Meet Christine Moffitt!

For our third installment of New Council Member Fridays, we’re happy to introduce Christine Moffitt! 

Christine spent the summer of 1969 in Coos Bay at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, which fueled her love for the Oregon coast. Christine says her favorite place in Oregon is the Shore Acres state park due to the natural beauty, amazing beaches, and dramatic waves one can encounter there.

In her role as a fisheries biologist, Christine’s work was directly affected by invasive species introductions. She focused her research on understanding aquatic systems, which includes the present-day consequences of invasive species introductions made more than 150 years ago, when fisheries and biologists didn’t know how drastic those consequences would be. She has mostly spent time working on the removal of invasive fish, including eradicating carp. Christine got involved with other, smaller organisms while studying whirling disease, mollusks, and shellfish. Her biggest concern is the altering of ecosystems: small organisms are so easily transported, hard to see and understand, and there is still so much about them that is unknown. Globalization poses a large threat due to transportation and speed at which organisms are being relocated.

As a newly appointed Oregon Invasive Species Council member, Christine is most looking forward to using her knowledge to make a difference and support education and awareness about invasive species. In addition to her accolades as a biologist and role as Emerita professor at the University of Idaho, she also loves music and is the president of the Oregon Coast Music Association.

Oregon Invasive Species Hotline in Action

In May of this year, an Oregon Forest Pest Detectors (OFPD) program graduate submitted a report to the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline after finding D-shaped exit holes and a green insect on a twinberry in her yard in SE Portland. The OFPD program trains volunteers to monitor for and report potential infestations of invasive forest pests. The green insect was later identified as Agrilus cyanescens, an exotic beetle that has been established in the eastern U.S. since the 1920s, but had never before been detected in the Pacific Northwest. 

In early August, another OFPD graduate submitted a report to the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline after she noticed similar damage to a twinberry in her yard in NE Portland. This was also later confirmed to also be Agrilus cyanescens. 

At this time, the Oregon Department of Agriculture does not believe Agrilus cyanescens will be an economic, ecological, or horticultural pest. However, if you do notice any signs or symptoms of Agrilus cyanescens (branch dieback, D-shaped exit holes, serpentine-shaped galleries beneath the bark, and metallic green beetles feeding on leaves in April-May), we encourage you to submit a report. 

Thank you to these two Oregon Forest Pest Detectors for being on the lookout and submitting a report to the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline! 

This story was originally shared in the
OFPD Summer 2019 newsletter

Summer 2019 OISC Meeting Recap

Thank you to everyone who came out to our July 2019 OISC meeting that took place at the Oregon Department of Forestry in Salem, OR. Here is a quick recap of the meeting in case you missed it:

Chair Update and Budget Report

The legislative session ended on June 30, 2019 and the OISC received $150,000, plus a one-time appropriation of $300,000 through House Bill 5050. Between now and the next Council meeting, a budget will be developed that includes Council operations, contribution to the state’s emergency control account for invasive species, and education & outreach grants.

WGA Policy Resolution 2019-06, Biosecurity and Invasive Species Management Update

Bill Whitacre from the Western Governors Association joined the meeting via conference call. WGA’s Biosecurity Initiative is a year long initiative including four workshops in the west and a resulting report with policy resolution. Each workshop was held on a different topic and recordings are available online if you missed them. You can also find the  Policy Resolution 2019-06 here, which gives direction to WGA going forward and the Biosecurity and Invasive Species Initiative Special Report, which includes 30-40 specific recommendations to improve invasive species management in the west.

Council Priorities & Implementation

With the passing of Senate Bill 445, there will be updates to the Council’s membership, leadership and reporting structure. Next steps for the Council include updating the Council’s operating procedures, Administrative Rules and work plan to satisfy both the resulting changes from SB445 and the Statewide Strategic Plan for Invasive Species. Highlights from three priority topic discussions about council priorities and implementation are below.

Small Group Working Session Highlights

Snapshot of Outreach & Education Grants Discussion

Discussed a two-tiered approach for launching an outreach & education grant program. 

• Tier One: General invasive pest topics or campaigns based on Council’s priorities. Discussed media and collaboration with travel organizations and other industries.

• Tier Two: Fewer, smaller projects or campaigns including social media and school projects (outdoor school, sports clubs, etc.)

Snapshot of Council Priorities Discussion

• SB 445 implementation

• Evaluate Action Plan

• Maintain hotline

• Fundraising & grant writing

• Working with industry

• 2020 Summit

Snapshot of Communication Planning Discussion

• Create products that share stories

• Connect efforts and people

• Emphasis on benefits of coordinated effort 

• Cross-boundary collaborations

• Publicize invasive hotline 

• Robust events calendar

• Interactive story map showcasing across the state

Thank you for a productive Council Meeting!

We hope to see you at the next meeting in eastern Oregon on October 15-17, 2019. More details will be available soon on the OISC meetings page.

Be on the Lookout for Spotted Lanternfly

New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation issued a statement warning residents to be on alert for the well-known invasive bug called the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). These bugs feed on more than 70 species of plants, including some that are economically important to Oregon, such as apple trees, grapevines, and hops. Before the bugs become adults, the nymphs are small and black with white spots, which turn red for a short period of time and look like the one featured below in the video. While these invasive pests have not been reported in Oregon, it’s important to be informed and stay on the lookout for potential threats. If you think you’ve found a spotted lanternfly nymph or an adult spotted lanternfly, please call the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline at 1-866-INVADER (1-866-468-2337). To learn more about the spotted lanternfly, check out this useful webpage here.

Spotted lanternfly fourth (final) instar nymph (immature). Credit: itchydogimages

Profile of spotted lanternfly adult at rest. Note the wings are held tent-like over the back of the insect. Credit: Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

Meet Norie Dimeo-Ediger!

Meet Norie Dimeo-Ediger, joining the OISC in 2019 as an at-large Council member. Norie holds a master’s degrees in both K-12 science education and adult education, and she currently acts as the Director of K-12 Education Programs at the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. Throughout her career, she has acted as an educator in many settings, from classroom to field programs to community colleges to her current setting at the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. She has both formal and non-formal environmental and outdoor education experience.

Having worked for over 30 years in and outside the classroom, educating students of all ages, it is an exciting opportunity to have Norie on the Council. 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.

When it comes to invasive species work, Norie comes at this topic with a lens of forest management. Invasive species are of paramount importance for the health of forest species and forest practices. A top concern of Norie’s is the invasive species that are introduced via firewood. She understands the importance of storytelling when it comes to educating about the threats of invasive species, which is part of why she’s excited to be a newly appointed OISC Council member! Norie told us in an interview, “I’m most looking forward to leveraging resources, not reinventing wheels. I look for different talents and ways to approach solutions in a group setting.”