Don't Pack a Pest: Let's Keep Agricultural Pests Out of Oregon!

Insect and disease pests are a major threat to Oregon's agriculture. Food and agricultural products that are shipped in personal care packages or brought in airline passenger luggage can carry unwanted insects and disease pests into Oregon. A handful of federal and state partners are spreading the message to international travelers that you should always declare food, plants, and agricultural items to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and "Don't Pack a Pest" (DPAP). The DPAP campaign has an international reach and is coordinated at the national level by United States Department of Agriculture.

For Oregon's part, check out our recently released "Don't Pack a Pest" brochure on the OISC DPAP Campaign Page. A print version of this brochure has been distributed at the Portland International Airport and at various International Student Offices at Oregon Universities & Colleges.

Photo Credit: California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Image on the right is of Khapra beetle larva on grain kernel. The Khapra Beetle (Trogoderma granarium) is one of the world’s most destructive pests of stored grain products and seeds. Previous U.S. detections of this tiny beetle have required massive, long-term and costly control and eradication efforts. Established infestations are difficult to control because the beetle can survive without food for long periods, requires little moisture, hides in tiny cracks and crevices, and is relatively resistant to many insecticides and fumigants (From USDA APHIS). 

Oregon-based DPAP partners meeting with Northwest Oregon International Educators. Photo Credit: Kayla Martin

Are you part of an academic institution? Learn more about what it means to be a DPAP Education and Research Partner with Oregon Sea Grant.

Have questions about the program or our outreach materials? Contact the OISC coordinator at: coordinator@oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org. 

Invasive Species Hidden In Your Home: Dangerous Decor

Earlier this week, Sam Leininger, a Clackamas SWCD WeedWise program manager, was notified that Pier 1 Imports may be selling decorative roosters made from an invasive weed known as European common reed (Phragmites australis) in local stores. Since common reed in an Oregon class B noxious weed, this was immediately considered a priority for prevention and eradication.

Sure enough, Sam discovered that it was being sold at one of their stores in Clackamas County. When Sam went to talk to the store manager at this location, she notified him that she had already received an email from the Pier 1 Imports corporate office and had been instructed to remove them from the floor.  

"Sam was very pleased to see the response of our local Pier 1 Imports. Their store manager and staff was very courteous, professional, and understanding of the issue. Sam was also gratified to see the quick response from the Pier 1 corporate offices in response to the alerts that had gone out less than 24 hours prior."

To read the full article, click here. To read more about common reed and its classification as an Oregon class B noxious weed, click here. 

The last European common reed rooster in Clackamas County-- now slated for disposal.

If you think you may have European common reed anywhere on your property, please report it to the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline.

Statistical Modeling Helps Fisheries Managers Remove Invasive Species

From ScienceDailey:

"South Dakota State statisticians and natural resource management researchers have worked together to determine the best time and location to capture and remove a maximum number of invasive carp from lake systems. 

Carp feed on bottom-dwelling macroinvertebrates, such as bloodworms, by sucking up the mud, then selecting their food and ejecting most of the non-food portion. This feeding technique dislodges vegetation and stirs up sediment, which makes the water cloudy and causes nutrient release and algal blooms, Brown explained. These actions degrade the quality of the lake water and impact native fish populations.

'Carp are not a preferred species, so they go untapped in terms of angler harvest,' Brown explained. Consequently, commercial harvest is one of the methods used to decrease carp populations. But figuring out where and when to 'cast their nets' to harvest a maximum number of carp involves complex modeling -- that's where the statisticians can help."

S.D. GFP biologists Dave Lucchesi and Todd St. Sauver, front; Matt Hennen, in orange cap, and crew remove carp from Lake Norden. Credit: Image courtesy of South Dakota State University.

The original article, which was published on December 16, 2017 in ScienceDaily, can be accessed by clicking here. 

Reference:
South Dakota State University. "Statistical modeling helps fisheries managers remove invasive species." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 December 2017. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171216154305.htm>.

The Battle Against Japanese Beetle: Round 2

From the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA): 

With year one of an expected five-year Japanese beetle eradication effort completed in the Cedar Mill area of Washington County, the Oregon Department of Agriculture is formulating plans for 2018 that go beyond this year’s treatment area. The expansion is not unexpected and ODA is hopeful that community support remains impressively strong.

“Going into year two, the message really hasn’t changed,” says Clint Burfitt, manager of ODA’s Insect Pest Prevention and Management Program. “This is still a community-based project. If we are going to be able to eradicate Japanese beetle, it’s because the people in the community want to be a part of this project. What we saw this first year was strong, vocal, and explicit grassroots support from the community that they appreciate what we are doing and how we are doing it.”

To read the full article from ODA, click here. 

For more information about the Japanese beetle eradication project, click here.

From NRCS: "The Rancher in the Rye"

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) recently posted a great article about how one Oregon rancher, with the help of the NRCS, used a conservation plan to improve hundreds of acres of land that were inaccessible, overgrown with invasive weeds and thick brush, only a few years ago. 

"Buying more land isn’t always an option. But often, you can make your existing land go much further. By removing invasive weeds, seeding rye grass and adopting rotational grazing, Oregon rancher Jeff Baxter was able to produce a whole lot more on the same number of acres."

Read the full article here.

Reclaiming over 100 acres of land from invasives means better grazing for Jeff's cattle and a cheaper hay bill. Courtesy photo by Jeff Baxter.

Jeff Baxter (left) and David Chain review the conservation plan that transformed Baxter Ranch. NRCS photo by Spencer Miller.