insect that attacks ash) and Dutch elm disease (caused by a fungus that sickens elms). These pests are causing ash and elm trees to die off quickly. Because elm and ash trees serve important ecological roles where they are found, the loss of these trees can lead to profound changes across urban and rural environments.

Since arriving to the northern Atlantic Ocean less than 30 years ago, lionfish have quickly become one of the most widespread and voracious invasive species, negatively impacting marine ecosystems—particularly coral reefs—from the northeast coast of the United States to the Caribbean Islands. In a new study, an international research team including the California Academy of Sciences presents four new records of lionfish off the coast of Brazil, confirming the invasion of the predatory fish into the South Atlantic for the first time.