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.

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.