The OISC Requests Nominations for 2020 Council Seats

The Oregon Invasive Species Council (OISC) is seeking nominations for 8 member seats to serve a 2-year term January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2021. Could you, or someone you know, be a good addition to the OISC? Send us a nomination by November 20, 2019.

The OISC recognizes that many state, federal, and tribal governments, as well as local government agencies, private industries and non-governmental organizations, play a role in managing invasive species. In order to successfully protect Oregon from the impacts of invasive species, the OISC promotes collaboration between a wide range of fields and expertise.

Strong nominees will have experience or expertise that relates to invasive species prevention or control and/or specialize in one of the following diverse areas of interest: natural resource industries; wildlife management or conservation; environmental or outdoor education; K-12 education; environmental law; marine, freshwater, estuarine systems; parks and recreation; domestic or international trade; travel and tourism.

The council is seeking to appoint members representing the following categories of interest in 2020:

• A member who represents an entity, regardless of the form of the entity with a headquarters or principal operations in Gilliam, Hood River, Jefferson, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Wasco, or Wheeler Counties

• A member who represents an entity, regardless of the form of the entity with a headquarters or principal operations in Clatsop, Columbia, Lincoln, or Tillamook Counties

• A member who represents an entity, regardless of the form of the entity with a headquarters or principal operations in Baker, Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Harney, Klamath, Lake, or Malheur Counties

• A member who represents an entity, regardless of the form of the entity with a headquarters or principal operations in Benton, Lane, Linn, Marion, or Polk Counties

• A member who represents an entity, regardless of the form of the entity with a headquarters or principal operations in Clackamas, Multnomah, Washington, or Yamhill Counties

• A member who represents a native American or Indian tribe or association of tribes within this state

• A member who represents an organization or association that advocates on behalf of private industry in this state

• A member of the Public

Council members’ primary role is to support the advancement of Oregon’s Statewide Strategic Plan for Invasive Species. Members benefit from multi-agency communication and collaboration that the OISC provides through meetings, committees, events, and communication. Council members are expected to attend 2-3 meetings per year in various parts of the state, serve on at least one committee, participate in conference calls, and support communication with and/or convening of other interested groups to contribute to Council activities. Council members are not paid, but may be reimbursed for travel expenses associated with attending Council meetings. Membership is limited to two consecutive terms. 

Nominations and questions about the process should be sent to coordinator@oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org. The deadline to receive nominations is November 20, 2019. Complete nominations must include the following:

• Individual’s name, title, phone, email, and mailing address

• A brief description of the nominee’s qualifications (self nominations are acceptable)

• A statement from the nominee that explains their interest, relative experience, and contributions they are willing to make to the Council. Nominee must specify the member seat(s) of interest.

• Letters of support for the nominee are encouraged.

The council will notify appointees in December 2019 and welcome the new appointees at the first meeting of the Council in 2020, date to be determined.

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OISC nomination information can also be found on the OISC Nominations page.

Meet Erin McConnell

For our fourth and final installment of 2019 New Council Member Fridays, meet Erin McConnell! Erin is the Invasive Species Program Coordinator for Oregon and Washington at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In her role at BLM, she provides support to field programs, including reviewing pesticide use and distributing funds. Invasive species management is a huge part of Erin’s work, especially noxious weeds. One particular invasive species that she is concerned with is Ventanta dubia, an annual grass that was overlooked for a while, but is now everywhere!

With 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 and will continue to share valuable insight that she has learned from her experience managing BLM District Weed programs and weed control activities, including chemical, biological, manual, and mechanical methods. Since becoming a Council member, Erin has joined the Education & Outreach Committee, the Communications Committee, and the Eastern Oregon Working Group. We are thrilled to have her on the Council and look forward to continuing a coordinated effort to tackle invasive species!

Flowering Rush Management in the Columbia Basin

Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

Flowering rush is an aggressive, invasive aquatic weed that has been documented in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Montana. This plant has the potential to invade and disrupt native marshlands in the Columbia River Basin and the impact of flowering rush on spawning habitat for native salmonid species is a growing concern. 

Achieving sufficient herbicide-plant contact time for successful plant control is one challenge when using aquatic herbicides to manage vegetation growing in flowing water systems. The US Army Corps of Engineers recently released a video that summarizes a unique approach to overcome this challenge by utilizing a bubble barrier system to curtail water flow, confine herbicide treatment, improve weed control, all while reducing impacts to non-target species: "Flowering Rush: Controlling an Invasive Species through Innovation and Partnership with the Walla Walla District".

Also related to flowering rush management in the Pacific Northwest is the Columbia Basin Flowering Rush Management Plan, which was recently released by the Columbia Basin Cooperative Weed Management Area. The Management Plan addresses the following topics:

• Ecological Impacts

• Distribution on the Columbia Basin

• Policy

• Management Options

• Implementation Strategies

• and more!

You can view/download the Management Plan here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58740d57579fb3b4fa5ce66f/t/5d800aea42bf0e112f156daf/1568672496264/2019-ISAN_Flowering-Rush_Report-FINAL-Low-Res-082019-1.pdf

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Citations: 

Columbia Basin Cooperative Weed Management Area. 2019. Columbia Basin Flowering Rush Management Plan: A regional strategy to address Butomus umbellatus throughout the Columbia Basin. pp 67

https://www.oregon.gov/ODA/shared/Documents/Publications/Weeds/FloweringRushProfile.pdf

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