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The Lionfish Challenge 2022, the seventh annual, is a summer-long tournament that rewards divers for their lionfish harvests. The tournament boasted a total of 707 registered participants, the most in the program’s history. 196 divers conducted a total of 676 trips throughout the state during the 3-month tournament and brought in a whopping 25,299 lionfish.

See also: Alabama Invasive Plant Council Publications

The widely cited “tens rule” in invasion ecology suggests that approximately 10% of established, non-native species will become invasive–or display negative impacts—when introduced to new environments. This study demonstrates that the tens rule is a poor estimate of invasion rates on a global scale. Instead, a ‘twenties rule’ is a better rule of thumb, meaning that roughly 20% of all established, non-native species eventually become invasive

Trying to reduce the spread of invasive species in Rhode Island waters, the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) has amended the state's Freshwater Fisheries Regulations to prohibit the transport of any plant or plant part into or out of any Rhode Island waterbody on any type of boat, motor, trailer, fishing supplies, or gear. The new regulation carries a $100 fine for each violation. "Many of the aquatic invasive plants in Rhode Island can reproduce from just one small plant fragment and do not need entire root systems to successfully establish in a new spot," said Katie DeGoosh-DiMarzio, Environmental Analyst with DEM's Office of Water Resources. "Cleaning off every bit of plant from recreational gear used at one pond is essential before visiting another — this includes boats, kayaks, canoes, motors, trailers, paddles, jet skis, fishing gear, waders, water tubes, and anchors. These efforts help combat the spread of aquatic invasive species in Rhode Island waterbodies."

The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is asking Rhode Islanders to monitor their beech trees for signs of leaf damage from Beach Leaf Disease (BLD). Early symptoms of BLD include dark striping on the tree's leaves parallel to the leaf veins and are best seen by looking upward into the backlit canopy. Drastic leaf loss occurs for heavily symptomatic leaves during the growing season and may appear as early as June, while asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic leaves show no or minimal leaf loss. BLD was detected in the Ashaway area of Hopkinton, Rhode Island, in 2020 and in coastal Massachusetts. Before these findings, the disease was only known to be in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut.

Because of the seemingly random nature of disease in Rhode Island, DEM encourages homeowners and forest landowners to monitor their beech trees and report any suspected cases of BLD on DEM's Invasive Species Sighting Report webpage. Although BLD is relatively new in the U.S. and information is limited, links to additional information about the disease and photos are posted on the Division of Forest Environment's Current Threats page. If people have further questions, they should contact a licensed arborist or email Nancy Stairs, forestry program supervisor in DEM's Division of Forest Environment, via Nancy.Stairs@dem.ri.gov.

The Rhode Island Invasive Species Council is an outreach program of the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, The Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station, and The University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension.

Special Note: RiversEdge West formerly known as the Tamarisk Coalition, change effective Mar 1, 2018.

The mission of RiversEdge West (formerly the Tamarisk Coalition) is to advance the restoration of riparian lands through collaboration, education, and technical assistance. One of the most challenging aspects of conducting restoration work can be acquiring and maintaining adequate funding to support the full spectrum of restoration efforts. To that end, RiversEdge West has developed a variety of tools intended to help practitioners secure funding to support this work.

Since 2001, RiversEdge West (formerly known as the Tamarisk Coalition) has been conducting riparian restoration research conferences and symposiums with a focus on impacts to riverside habitat in the arid western U.S. These gatherings are driven by RiversEdge West's commitment to advance the knowledge and practice of riparian restoration.

"Rooted in Research" is the Northern Research Station's science delivery platform, with events and products tailored to natural resource professionals, partners, collaborators, and engaged citizens throughout the Northeast and Midwest. The bimonthly Rooted in Research focuses on the management implications of the latest research for natural resource managers. This publication features synthesized scientific information for high-priority land management needs, delivering key science findings to people who make and influence decisions about managing land and natural resources.

See also: Ecological Risk Screening Summaries for more species summaries