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The ESA Governing Board voted unanimously last week to approve the addition of "spongy moth" to ESA's Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List, completing a process started in July 2021 when the previous name, "gypsy moth," was removed due to its use of a derogatory term for the Romani people. Translation of the French name is based on the destructive forest pest's sponge-like egg masses.

The Entomological Society of America has adopted "northern giant hornet" for the species Vespa mandarinia in its Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms List. Vespa mandarinia is an invasive hornet native to Asia that has been the target of eradication efforts in Washington state, USA, and British Columbia, Canada, after individual hornets were first discovered there in 2019. It has been referred to elsewhere as "Asian giant hornet" or "murder hornet."

See also: Oregon Noxious Weed Profiles for more species

From DNA-sampling robots and invasive species maps to genetic libraries and mosquito birth control, USGS scientists are hard at work building up ecological infrastructure for the nation.

This is the first time that USDA’s contribution to biological control research and its applications has been spelled out in one comprehensive volume. The 644-page publication is a rich source of information on the nonchemical control of agricultural pests. This publication chronicles the evolution of the USDA’s biological control program from its inception in 1883 to 1993.
See also: 110 Years of Federal Biological Control Research (Nov 24, 2000)
Citation: Coulson, J. R.; Vail, P. V.; Dix M.E.; Nordlund, D.A.; Kauffman, W.C.; Eds. 2000. 110 years of biological control research and development in the United States Department of Agriculture: 1883–1993. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.

The Northern Research Station delivers science solutions for a sustainable future, pursues collaborative research-based solutions for complex challenges, and informs land management decisions. These research highlights are just a small part of the excellent work done by the Station's researchers this year.

On August 9, 2022, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hosted a virtual forum on invasive carp harvest and product use. This virtual event was convened in response to direction provided by Congress in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022. Bighead, silver, black and grass carp – collectively referred to as ‘invasive carp’ – have been spreading in waterways across the United States and causing environmental damage since their introduction in the 1970s for use in aquaculture facilities and retention ponds. Provides access to the full recording of the forum, as well as the presentation slides.

Aquatic Invasive Species Awareness Month (July) is an opportunity for Michigan’s government to join forces with businesses, industries, environmental groups, community organizations, residents, and other Great Lakes states and provinces to raise awareness and take action against the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species.

Recreational boats are important vectors of spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) among waterbodies of the United States. To limit AIS spread, state and county agencies fund watercraft inspection and decontamination stations at lake access points. Researchers present a model for determining how a state planner can efficiently allocate inspection resources to county managers, who independently decide where to locate inspection stations.

The purpose of this nonregulatory decision support framework for conservation introductions is to foster transparent, inclusive, and defensible decision-making by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) when considering conservation introduction as a strategy. This framework was developed by and for the USFWS in the Pacific Region based on input from a wide range of federal, state, territorial, Tribal, Indigenous, and non-governmental representatives in the Pacific Islands and Pacific Northwest. Risk assessment is a central component of the framework, where uncertainty in predicted outcomes of the proposed management strategies is explicitly considered.

See also: Table of Contents for complete document.

See also: Wetlands - Phragmites

See also: Forest Health Assessment & Applied Sciences Team Publications for more resources.

A New Tool for Helping Managers Make Decisions about Inspections -- to help inform decision making, researchers developed AIS Explorer: Prioritization for Watercraft Inspections, a web-based decision-making support tool for optimizing watercraft inspection efficiency. The online dashboard incorporates data about which lakes are infested and how boats move among lakes in Minnesota (gathered from surveys at watercraft inspection stations), and it updates automatically as new entries are added to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Infested Water List.

This decision support tool can help counties position their limited inspection resources strategically to protect the greatest number of waterbodies and safeguard the state’s ecological and economic assets.

Much needed attention has been directed at some particularly problematic aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes, such as Asian carps and zebra and quagga mussels. But others invaders, like crayfish, can also take their toll on the lakes. Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) has created a new collaborative that brings together a variety of experts and stakeholders to address the threat of invasive crayfish. The Invasive Crayfish Collaborative (ICC), includes 68 experts and other stakeholders from government agencies, universities, non-profit organizations, and private businesses to combine resources and expertise to address priority invasive crayfish research and outreach needs.