How Invasive Species Affect Culturally Significant Plants

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde includes people from the Oregon coast to the Cascades, and Portland to the Klamath Basin. The Confederation, which represents 27 tribes and bands speaking at least six different languages, is partnering with Metro to share ecological knowledge and practices in order to keep weeds at bay. Greg Archuleta, a Member of the Confederation, says that while some individuals think it is best to take a hands-off approach and “let nature fix itself”, he says of the confederation, “we’re more hands on”. Archuleta observes forests, prairies, wetlands and more throughout the greater Portland area, taking note of plants that can be used for food, medicine, or art. Aside from his work in the field, Archuleta also recently gave a presentation about native plants and food at the November 2018 OISC Meeting (see recap here).

Camas bulbs, to be prepared for a meal (Photo by Greg Archuleta, 2018).

Camas growing in Oregon (Photo by Greg Archuleta, 2018).

Archuleta’s work often comes into contact with the issue of invasive species. There is a paradox regarding native species that can’t compete with invasives. Research has found that native camas bulbs store some compounds from pesticides, and tribal members don’t feel comfortable eating the bulbs, even if levels of pesticide are considered “safe” by the EPA safety guidelines. However, the purpose of pesticide use is to control invasive weeds like reed canary grass and meadow foxtail that outcompete camas fields. Archuleta strives to resolve the issue by looking at the long-term goal: while he might not be able to gather and eat the bulbs, future generations will.

Read the original article written by Cory Eldridge for Metro News.

Fall 2018 OISC Meeting Recap

Thank you to everyone who came out to our November 2018 OISC meeting that took place earlier this month on the Portland State University campus. This 2-day event included engaging presentations, thoughtful discussions, and a fun social hour to mix things up!

individuals catching up at the social hour on day one of the OISC meeting.

jalene littlejohn from samara group, coordinator for the oregon invasive species council.

Here is a quick recap of the meeting in case you missed it:

• We had more than 55 attendees over the 2-day event Portland, representing nearly 24 organizations to share information and connect programs & priorities to the strategic statewide goals to protect Oregon from invasive species.

• Representation included 6 State Agencies, 3 Educational Institutions, 7 Federal Agencies, 2 Tribes, and many others, including city/state elected officials, NGOs, advocacy groups, and individual community members.

• We heard from 14 speakers from across Oregon, Washington and the Western Governors’ Association.

• Portland State University students in an annual bioinvasions class taught by OISC Member Dr. Catherine de Rivera, presented on their work to develop a top tier “watch list” to accompany the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline.

• Council members formed a working group to focus on engagement around invasive species issues and priorities in eastern Oregon and set priorities for the next OISC meeting including a breakout session to focus on the Statewide Strategic Plan progress report.

Attendees listening to a presentation on day one of the OISC fall 2018 meeting.

Day 1: OISC Meeting in Portland, OR

We learned about and connected with:

• Washington state’s priorities regarding invasive species from Justin Bush with Washington Invasive Species Council (PDF of Presentation, WISC website)

• The Biosecurity Initiative by Western Governors’ Association, from Bill Whitacre with Western Governors’ Association (WGA website)

• Japanese beetle eradication update from Jessica Rendon with Oregon Department of Agriculture (PDF of Presentation, JB website)

• City of Portland planning & summit outcomes from Dominic Maze with City of Portland (PDF of Presentation, City of Portland Invasives website)

• Restoration of important native plants and traditional foods from Greg Archuleta with Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde (PDF of Presentation, CTGR website)

• The connection between art, science, and education from Emily Bosanquet with Pacific Northwest College of Art (link to PDF, PNCA website)

• Flowering rush update from Tim Butler with Oregon Department of Agriculture (PDF of Presentation, ODA Noxious Weed website)

• Postfire recovery in the Columbia Gorge from Chris Aldassy with East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District (PDF of Presentation, EMSWCD website)

• Invasive plant control in the Tualatin Basin from Tyler Pedersen with Tualatin Soil & Water Conservation District (PDF of Presentation, TSWCD website)

• Programs happening at Port of Portland from Dana Green and Matt Paroulek with Port of Portland (PDF of Presentation, Port of Portland website)

• Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Program from Glenn Dolphin with Oregon State Marine Board (PDF of Presentation, OSMB website)

• Rusty crayfish and Northern Pike update from Rick Boatner with Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (PDF of Presentation, ODFW website)

• Aquatic plant and mussel surveys from Rich Miller with Center for Lakes and Reservoirs (PDF of Presentation, CLR website)

clint burfitt from usda animal & plant health inspection service, plant protection and quarantine.

Day 2: OISC Business Meeting in Portland, OR

Chair update and budget report: Quarterly OISC meetings took place throughout the year and there was a lot of work to be done this year to address declining funding for the OISC.  New opportunities, priorities, and partnerships were discussed.

Education Committee updates: The OISC Education Committee gave an update on the Don’t Pack a Pest project, which focuses on international academic travelers. Oregon Sea Grant is working with university program partners to share the “Don’t Pack a Pest” message.

Proposed 2019 Legislative Concept: The proposed legislative concept, if successful as a Bill in the 2019 Oregon Legislative Session, will improve Council membership structure, enhance representation across Oregon and enable strategic implementation of collaborative actions to protect Oregon from invasive species.

PSU’s Bioinvasions Class Presentation: A small group of students from Dr. Catherine de Rivera’s Bioinvasions class at Portland State University is working on a watch list for invasive species in Oregon. The final project will be a short, visual “watchlist” that will accompany the Oregon Invasives Hotline to help people know which invasive species to look for and report. Stay tuned for more details on this project.

Congratulations on another successful Council Meeting!

We hope to see you at our next meeting in 2019.

More details will be available soon on the OISC meetings page.

*Note: The views and opinions expressed in the attached file(s) or link(s) above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oregon Invasive Species Council. Please contact the author directly if you have any questions regarding the content.

Nevada Governor Highlights Impact of Invasive Species, Need for Collaboration

In September, the first workshop of the Western Governors’ Biosecurity and Invasive Species Initiative took place to discuss the vast impact of invasive species in the West. At this workshop, the take home message was that the most effective way to combat invasive species is by taking a collaborative approach to management and removal - sharing information between state programs and learning from one another.

These ideas were expressed by Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval in his opening remarks. “The impacts of invasive species are staggering,” said Gov. Sandoval. “The Nature Conservancy has estimated that in the United States invasive species cost over $120 billion to manage every year, affect an area of more than 100 million acres – an area the size of California – and have contributed to the decline of 42% of threatened and endangered species.” The initiative that is being put forth is called the Biosecurity and Invasive Species Initiative, and it focuses on the impacts that invasive species, pests and pathogens have on different ecosystems. Work for this initiative will continue with workshops in Wyoming, Montana, and Hawaii.

Read the original article by Western Governors’ Association here.

Removing the Threat: Invasive Seaweed from Tsunami Debris

When the tragic Tohoku earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in 2011, effects were felt around the world, even along Oregon’s coast. Soon after the event, debris started washing up on west coast shores with more than just an unpleasing aesthetic: the potential threat of new invasive species.

Gayle Hansen, an Oregon State University algal taxonomist, was one of the researchers who was in Newport when a large concrete dock washed up on shore. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) determined it was imperative to remove the debris from the water as quick as possible to reduce the threat of new aquatic invasives. The persistence and hard work of the individuals tasked with removing the debris was highlighted in a statement by Steven Rumrill of ODFW: "The State of Oregon was able to remove about 90 percent of the derelict and damaged vessels from Japan that arrived along Oregon beaches – and most of the vessels were immediately removed from the surf zone over a period of 24 hours or less”.

Newport, OR: A large concrete dock that floated ashore after the 2011 tsunami in Japan (Photo Credit: Oregon Live).

Hansen is the lead author of a study that was published earlier this month in Phycologia that provided some good news after several years of aquatic invasive species research related to tsunami debris from Japan. Findings concluded that none of the potentially invasive algae, seaweed, or other microorganisms that arrived on debris from Japan were successful in establishing themselves in the waters off of Oregon’s coast and that getting them off the beaches quickly was a “smart move”.

Read the original article written by Kale Williams of The Oregonian here.

Literature Cited
Gayle I. Hansen, Takeaki Hanyuda, and Hiroshi Kawai (2018) Invasion threat of benthic marine algae arriving on Japanese tsunami marine debris in Oregon and Washington, USA. Phycologia: 2018, Vol. 57, No. 6, pp. 641-658.

Emerald Ash Borer Switching Hosts

The Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis), an invasive pest once thought to only target ash trees, appears to be able to utilize a wider variety of trees as hosts. A researcher at Wright State University, Professor Don Cipollini, has found that the green beetle will also attack white fringetree, commonly known as Monrovia (Chionanthus virginicus) (Cipollini and Peterson, 2018). Cipollini was examining some white fringetrees in southwestern Ohio and discovered the tell-tale signs of an emerald ash borer: a D-shaped exit hole. This observation makes the white fringetree the second non-ash EAB host. In 2017, EAB was also observed successfully completing development to adulthood on a major cultivar of olive after its cut stems were inoculated with EAB eggs (Cipollini et al., 2017).

A close-up photo of a white fringetree taken in Maryland (Photo credit: Flickr).

In addition to the threat it poses to native Oregon ash (Fraxinus latifolia) and other ash species planted around the state, EAB’s ability to utilize cultivated olive as a host is another reason for Oregonian’s to be concerned. While still fairly young, the olive industry is growing in the state of Oregon.

It is estimated that the emerald ash borer will have caused $10 billion in economic damage by 2019 across the United States. Now that there is a new potential host for the insect, the extent of the issue could be more devastating than previously understood.

Literature Cited
Cipollini, D., C.M. Rigsby, D.L. Peterson. 2017. Feeding and Development of Emerald Ash Borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) on Cultivated Olive, Olea europaea. Journal of Economic Entomology: 10(4). 1935-1937. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tox139

Cipollini, D. and D.L. Peterson. 2018. The potential for host switching via ecological fitting in the emerald ash borer‐host plant system. Oecologia (2018) 187:507–519. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4089-3