Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced that the department is launching an effort at nine state parks this summer to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, and get boaters involved in invasive species detection. "Boats, motors, and trailers have ideal hiding spots where species may attach, and be transported to new locations," Dunn said. "Boaters must be involved in helping us protect state park waters from invaders, to benefit our environment and avoid very costly measures to treat lakes once these non-native species take hold." Starting this week, DCNR staff will be doing voluntary boat and trailer checks at boat launches on park lakes, handing out informational brochures and demonstrating how to do an inspection.
Pennsylvania
Spotlights
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Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
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Pennsylvania State University.An $800,000 grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will support a two-year effort to control and prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species across Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on the Lake Erie Basin. The funding, through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, supports efforts to implement Pennsylvania’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Management Plan. It will directly support nine field projects to prevent or control the spread of aquatic invasive species, including: targeted control of Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) in Pymatuning Lake; the removal of red-eared slider turtles from Presque Isle Bay; and surveys of Natural Heritage Areas within the Lake Erie watershed.
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Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.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.
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Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.On Aug. 9, 2011, the department in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Penn State Cooperative Extension confirmed the presence of Thousand Cankers Disease in black walnut trees in Bucks County. Since this pest complex cannot be eradicated in Pennsylvania, and since black walnut is of high value to the forest products industry and to forest and urban ecologies, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is joining with state and federal agencies and Penn State Cooperative Extension to slow the spread of TCD in the state through monitoring and quarantine. For more information or to report a possible case of Thousand Cankers Disease on walnut please contact your Pennsylvania local county cooperative extension office or contact the Invasive Species Hotline at 1-866-253-7189 or Badbug@pa.gov.
State Specific Threats
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University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Includes invasive species by category for insects, diseases, plants, and animals.
See also: Invasive Species Status Report by Congressional District -
DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.Provides fact sheets, maps and collection information for aquatic vertebrates and invertebrates occurring outside of their native range.
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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.
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USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.See also: Includes also Federal Noxious Weed List and Federal and State Noxious Weeds -- Composite (summary of noxious status for all the listed plants in the U.S.)
Selected Resources
The section below contains selected highly relevant resources for this locaton, organized by source. To view all related content for this location, click on "View all resources for location" in the top left of this page.
Council or Task Force
Governor's Invasive Species Council of Pennsylvania.
Federal Government
State and Local Government
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
Scroll to view list of aquatic species banned in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
The Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services (BAHDS) is responsible for controlling and eradicating diseases in livestock and poultry. This mission is critical since these diseases have the potential to impact human health and cause significant economic loss to farmers and the commonwealth. In addition, BAHDS administers regulatory programs for animal health certification, containment of diseased animals and elimination of disease agents.
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
The Bureau of Plant Industry provides services to maintain and protect Pennsylvania agriculture through both consumer protection and product regulation.
Academic
Pennsylvania State University. Pennsylvania Sea Grant.
The PA Sea Grant participates in several projects related to education, outreach, research, control, and management of aquatic and terrestrial invasive species.