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In parts of the South, there are stories about an invasive floating weed, which forms such a dense mass that it enables small animals to walk across water. This weed, called giant salvinia, is an exotic fern from South America that invades ponds, lakes, and other waterways in the United States. It damages aquatic ecosystems by outgrowing and replacing native plants that provide food and habitat for native animals and waterfowl.

Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are testing a naturally occurring fungus (Myrothecium spp.) against giant salvinia to help control it. Initial tests have found that the fungus stops this problematic weed from growing and even can kill it.

MIPN synthesized recent research on garlic mustard and developed recommendations to help managers navigate sometimes-conflicting information about whether and how to prioritize management of this species. This 12 page guide includes a decision-support tree and a box discussion of best practices for volunteer pull events.

A new GBIF task group will address the urgent need for improved access to better data and information on invasive alien species in response to the landmark Invasive Alien Species Assessment approved by the the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) this month.
See related resource:  Media Release: IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) Invasive Alien Species Assessment

Anyone can help with nonnative species management. There are a variety of ways to get involved, and not all require slogging through swamps or handling wild animals. We want to encourage people to find ways they can participate. Every action helps protect native species!

See also: Biocontrol Factsheets for more information on biocontrol agents

Glacier National Park waters are generally open for boating from mid-May through October. All watercraft require an NPS inspection and permit before launching. Prior cleaning, draining, and drying of all watercraft, both externally and internally, will reduce inspection time significantly.

Access and compare risk assessment literature, methods and results from collaborators.

Quagga mussel larvae, or veligers, were first confirmed in Lake Powell in late 2012 after routine water monitoring tests discovered mussel DNA in water samples taken from the vicinity of Antelope Point and the Glen Canyon Dam. As of early 2016, thousands of adult quagga mussels have been found in Lake Powell, attached to canyon walls, the Glen Canyon Dam, boats, and other underwater structures, especially in the southern portions of the lake. It is crucial to keep the mussels from moving from Lake Powell to other lakes and rivers. Utah and Arizona state laws require you to clean, drain, and dry your boat when leaving Lake Powell using self-decontamination procedures.

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international network and data infrastructure funded by the world's governments and aimed at providing anyone, anywhere, open access to data about all types of life on Earth.

Provides mapping functions for species globally. The GBIF network draws sources together through the use of data standards, such as Darwin Core, which forms the basis for the bulk of GBIF.org's index of hundreds of millions of species occurrence records. Publishers provide open access to their datasets using machine-readable Creative Commons license designations, allowing scientists, researchers, and others to apply the data in hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and policy papers each year. Many of these analyses—which cover topics from the impacts of climate change and the spread of invasive and alien pests to priorities for conservation and protected areas, food security and human health— would not be possible without this.

Note: USGS's BISON (Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation) which provided North American species occurrence data and maps moved away from the 10-year-old infrastructure of the previous BISON website (bison.usgs.gov) to a GBIF data portal for the U.S. provided by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The new site became live on October 1, 2021, and the previous BISON website was be taken down on December 17, 2021.

The Global Invasive Species Database aims to increase awareness about invasive alien species and to facilitate effective prevention and management activities. The database focuses on invasive alien species that threaten native biodiversity and covers all taxonomic groups from micro-organisms to animals and plants in all ecosystems. Species information is either supplied by or reviewed by expert contributors from around the world. Provides distribution, life history, and impacts data for invasive species.
See related resource: 100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species

GLOBAL is a five-year $3.2 million project funded by USDA. The project title is "Risk assessment and eradication of Globodera spp. in U.S. production of potato", with research focused on the potato cyst nematodes Globodera pallida (pale cyst nematode), G. rostochiensis (golden nematode), and the related species G. ellingtonae that has recently been found in Oregon and Idaho. GLOBAL stands for "Globodera Alliance", a group of 17 research, extension, and education professionals, located in Idaho, Oregon, New York, Canada, Scotland, and France. GLOBAL members include faculty from the University of Idaho, Oregon State University, Cornell University, US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, The James Hutton Institute, and the French National Institute for Agricultural Research.

Building Partnerships to Assist Developing Countries to Reduce the Transfer of Harmful Aquatic Organisms in Ships’ Ballast Water, simply referred to as GloBallast Partnerships (GBP), was initiated in late 2007 and is intended to build on the progress made in the original project. This was initially planned as a five-year project, from October 2007 to October 2012, but was extended until June 2017.

Learn how to identify invasive plants and native lookalikes on our regional plant-identification tool. Also use PlantShare to share your plant sightings, get help with plant identification, collaborate on field surveys, and develop checklists of plants for particular sites you are exploring.

See also: Ecological Risk Screening Summaries for more species summaries

Reflecting his goal of making Wyoming a national leader in the battle against invasive species, Governor Mark Gordon announced today he has launched an initiative to address terrestrial invasive plants in the state. The initiative will be comprised of two teams -- a Policy Team and a Technical Team, each comprised of local, state and federal government representatives, private citizens representing industry and agricultural groups, as well as scientists and practitioners. The two teams will work cooperatively to develop recommendations for the Governor in the context of a large-scale strategy for invasive species management. Terrestrial invasive species represent a significant threat to Wyoming’s forests, rangelands and agricultural lands with varying levels of impact.

The U.S. Geological Survey, together with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, today announced that over $2.5 million has been received to develop an innovative treatment to prevent white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease decimating North American bat populations. The project is one of six provided by the Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice, an $8 million collaboration between the National Science Foundation and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to fund scientific research and conservation activities that protect diverse ecosystems and imperiled species across the country.