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Tests by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa have confirmed the presence of Asian, or longhorn tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, in Pennsylvania. An invasive species that congregates in large numbers and can cause anemia in livestock, the tick was discovered on a wild deer in Centre County. It is known to carry several diseases that infect hogs and cattle in Asia. So far, ticks examined in the U.S. do not carry any infectious pathogens. Native to East and Central Asia, the tick was originally identified in the U.S. in New Jersey, where it was found in large numbers in sheep in Mercer County in 2017. It has also been found in Arkansas, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia and Virginia.

State wildlife action plans outline the steps that are needed to conserve wildlife and habitat before they become more rare and more costly to protect. Taken as a whole, they present a national action agenda for preventing wildlife from becoming endangered.
See also: A national look at Species of Greatest Conservation Need as reported in State Wildlife Action Plans (DOI, USGS)

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) proclamation in recognition and support of National Pollinator Week -- June 20–26, 2022. Pollinator species, such as bees, other insects, birds, and bats play a critical role in producing more than 100 crops grown in the United States. Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $18 billion in value to agricultural crops annually.

USDA also released its Annual Strategic Pollinator Priorities Report: 2022 [PDF, 1.8 MB] that outlines USDA pollinator research and programmatic priorities for the coming year.

Do you hike, ride, bird, camp, fish, or otherwise recreate in state parks, forests or wildlands? Lend YOUR eyes to help Maryland's biodiversity! The Maryland Natural Heritage Program designed Statewide Eyes to allow volunteers and researchers alike to collect more information about invasive plants on state lands quickly. Volunteers (like you!) use a free mobile application called the Mid-Atlantic Early Detection Network (MAEDN) to identify, photograph and map the location of invasive plants, focusing on ecologically significant sites.

This report reviews developments in state laws and regulations governing invasive species in eleven states. It finds that invasive species laws and regulations are often fragmented and incomplete and have developed primarily on a species-by-species basis in response to crisis. As a result, they often fail to address potential future invaders or close off known invasion pathways. Fortunately, states have begun regulating invasion pathways and identifying species that may become invasive in the future due to climate change or other factors. States are increasingly creating interagency councils and management plans to coordinate these novel invasive species responses.

Welcome to the Campaign Resources section for Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers!. This section provides resources to help achieve your goals of building awareness and increasing engagement. Resources include a graphics library, marketing showroom, and image library.

Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers is an ANS Task Force public awareness campaign intended to educate the public on aquatic nuisance species (ANS) and stop or reduce unintended spread of ANS to new habitat by recreational activities such as boating, fishing, swimming, waterfowl hunting, SCUBA diving or snorkeling, windsurfing, seaplane operations, personal watercraft use, and recreational bait harvesting. This campaign is supported by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Aquatic invasive species pose an ongoing threat to the environment, economy, recreation, and human health and safely. These species are a direct driver of biodiversity loss, yet also hinder economic development, serve as vectors of disease, decrease the aesthetic value of nature, and prevent recreational activities. Keep reading to learn more about these specific threats.

"Tracking the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug" shows growers and others how to identify BMSB, why this pest is important in agriculture, and what's at stake if we don't stop it. Also includes new videos to address recent developments in monitoring, trapping, management, and biological control.

This initiative includes more than 50 researchers from 10 institutions across the U.S. working together on this project team. The team of researchers has mobilized to form a defense against the invasive pest brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). The project team is working to find management solutions for growers, seeking strategies that will protect our food, our environment, and our farms.

The spotted lanternfly (SLF) is a sap-feeding insect native to Asia that feeds on more than 65 plant species and is projected to become a serious pest of specialty crops including grapes, tree fruit, ornamentals, and hardwoods. The goals for this project are to develop efficacious tactics for managing the invasive SLF, on vulnerable specialty crops to reduce the risk of widespread, catastrophic damage and to develop strategies for long-term SLF management.

Find spotted lanternfly (SLF) quarantine regulations and reporting information by state

See also: Stop the Invasion Fact Sheet Set for more resources