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Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Launched in 2015, the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) is a continental program that monitors bats at local and range-wide scales. NABat monitoring efforts focus on the 46 species of bats shared by Canada, the United States and Mexico. NABat provides reliable data to promote effective conservation and long-term viability of bat populations and is jointly led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. Participating members include U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and other federal, state and provincial agencies in the U.S. and Canada, local and regional agencies, native Tribes, academic institutions, businesses and conservation organizations.

White-nose syndrome has killed over 90% of northern long-eared, little brown and tri-colored bat populations in fewer than 10 years, according to a new study published in Conservation Biology.
See also: Summing Up NABat Successes (U.S. Forest Service, CompassLive - Aug 5, 2021)

This tool is designed to help users differentiate between invasive hornets, specifically Asian giant hornet, and other common non-targets found in the U.S., including bees and wasps. Included are fact sheets and a filterable image gallery that can be used as a rudimentary key.

ITP is pleased to announce the release of North American Hornet Screening Tool. Hornets in the genus Vespa play a critical role as predators in their native habitats, but in North America these species may have a disastrous impact on agriculture by reducing populations of important pollinators such as the honey bee. Hornets also pose a serious health risk to humans because of their powerful sting. North American Hornet Screening Tool is designed for anyone who may encounter these species in the U.S., including the Asian giant hornet (AGH, V. mandarinia). 

North American Hornet Screening Tool includes fact sheets and an interactive image gallery to support screening for Asian giant hornet and other potentially invasive hornet (Vespa) species. The interactive gallery can be used as a rudimentary key: by choosing one or more of the filters at the top, you can easily narrow down the images to only those that may match your specimen. A more in-depth version of this tool providing specialized information for identifiers on all exotic hornet (Vespa) species, will be released in 2022.

Provides free on-line tools to identify species, teach and study nature's wonders, report findings, build maps, process images, and contribute to and learn from a growing, interactive encyclopedia of life with 851,136 species pages and 681,390 maps.
See also: IDnature Guides: Identification Guides and Checklists of Plants and Animals

The North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox has an extensive database of plants that grow in and around North Carolina. You can use this database to find native plants that also attract various types of wildlife.
See also: Identify a Plant (provides suggested native alternatives)

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.

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.