Current Invasive Species News:

National Pollinator Week -- Jun 22-28, 2008
Pollinator Partnership.
Due to the enormous success of National Pollinator Week 2007, officially declared by the U.S. Senate (S.Res. 580) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Pollinator Partnership has received requests from all over the continent to expand on this year's festivities and events.

Pollinators
DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Includes presention that provides an introduction to pollinators.

EPA Begins Development of New Regulations for Boaters (Jul 17, 2008)
EPA. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
As they await a court ruling currently under appeal, the EPA proposed new discharge rules under the Clean Water act that could affect as many as 91,000 and 13 million recreational boats. According to the EPA, as a result of a court ruling currently under appeal, vessel owners or operators whose discharges have been exempt from Clean Water Act requirements for the last 35 years will require a permit as of Sep 30, 2008. Under the proposal, commercial and large recreational vessel general permits would cover all vessels 79 feet or longer and smaller recreational vessels – those less than 79 feet in length - would need to comply with "new and established best management practices." These new regulations are set to take effect in Sep 30, 2008, if Congress does not pass the Clean Boating Act of 2008. Submit comments by Aug 1, 2008.

• What does this mean for boaters? (PDF | 138 KB)
  BoatU.S.
• Webcast Overview / Session Description and Registration -- Jul 2, 2008 (12-1:30 pm); Webcast will provide information on this proposed permit.

Species Profile -- Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia
USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) virus is a serious pathogen of fresh and saltwater fish that is causing an emerging disease in the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada. It causes clinical signs including internal hemorrhaging and death in susceptible species. The disease does not pose a risk to people, but the VHS virus can affect multiple fish species at any age.

Reports Highlight Environmental Trends Call for Action on Better Data (Jun 17, 2008)
H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment.
The State of the Nation's Ecosystems 2008 report released by the Heinz Center provides authoritative documentation of key environmental trends.

Threatened or Invasive? Species' Fates Identified (Jun 13, 2008)
The University of Adelaide (Australia).
A new ecological study led by a University of Adelaide researcher should help identify species prone to extinction under environmental change, and species that are likely to become a pest.

New Ballast Treatment Could Help Shield Lake Superior from Deadly Fish Disease (Jun 4, 2008)
Michigan Technological University.
A Michigan Technological University professor has developed a new water treatment that could help keep a deadly fish disease (viral hemorrhagic septicemia) out of Lake Superior.

USDA Report Says Climate Change Affecting Crops, Livestock (Jun 4, 2008)
AG Weekly.
Climate change is increasing the risk of U.S. crop failures, depleting the nation’s water resources and contributing to outbreaks of invasive species and insects, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a report released Tuesday.

Report -- Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity (May 27, 2008)
U.S. Climate Change Science Program.

New Trend in Biofuels Has New Risks (May 21, 2008)
New York Times.
Some of the most commonly recommended species for biofuels production are also major invasive alien species. The quick growth and need for little maintenance that make some grasses attractive as biofuels also make them liable to spread where they're unwanted.

Don't Move Firewood - Protect the Nations Forests
USDA. FS. Northeastern Area. Forest Health Protection.
Buy and use your firewood locally. Don’t take it with you and don’t bring any back.
Do you want to protect trees? Then, don’t move firewood. Moving firewood can spread invasive, tree-killing diseases and insect pests like the Asian longhorned beetle and the Emerald Ash Borer.

What Campers Need to Know (PDF | 96 KB)
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

What's New See What's New on our Web site.
Email updates available.

Interactive Learning Module
Why are invasives a problem?