An official website of the United States government.
This database was designed to direct users to invasive species experts. The public portion of the database will guide you to a state contact who acts as a filter for information and identifications.
Expertise Contacts
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Provides selected resources that contain contact information for experts in various disciplines related to invasive species.
Spotlights
USDA. National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Map tool allows access to specific colleges and universities (includes Extension) that make up the land-grant university system and provides links to the institution's websites.
USDA. APHIS. Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS). National Agricultural Pest Information System (NAPIS).
Provides State pest detection contacts, recent state exotic pest news, links to state pest resources, and a list of state CAPS survey targets.
Selected Resources
The section below contains highly relevant resources for this subject, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Expertise Contacts
Council or Task Force
Partnership
Aquatic Invaders in the Marketplace.
Contact the relevant federal or state agency contacts for more information about AIM and/or regulations.
USDA. ARS. Integrated Weed Management Resource Center.
The Integrated Weed Management (IWM) Resource Center is a place to find helpful, trustworthy resources on using integrated weed management for herbicide resistant weeds. Provides a clearinghouse of reliable educational resources necessary to integrate new weed management practices successfully, from trusted sources throughout the U.S.
See also: Explore questions and answers
USDA. Forest Service; Southern Regional Extension Forestry. Forest Health Program.
National Plant Diagnostic Network.
First Detector, a program of the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN), equips a nationwide network of individuals to rapidly detect and report the presence of invasive, exotic plant pathogens, arthropods, nematodes, and weeds. If you suspect the presence of a high-impact plant pest or pathogen, contact a diagnostician and submit a sample for diagnosis.
DOI. U.S. Geological Survey; Great Lakes Commission; DOC. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Great Lakes Fishery Commission.
Looking for answers to your mussel questions? Interested in funding opportunities and compliance requirements for research? Want more information about management and control of mussels? There are a variety of experts within the Invasive Mussel Collaborative ready to answer whatever questions you may have!
National Plant Diagnostic Network.
NPDN is a national network of diagnostic laboratories that rapidly and accurately detect and report pathogens that cause plant diseases of national interest, particularly those that could be deemed to be a biosecurity risk. The specific purpose of the NPDN is to provide a cohesive, distributed system to quickly detect and identify pests and pathogens of concern.
NatureServe.
This searchable directory includes contact information and self-identified areas of individual expertise for NatureServe, NatureServe Canada, and our Network Programs in the United States, Canada, and Latin America. More than 80 NatureServe Network Programs collect and analyze data about the plants, animals, and ecological communities of the Western Hemisphere. They are the leading source of information on the precise locations and conditions of at-risk species and threatened ecosystems in their jurisdictions. NatureServe collects, curates, and distributes that information for use at regional, national, and international scales. Staff throughout the Network are experts in their fields, and include some of the most knowledgeable field biologists and conservation planners in their regions.
Cornell University. College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
National Information System for the Regional IPM Centers.
Provides a searchable database for various key contacts, coordinators and experts.
DOC. NOAA. National Sea Grant Office.
Provides contact information for State Sea Grant Programs Websites. The Sea Grant Directors lead the 33 Sea Grant programs, the National Sea Grant Law Center, and the National Sea Grant Library based at top universities in every coastal and Great Lakes state, Puerto Rico, and Guam, working to bring the robust intellectual capacity in place at these universities to bear on important societal problems. They coordinate program activities, setting local, regional and national priorities, and work as part of a national network to help citizens and businesses understand, conserve and better utilize America’s coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources.
DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Provides contact information for staff in federal agencies.
Federal Government
USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station.
Rocky Mountain Research Station personnel have scientific expertise in widely ranging disciplines and conduct multidisciplinary research on invasive species issues with emphasis in terrestrial and aquatic habitats throughout the Interior West, Great Plains, and related areas.
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
USDA Service Centers are designed to be a single location where customers can access the services provided by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Rural Development agencies. This locator site provides Agency offices serving your area (by state and county).
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
You can also search Ask USDA's comprehensive knowledge base for answers to hundreds of commonly asked questions.
DOI. FWS. Fisheries and Habitat Conservation.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Aquatic Invasive Species Program supports a dedicated group of people who work closely with state invasive species coordinators, non-governmental groups, private landowners and many others in their day-to-day activities.
DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Partners Program provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners and Tribes who are willing to work with us and other partners on a voluntary basis to help meet the habitat needs of our Federal Trust Species.
USDA. Natural Resources Conservation Service.
NRCS offers technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers and forest managers.
DHHS. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Provides links and resources for State Health Departments, many of which have information about Zika virus and West Nile virus with specific state information.
DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works in partnership with many organizations and individuals. Fish and wildlife conservation requires coordinated efforts by the states and the territories, as well as private landowners, tribes, and other countries besides the U.S. Provides a starting point for finding the state and territory agencies that manage fish and wildlife resources.
DOI. FWS. Fisheries and Habitat Conservation.
Provides aquatic invasive species contact(s) for each state.
USDA. APHIS. Plant Protection and Quarantine.
State Plant Health Directors (SPHD) direct federal APHIS-PPQ pest detection and regulatory activities in cooperation with state officials. SPHDs coordinate the initial PPQ emergency response if an exotic pest is detected in the state.
To report a pest or disease, contact your local APHIS office or call USDA Customer Service toll free at 1-844-820-2234 (Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern).
State and Local Government
University of Maryland. Cooperative Extension. Home and Garden Information Center.
Have a plant or pest question? Questions from Maryland and the District of Columbia are answered by Home and Garden Information Center’s Certified Professional Horticulturists. If you are located outside of these areas, you will be asked to enter your state and county. Your question will be forwarded to the appropriate extension expert.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Academic
eXtension.
eXtension is an educational partnership of more than 70 universities to help you improve your life every day with access to objective, research-based information and educational opportunities. Categories include integrated pest management and fire ants. Requires free registration.
See also: Use the One Search service to search the resources provided by your Cooperative Extension Service using a Google Custom Search Engine that includes many of the Cooperative Extension web sites provided by your Land-Grant institutions.
Note: Ask an Expert has been discontinued. The service has transitioned to a new platform with a new name: Ask Extension.
University of Texas - Austin. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Native Plant Information Network.
Ask a question or search the extensive database of frequently asked questions - and their answers! Topics include invasive plants, native grasses, plants and trees as well as other topics.
Professional
Oregon State University. National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC).
Through its county agents, the Cooperative Extension Service gives individuals access to the resources at land-grant universities across the nation. These universities are centers for research in many subjects, including entomology (the study of insects) and agriculture. Each county within the United States has an Extension office, which is staffed with agents who work closely with university-based Extension specialists to deliver answers to your questions about gardening, agriculture, and pest control.
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
Provides lists of sites for governmental members (U.S. state and territorial fish and wildlife agencies), North American members, affiliate members, and contributing members.
North American Native Plant Society.
Local Native Plant Societies are often your best source of information about plants native to your area.
Note: Provides information for State and Canadian Provinces.
National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA).
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture is comprised of the departments of agriculture in all fifty states and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. NASDA Members are coregulators with the federal government on a host of responsibilities including animal health, farmland protection, food safety, grain regulation, pesticide registration, and more.