Potentially invasive Cuban treefrogs found in plants shipped to Oregon

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Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife

Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife

Two non-native and potentially invasive Cuban treefrogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) were found late last month hitchhiking on nursery plants sold at one location in Oregon and another purchased online. The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (ODFW) advises that nursery plant retailers and customers inspect all products. 

Do not release any found animals into the wild and report them immediately to the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline at 1-866-468-2337 or online at: https://oregoninvasiveshotline.org/reports/create.

April 2021 OISC Meeting Recap

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In case you missed it, here is a quick recap of the most recent Oregon Invasive Species Council meeting held April 21, 2021. We had 31 attendees representing 26 organizations in total. Representation included 6 Federal Agencies, 6 State Agencies, 2 Educational Institutions, and others including tribes, NGOs, advocacy groups, and individuals.

Highlights from the April meeting include:

  • Rick Boatner (2021 OISC Chair, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife) gave an update on the 2021-2023 OISC budget and workplan. The Council agreed to review education and outreach funding to determine the possibility of partially funding some of the top 2020 awardees, with a consideration for the time lapse and reduced available funds.

  • Troy Abercrombie (2021 OISC Vice Chair, Western Invasives Network) shared with the Council a request that the OISC received to provide emergency funding to eradicate apple maggot fruit fly in the Milton-Freewater area. The OISC declared the apple maggot infestation in the Milton-Freewater area an invasive species emergency and approved $30,000 from OISC emergency funds to address the request.

  • Rick Boatner (2021 OISC Chair, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife) gave an update on the detection and response efforts related to the zebra mussels detected on marimo balls. A few of the key things that were identified as missing or needing improvement included better communication protocols for notifications, spot inspections, identification of “aquarium dump sites”, and looking into other unusual vectors. 

  • Sam Chan (Oregon Sea Grant), Catherine de Rivera (Portland State University), and Jalene Littlejohn (OISC Coordinator) gave a presentation on inclusive language and the use of invasive species common names. A new Working Group was created under the Education & Outreach Committee to continue exploring this important topic and what the OISC’s role will be in ensuring that we are promoting inclusive language.

  • Karen Ripley (USDA Forest Service) gave an update on behalf of the Communications Committee and shared that the 2019 OISC Annual Report is available on the website. An effort to collect accomplishments for the 2020 OISC Annual Report is now underway.

  • Troy Abercrombie (2021 OISC Vice Chair, Western Invasives Network) gave an update on the OISC Threats and Opportunities webinar (scheduled for May 18th). The Council approved creating an award inspired by Jim Seeley (former OISC Member) with an emphasis on cultural and collaborative focus that will be announced at the webinar.

  • Nikki Brooks (U.S. Customs & Border Protection) gave an update on behalf of the Worst Invaders Working Group. The Council approved no longer calling the invasive species list ‘the worst invaders list’. A new name will be determined and shared soon!

Thank you to everyone that was able to join us for this meeting! Information about upcoming OISC meetings will be posted on the OISC Meetings Page as details are confirmed.

Join us May 18th for Threats and Opportunities Webinar

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Join the OISC on May 18, 2021 (9am - 10:30am) for a webinar that will introduce and highlight invasive species threats and opportunities across the state, the critical network partners who manage them, and the key policies that facilitate these efforts.

To learn more, register, and access communication materials for this event, please visit: https://www.oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org/threats-opportunities-webinar

January & February 2021 OISC Meetings Recap

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In case you missed them, here is a quick recap of the most recent Oregon Invasive Species Council meetings held January 20 and February 24, 2021. We had 20 attendees at the condensed 1-hour meeting in January and 29 attendees at the February meeting, representing 25 organizations in total. Representation included 6 Federal Agencies, 6 State Agencies, 2 Educational Institutions, and others including tribes, NGOs, advocacy groups, and individuals.

Summary of the January meeting:

This 1-hour special meeting was scheduled specifically to review the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and Oregon Department of Justice (DOJ). After the matter was discussed, the OISC agreed to hold in abeyance a due date for requesting legal advice from the DOJ and to proceed with the MOU discussions with ODA.

Additionally, as the first OISC meeting of 2021, the OISC welcomed Rick Boatner (Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife) as the 2021 OISC Chair. The OISC also welcomed Eugene Wier (The Freshwater Trust) into the environmental advocacy seat and Josh Emerson into the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality seat.

Highlights from the February meeting include:

  • Rick Boatner (Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife) gave a brief overview of the history of the OISC (link to PDF).

  • Troy Abercrombie (2021 OISC Vice Chair, Western Invasives Network) and Sarah Callaghan (USDA Forest Service) gave a presentation titled Fire Recovery 2020: Lessons Learned & Future Opportunities​ and led a group discussion on where the OISC can strategically support fire prevention and mitigation (link to PDF).

  • Sam Chan (Oregon Sea Grant) and Jalene Littlejohn (OISC Coordinator) gave an update on the Invasive Species Threats and Opportunities Primer. The OISC approved the Primer in present form, with minor text edits. The final published version of the Invasive Species Threats and Opportunities Primer can be found here.

  • C​hristine Moffitt (Friends of South Slough Reserve) and Peter Kenagy (Kenagy Family Farm, Inc.) gave an update on the OISC Legislative Committee’s efforts to inform Oregon Senators about the open member seat. The OISC also reviewed and approved an outline and general format of the biennial report.

  • Jas. Adams (OISC Public Member) gave an update on the Statewide Strategic Action Plan reporting effort. The action report form will be simplified and added to the OISC website for completion.

  • Jalene Littlejohn (OISC Coordinator) gave a tour of AirTable (link to PDF) to show how it has been used to organize the OISC’s Worst List. The OISC approved the cost for using AirTable for the Worst List and other options down the road.

  • Karen Ripley (USDA Forest Service) gave an update on behalf of the Communications Committee and shared that the new OISC brochure is available on the website and a new post-wildfire resources webpage was also created.

Thank you to everyone that was able to join us for these meetings! Information about upcoming OISC meetings will be posted on the OISC Meetings Page as details are confirmed.

ODA issues emergency quarantine on aquatic nursery stock with intent of stopping zebra mussels from establishing in Oregon

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From April 19, 2021 Oregon Department of Agriculture News Release:

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) filed an emergency rule prohibiting the import of Marimo or moss balls infested with invasive zebra mussels. According to the rule, moss balls may only be imported to Oregon if accompanied by a quarantine compliance certificate stating the commodity was inspected and found free of zebra mussels, issued within seven (7) days of shipment. Moss balls without proof of inspection within the seven (7) days will be destroyed.

Read the full News Release here