Invasive Species - What's New on NISIC's Site

The annual PlayCleanGo Awareness Week (June 3, 10, 2023) will be held across North America. The goal of the campaign is to show outdoor enthusiasts how they can stop invasive plants and pests from spreading — while enjoying the great outdoors.

PlayCleanGo is an education and outreach campaign for outdoor recreationalists in North America. The goal is to encourage outdoor recreation while protecting valuable natural resources. The objective is to slow or stop the spread of terrestrial invasive species (those that occur on land) through changes in public behavior. See how you can take action and stop invasive species in your tracks.
See also: 2023 PlayCleanGo Awareness Week National Press Release [PDF, 63 KB]

The Don't Move Firewood campaign will be hosting a few live webinars (May 24-25) during 2023 Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Awareness Week (May 22-28, 2023).  Hear from researchers and managers alike over the course of three live webinars in two days. We'll talk about communication strategies and public acceptance of EAB management, what's going on in Oregon and other states as EAB spreads in the West, and findings on EAB survivability in extreme cold temperatures. Webinars will be recorded and available for registrants.
See related resource: Don't Move Firewood

This year’s unusually warm winter and spring has led to the early hatch of spotted lanternfly (SLF) in states to our south.  Reports have come in over the past couple of weeks of SLF hatching from Virginia to Pennsylvania, and we anticipate them following suit here in Massachusetts in the next month.

A new program will enable anyone who walks the shorelines of Puget Sound to identify one of Washington state’s most concerning invasive species: European green crab.

In response to this shore crab’s booming population, Washington State University Extension and Washington Sea Grant outreach specialists are rolling out the Molt Search program in May.

This Story from NAL's Collection invites readers to appreciate the complex history of foot-and-mouth disease and the relationship between the United States and Mexico. It briefly chronicles the 1946-1954 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Mexico and how the United States and Mexican governments worked together to eradicate the disease.

Imagine a devastating plant disease that sweeps the land, decimating crops. For Florida’s citrus growers, that apocalyptic vision is not a horror movie, but a reality: since it was first identified in the Sunshine State in 2005, citrus greening disease has reduced Florida’s citrus production by a whopping 70%. Without any treatment or cure available, desperate growers have cut down infected trees or abandoned their groves entirely. Scientists have been racing to come up with a solution. Now, an ARS research team believes it may have one, in the form of: stingrays.

Building a structure for interagency coordination to support early detection surveillance and rapid response to invasive species. Scientists and resource managers agree that preventing invasive species establishment is the most cost-effective approach to avoiding many of the long-term economic, environmental, and societal costs associated with invasive species.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) was passed in 2021, a portion of which was directed to funding invasive species detection, prevention, eradication, including research.

See also: Geonarratives for all USGS geonarrative / story map resources

Hemlocks in the U.S. are vulnerable to attack by a small insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). This insect looks like tiny cotton balls on the needles of the tree and can kill the trees by feeding on the sap. The adelgid has decimated stands of hemlocks in the eastern U.S. While insecticides and biological control measures can offer some relief, the best way to combat HWA is to develop genetic resistance in the trees.

The Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee (ICRCC) is pleased to announce the release of its 2023 Invasive Carp Action Plan, a comprehensive portfolio of more than 50 projects focused on Great Lakes protection. The action plan serves as a foundation for the work of the Invasive Carp Regional Coordinating Committee partnership, a collaboration of 26 U.S. and Canadian federal, state, provincial, tribal, regional and local agencies.
See also: Action Plans and Report (see "Action Plan" section for 2023 Action Plan)

The Aquatic Invasive Species Commission and key partners received input from and engaged in dialogue with key stakeholders, federal and state decision makers, and leading experts. Recommendations focus on modernizing marine fisheries laws, making strategic investments, and improving collaboration among federal, state, local, and tribal agencies. The purpose of this collaborative process was intended to assess the current threat from aquatic invasive species (AIS), explore gaps in public policy and funding, and offer recommendations for how AIS can be addressed more effectively at the federal, state, tribal and regional levels.
See also: The new report Report and Recommendations: Improving the Prevention, Eradication, Control and Mitigation of Aquatic Invasive Species (Feb 2023) [PDF, 908 KB]