We’re back!

Hello! Due to budget concerns, the Oregon Invasive Species Council Coordinator had to take a brief hiatus from social media and website through June. However, we are happy to announce that we’ve returned and are ready to get back on track! Please feel free to send us any information you find relevant to invasive species news, including upcoming events, reports, risk assessments, best practices, or projects you are working on!

The next Council meeting will be held July 30th in Salem. For the most up-to-date information on upcoming Council meetings, please visit our Meetings Page. 

We’re excited to be back!

New Council Member Friday: Olivia Duren

For our first post in the series “New Council Member Fridays,” Meet Olivia Duren:

Joining the Council as an at-large member in 2019! Olivia received her Masters of Science in Botany at Oregon State University and is now a Riparian analyst with The Freshwater Trust. Olivia works at the intersection of applied ecology and restoration. This means she connects research and management for effective restoration practices.

Invasive species are one of the primary threats to successful riparian restoration and the ecosystem services that she is trying to restore (i.e. water retention, water temperature, fish & wildlife habitat). Invasive species, particularly noxious weeds, continue to be a critical issue impacting restoration. Olivia wants to address this issue to protect Oregon’s resources for future generations.

Outside of work, Olivia loves discovering new places to explore with her family. If it’s down a dirt road and along a river, she is there! Recently, Olivia was able to combine her adventures with a role as volunteer botanist out in the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowa Mountains. She combined efforts to both set up a new GLORIA site and spend time catching bugs with her kids.

Picture of Olivia Duren exploring with family and doggo.

As a new Council member, Olivia is most looking forward to learning from her fellow Council members and connecting efforts across Oregon, Idaho, and California.

Oregon Invasive Species Council Welcomes 5 New Council Members for 2018!

Each year, the Oregon Invasive Species Council (OISC) sends out a request for nominations to fill available appointed member seats. Council members are drawn from government agencies, tribes, universities, industries, organizations, and the public with an interest and expertise in some aspect of invasive species management. In December 2018, five new Council members were selected for an upcoming two year term (2019-2020).

In addition to the new council members, Dr. Helmuth Rogg will serve as the Oregon Invasive Species Council Chair for 2019. Helmuth is the Director of Oregon Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) Plant Protection and Conservation Programs Area and has served on the Council as an ex-officio member since 2014.

The OISC welcomes the following new members:

Norie Dimeo-Ediger, Director of K-12 Education Programs, Oregon Forest Resources Institute - 1st term on the Council

Norie is the director of K-12 Education Programs with Oregon Forest Resources Institute and has worked for more than 30 years with K-12 students and teachers in both classroom and field programs. She is well-known and respected throughout the state for working collaboratively to develop and support relevant and useful programming and resources. Norie also brings an expertise in building diverse and collaborative partnerships and an ability to engage audiences in understanding important ecological concepts.

Olivia Duren, Riparian Analyst, The Freshwater Trust - 1st term on the Council

Olivia is the Riparian Analyst at The Freshwater Trust in Portland and has experience collaborating with multi-agency and multi-disciplinary groups to design and implement large-scale restoration and conservation programs. She is interested in two-way collaboration in developing invasive species management, communication, education, and policy strategies that are effective and actionable. Her qualifications include specialization in plant ecology and noxious weed surveys, leadership of multi-state restoration programs, and improving the long-term function of natural systems.

Erin McConnell, OR/WA Invasive Species Program Coordinator, Bureau of Land Management - 1st term on the Council

As the Oregon/Washington Invasive Species Program Coordinator at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Erin provides recommendations for invasive plant management to all BLM offices in Oregon & Washington. She has over 20 years of experience working as a Weed Manager for Oregon BLM, 19 of which were spent working in rural eastern Oregon. She has experience managing BLM District Weed Programs and control activities including chemical, biological, manual, and mechanical methods. She looks forward to strengthening relationships between the BLM and OISC.

Christine Moffitt, Retired Fisheries Biologist - 1st term on the Council

Dr. Christine Moffitt has extensive experience in aquatic resources. After retiring from a long career as an educator and researcher at the University of Idaho and with the USGS, she moved to the South Oregon Coast. Christine is actively engaged in Oregon Coastal issues and presently serves on several boards and councils including the Oregon Sea Grant Advisory Council, the Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, and the Friends of South Slough NEER. She is a Fellow of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) and remains very active at all levels with AFS activities. Her expertise includes ballast disinfection systems, non-native aquatic pathogens, aquaculture risk management, quagga/zebra mussel and other non-native mollusk mitigation, and control measures.

Meg Raabe, Pest Survey Specialist, USDA, APHIS, PPQ- 2nd term on the Council

Meg has been a valuable member of the OISC for the last two years and is now beginning her second term on the Council. As a Pest Survey Specialist with USDA APHIS PPQ, Meg has extensive experience with invasive agricultural pest programs from California to Florida. She brings knowledge of rules and regulations for federally regulated species in addition to experience in invasive agricultural pest and pathogen monitoring.

Visit our Council page for a full list of Ex Officio members and current Appointed Council members.

Emerging Insect Pest Threats Webinar on New OISC Webpage

The OISC has a new webpage, “Invasive Species Videos” which can be found under the “Resources” tab. The Invasive Species Videos webpage will be used as a place to share important invasive species videos from the Council and our partners. If you have any invasive species videos you’d like to share, or know of any YouTube channels that post invasive species videos, please email us a link so we can share it!

Our first video on the new page is a recording of the webinar we hosted on January 17th titled “Emerging Insect Pests: Threats to Oregon’s Agriculture, Forests, and Plant Trade.” This webinar focused on key emerging invasive insect threats that could cause significant, lasting impact to the state. The webinar included the current status of these insects in Oregon, how they get here, the efforts being made to address the issues, and what you personally can do. There were short presentations from the following experts:

Chris Hedstrom, Oregon Department of Agriculture

Wyatt Williams, Oregon Department of Forestry

Meg Raabe, USDA-APHIS-PPQ

1st slide of Emerging Pest webinar outlining the agenda.

Opening slide for of Emerging Pests webinar.

Check out the the new page “Invasive Species Videos ” to watch a full recording of the webinar, along with a handy Q&A sheet with questions (and answers) that were discussed during the webinar. Let’s stop these pests in their tracks!

Comic Recap of the Oregon Interagency Noxious Weed Symposium

Jon Wagner (East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District) was recently presented with a “Special Recognition Award” during the Oregon Interagency Noxious Weed Symposium for his use of comics to further the cause of noxious weed control! Check out some of his amazing comics below that summarize key parts of the symposium.