Resource Search

There are 21 major species of noxious weeds (invasive) on the Black Hills National Forest in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming. 

The Bureau of Land Management is approving seven herbicide active ingredients to control noxious weeds and invasive species on public lands. BLM field and district offices can now begin considering the use of these tools in efforts to control and eradicate noxious weeds and invasive plant species on the public lands they manage. 

The Bureau of Land Management has released the final programmatic environmental impact statement for fuels reduction and rangeland restoration in the Great Basin. This programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) is intended to further efforts to conserve and restore sagebrush communities within a 223 million-acre area that includes portions of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Utah.

Sagebrush communities in the Great Basin are a vital part of Western working landscapes and are home to over 350 species of plants and wildlife. Intact sagebrush communities are disappearing within the Great Basin due to increased large and severe wildfires, the spread of invasive annual grasses, and the encroachment of pinyon-juniper. The Great Basin region is losing sagebrush communities faster than they can reestablish naturally. Fuels reduction and rangeland restoration treatments can reduce fire severity, increase sagebrush communities' resistance to invasive annual grasses and improve their ability to recover after wildfires.

Motorboats and sailboats must have an ANS Stamp prior to launching vessels in Colorado (effective Jan 1, 2019). Boat owners are required to purchase the ANS Stamp and operators must retain proof of purchase (electronic or printed receipt) on his or her person, the motorboat or sailboat, when operating the vessel (C.R.S. 33-10.5-104.5). ​Funding contributes to prevention and management of ANS in the state. Thank you for protecting our waters and contributing to conservation in Colorado!

Motorized and trailered watercraft launching in Blue Mesa Reservoir are required to be inspected for aquatic invasive species prior to launching, and if necessary, decontaminated in accordance with procedures set by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. In addition to the mandatory inspection prior to launch, boaters are encouraged to get an exit inspection to verify the watercraft has been cleaned, drained and dried.

The BoatUS Foundation Grassrooots Grants Program provides grants to nonprofit organizations, boating clubs and student groups for projects that promote safe and/or clean boating. Previous grants have included outreach materials for aquatic invasive species awareness.

If you plan to use your own boat or angler float tube, you’ll need a permit and a free Yellowstone aquatic invasive species inspection. You can speed up the inspection process by arriving with a boat that is clean, drained, and dry. Watercraft that arrive dirty or with standing water will be subject to decontamination. Watercraft that cannot be properly decontaminated will be prohibited from launching.

In May 2010 the last boll weevil was trapped in the state and in March 2012 the boll weevil was declared eradicated from the state of Louisiana. The Eradication Program is now at a maintenance level, funded through grower maintenance inspection fees. Traps are placed and monitored according to an approved trapping protocol. Cotton producers have seen increases in yields along with a reduction in the cost of insect control.

Email the Boll Weevil Eradication Program.

ARS researchers are working to understand the impact of a changing climate on bee health. In observance of National Pollinator Week, Tellus presents a special article authored by two of ARS’s leading bee researchers.