Connect with the Oregon Invasive Species Council

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February 27th–March 3rd is National Invasive Species Week. For our part, in recent weeks the Oregon Invasive Species Council (the Council) has a unveiled a new statewide strategic plan, a working action plan with recommendations for invasive species managers in the state, an updated website, and new ways for you connect with the council.

Moving into 2017, the Council will continue to help coordinate the efforts between invasive species managers so that any Oregonian has the means to detect, eradicate, and manage invasive species to protect Oregon’s economy, environment, and overall health. With respect to Oregon’s varied natural resources, economies, and environments, we look forward to highlighting the issues and solutions of our coastal region at our upcoming Information Forum on Monday, March 20th in Astoria, OR.  

If you are interested in partnering more closely with the council through shared communications, presentation at a council meeting, or documentation of your actions that help us meet the statewide strategic objectives to protect Oregon from invasive species, please contact coordinator@oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org.

Check back in throughout the week to learn more about our partners that are hard at work across the state.  Like OISC on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@OIScouncil) for regular updates about the work of our network.

—Your Oregon Invasive Species Council Coordinators

 

Early Detection, Rapid Response

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A recent report by the U.S. Department of Interior, Safeguarding America’s Lands and Waters from Invasive Species: A National Framework for Early Detection and Rapid Response, recognizes invasive species as one of the most significant ecological threats to America’s natural resources. As directed by the Whitehouse’s Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, the National Invasive Species Council (NISC) will use the reports’ recommendations to work with a multi-stakeholder task force to create a national framework for Early Detection Rapid Response.

The creation of a national framework for EDRR by the NISC will support the efforts of stakeholders by:

  1. Establishing a multi-stakeholder EDRR Task Force

  2. Convening high-level decision makers to assess funding mechanisms for a nation-wide preparedness and an emergency response initiative

  3. Advancing pilot projects targeted for high priority areas

  4. Scaling partnerships across government and with private, non-profit, and scientific communities

  5. Fostering the development and application of innovative scientific and technical approaches to EDRR

Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) proves a critical tool in identifying an invasive species (IS) problem, and containing or eradicating it before it becomes widely established. The eradication of an invasive species reduces the environmental and economic costs associated with both the loss of ecosystem services due to the invasion, and also greatly reduces the cost of managing the problem of an invasion over time.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is currently working to deploy EDRR in response to a newly identified invasive species threat in Portland, Oregon - the Asian Gypsy Moth (AGM) Lymantria dispar asiatica. The AGM is a subspecies of the dreaded European gypsy moth (EGM), who are widely known for their prolific destruction of forests on the East Coast. Unfortunately, the AGM is even better suited to wreck havoc than the EGM, as the AGM has a much broader host range, and the female moth is able to fly, allowing the populations to expand further and quicker than the feared EGM. In response to the threat of losing Portland’s prized urban forests to an invasive species, the ODA treated affected areas with an aerial application of the biological pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (BTK) in the early Spring 2016.

We will keep our fingers crossed that the timely use of EDRR proves successful in eradicating AGM before it establish’s in the deeply loved forest’s of Portland, Oregon!

The attention to the importance of combating invasive species and the development of national protocols are exciting developments! As communities work to protect and conserve their natural resources, EDRR will continue to prove an invaluable tool in the fight against invasive species.

Take a look at the report, “Safeguarding America’s Lands and Waters from Invasive Species A National Framework for Early Detection and Rapid Response” here: https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/National%20EDRR%20Framework.pdf


Please, let us know what you think about these exciting developments!

Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Council Summer 2016 Workshops

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The Pacific Northwest Invasive Plant Council (PNW IPC) has scheduled two summer workshops for 2016. Speakers at the 2016 workshops will present research and work on many of the Pacific Northwest’s most significant emergent and aquatic invasive species. The first workshop will be held June 28th in Bellevue Washington at the Lewis Creek Visitor Center. The second will be held June 29th in Portland Oregon at the Metro Council Chambers in downtown.  Both workshops will include the opportunity for pesticide recertification credits as well as Society of Wetland Scientists PWS credits.  Lunch and t-shirts will be provided to all participants.

Oregon Invasive Species Hotline Launches Redesigned Website

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The Oregon Invasive Species Hotline, an online reporting and reviewing tool used by citizens and dozens of local and state agencies, has been relaunched with a new look and new functionality. Funding for the Hotline upgrade was provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and contributions from members of the Oregon Forest Pest Detector Program and the interagency Oregon Invasive Species Council. The new website will make it even easier for citizens to report sightings and learn about the invasive species that threaten Oregon’s environment and economy.

Hotline visitors can easily search for existing reports by clicking icons on the map, or typing in more detailed searches into a search bar. Photos are now more prominent and easier to add to reports from a mobile phone. The site has been redesigned with smart phones in mind, and reports can be easily made or searched from your phone’s internet browser.

The Hotline was first launched in 2008 and has been an invaluable tool for citizens and managers, particularly for the management of new locations of priority species. The most effective ways to manage invasive species are to either prevent their spread or to quickly manage new sites, and the Hotline provides an easy way for Oregonians to get information about infestations to local managers. With the new redesign and mobile compatibility, the Hotline will be more effective than ever.

The Hotline continues to partner with the Oregon iMapInvasives program, incorporating reports from Oregonians into a statewide invasive species dataset that is further shared with local, state, and national agencies. Both the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline and the Oregon iMapInvasives program are housed at Portland State University and the hotline is managed in partnership with the Western Invasives Network and the Oregon Invasive Species Council.