FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2024
Contact:
Sam Chan, OISC Chair | samuel.chan@oregonstate.edu
Robyn Draheim, OISC Coordinator | coordinator@oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org
OREGON INVASIVE SPECIES COUNCIL ANNOUNCES 2022-2023 AWARD WINNERS
Emerald Ash Borer Cooperators Sweep Awards Categories
SALEM, Oregon - Every biennium, the Oregon Invasive Species Council (OISC) highlights, through special recognition awards, those people and organizations protecting Oregon’s natural resources, economy, and quality of life from the devastating effects of invasive species. This year, the enormity of the State’s efforts to respond to the invasive insect pest, the Emerald Ash Borer, is reflected in the number of nominees and award winners recognized for their contributions to this ongoing response.
Jim Seeley Award | Robert Emanuel, Clean Water Services
Created in honor of Jim Seeley (OISC Council Member 2015-2018), former Executive Director of the Wild Rivers Coast Alliance, this award is presented to an individual or group who has demonstrated leadership at the local or regional level and beyond through collaborative efforts to protect cultural, natural, and economic resources from invasive species. While Robert has been instrumental in protecting Oregon's natural landscapes for many years, his leadership on the Emerald Ash Borer Task Force and his tireless efforts to involve the local community in responding to this invasive species earned him this special commendation.
Eagle Eye Award | Dominic Maze, City of Portland, Bureau of Environmental Services
This award was created to recognize the person or persons reporting the most critical sightings of an invasive species. On June 30, 2022, Dominic Maze made the first Emerald Ash Borer detection in Oregon while waiting to pick up his kids from camp. Dominic’s discovery of Emerald Ash Borer in a parking lot in Forest Grove was the first known sighting on the West Coast. He immediately called the Oregon Department of Forestry’s (ODF) Forest Health Unit to report the sighting.
“When my kids arrived, I asked them to look for adult beetles,” said Maze. “My son promptly found one crawling on him. Knowing how many millions of ash trees across the country these beetles have killed, I felt like I was going to throw up.”
As unsettling as this discovery may have seemed, Dominic’s Eagle Eye detection and reporting was invaluable in activating the State’s Emerald Ash Borer response.
Invader Crusader Award | The Valley School of Southern Oregon
This award, presented to the Oregon student(s) making a difference in protecting Oregon from invasive species, goes to the Valley School for their participation in the Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council's Grow Youth program. During this program, 120 participating students removed approximately 2,000 square feet of invasive star thistle and 1,500 square feet of invasive blackberry at the Provolt Recreation Site, southeast of Grants Pass. The Applegate Partnership & Watershed Council reports that these hard-working students were “complete rock stars.”
Sandra Denyes Diedrich Award | Dr. Sylvia Behrens Yamada, Oregon State University
Created in honor of Sandy Diedrich, the indefatigable founder of the Forest Park Ivy Removal Project aka the No Ivy League, this award is presented to the person or organization making the most outstanding contribution to protecting Oregon from invasive species. This year the Council has chosen to recognize Dr. Sylvia Yamada’s extensive efforts focused on understanding one of Oregon's most potentially destructive species, the green crab. Sylvia, who literally wrote the book on green crab, Global Invader: The European Green Crab (2001), has been sampling green crabs along the Oregon coast since 1998. She has continued this work through her retirement and has kept up her sampling of green crab adults and young recruits. From this work, and the work of her students, we have a much better understanding of the colonization of green crabs along the Pacific Coast.
“Sylvia has greatly enhanced our ability to manage green crabs in Oregon through her unwavering commitment to understanding green crab ecology and communicating her findings to all who will listen.” - Dr. Sam Chan, 2024 Oregon Invasive Species Council chair
Outstanding Agency Partner Award | Dr. Wyatt Williams, Oregon Department of Forestry; Dr. Max Ragozzino and Matthew Mills, Oregon Department of Agriculture
This trio of state agency employees are presented with the Industry Partner Award in recognition for their efforts, going above and beyond the call of duty to respond to Emerald Ash Borer, leading education and outreach efforts, coordinating partners, offering trainings and presentations to multiple audiences, facilitating and participating on the Emerald Ash Borer Task Force and other organizing to respond to this serious threat to our native ecosystems.
“[We] appreciate how inclusive, supportive and respectful the highlighted staff make the sub-committees and how these ODA and ODF staff have mobilized so quickly to put into place almost every tool in the arsenal, including trap deployment and support, biocontrol, research / testing and resources on burning ash wood waste, and other efforts.” - West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
Industry Partner Award | Mark Wiegardt (deceased, 2024) and Sue Cudd, Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery
This award is presented to the private industry individual or company that has made a significant difference in protecting Oregon from invasive species. Mark Wiegardt and Sue Cudd, co-owners of Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery and Pearl Point Oyster Farms in Netarts were among the inaugural members of the Oregon Invasive Species Council. During their service on the Council, Mark and Sue brought invaluable coastal industry perspectives and advocacy for aquatic invasive species management and prevention not only for the shellfish industry but for the protection and conservation of coastal communities and ecosystems. Even after their service to the Council ended, they continued to be invasive species leaders and conveners in the shellfish industry. Mark and Sue exemplify the valuable leadership and contributions to Oregon's coastal resilience that citizens in industry can have.
Industry Partner Award | Ryan Ramage, Valley Environmental, LLC
This award is presented to the private industry individuals or company that has made a significant difference in protecting Oregon from invasive species. When Emerald Ash Borer was first discovered Ryan Ramage and Valley Environmental, LLC, based in Canby, OR, stepped up with their licensed and registered air curtain incinerator (ACI). State water quality, air quality and forestry officials say the ACI (a portable alternative to traditional open burning that produces lower emissions) could change the path of infested wood disposal. Prior strategies prescribed burning infested trees in open burn fires –frequently involving moving felled trees and risking the spread of ash borer. Ryan conducted a demonstration burn at a woodlot in West Linn for the Oregon Department of Forestry, the US Forest Service, and other agencies. Subsequently his company and their ACI unit was used for the DEQ test burn conducted to measure emissions from burning ash wood.
Service Award | Rick Boatner, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (retired)
The prestigious Service Award is presented to the person or persons who have demonstrated extraordinary service to the Oregon Invasive Species Council. Rick Boater, Invasive Species Coordinator and Wildlife Integrity Supervisor for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, has served as an ex-officio member of the Oregon Invasive Species Council for nearly 20 years. During that time Rick has handled a veritable menagerie of nonnative wildlife from alligator snapping turtles to invasive crayfish. In partnership with other state invasive species experts, Rick helped Oregon develop and operate watercraft inspection stations to prevent the introduction of zebra and quagga mussels. Rick leaves ODFW with a legacy of ongoing invasive species management programs.
Service Award | Dr. Shawna Bautista, USDA Forest Service (retired)
The prestigious Service Award is presented to the person or persons who have demonstrated extraordinary service to the Oregon Invasive Species Council. Shawna Bautista represented the USDA Forest Service on the Council from 2014-2022. During that period and until her retirement in 2022, she maintained a strong relationship with the Council. Her most important accomplishments directly to the council included her work on the Oregon Statewide Strategic Plan for Invasive Species (2017-2027) and its parallel 5-year action plan. When the Council faced financial challenges, she committed federal funding, through an existing agreement with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, to support the coordinator and host its meetings. The certainty and flexibility of that funding has benefited the Council for many years. Shawna’s “day job” involved coordinating and providing leadership to the National Forests and partner agencies regarding invasive plants and pesticide use. In her work on Forest Service NEPA and land management plans, influenced by Invasive Species Council relationships, she ensured those documents included appropriately inclusive invasive species language that didn’t inadvertently create barriers to management of many taxa.
Oregon Invasive Species Council award winners will be recognized at an awards luncheon on March 21, 2024, from 12pm-2pm in Salem. If you are interested in attending, please reach out to the OISC Coordinator at coordinator@oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org. For more information on this meeting and other Council events please visit the Council website.
About the Oregon Invasive Species Council | www.oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org
The Oregon Invasive Species Council (OISC) is a group of representatives from state and public agencies, scientists, educators, and members of the public who lead Oregon’s fight against the threat of invasive plants and animals. They collaborate with a broad coalition of people to spearhead initiatives to increase citizen understanding and involvement in protecting the state against the harms of invasive species. The OISC provides the means for multi-agency communication and collaboration to meet the state's goals. Notable activities and achievements are categorized under the responsibilities of the Council, as set forth in ORS 570.755. These include maintaining an invasive species reporting hotline, educating the public about invasive species, developing a statewide plan for invasive species, and providing an emergency grant program for the eradication of invasive species. The OISC was created by the Oregon Legislature in 2001 and receives funding through a variety of state, federal, and private donations.
