Association of Fish&Wildlife Agencies

Samuel S. Chan, Sea Grant Extension, Oregon State University, Samuel.chan@oregonstate.edu
Paul Heimowitz, US Fish and Wildlife Service; Paul_heimowitz@fws.gov

Robyn Draheim, Center for Lakes and Resevoirs, Portland State University, Draheim@pdx.edu.

Classroom teachers often use live specimens ordered from biological supply houses to illustrate concepts in their science classes. However, live organisms used in school can become nuisance species if they are released outside of the classroom. Live organisms commonly used in classrooms highlight a potential Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) problem involving both technical and social issues. This issue first came to our attention in spring of 2005 when a colleague attended a parent-teacher conference and was invited to help release lab species into a local creek. In examining the curriculum, we discovered that little or no information was provided about the specific species used or their disposal.

We began researching the pathways which included schools, curriculum, supply houses, suppliers, teachers and students. We developed an awareness and prevention brochure distributed to schools and teachers to address the short-term goal of providing schools with the information and resources about AIS, encouraging in-stream studies and the leaning through the use of native organisms, proper animal care disposal of organisms and ways to prevent their spread. Medium-term goals include providing AIS information built on science and social knowledge, informing students and teachers about more ecologically benign options for dealing with organisms, and working with supply houses to use supply more benign species and shipping AIS prevention information. In the longer term, goals could include stopping use of invasive species (but that approach would ignore an important teaching opportunity) and incorporating concepts of biological invasions and invasive species awareness and prevention into existing lesson plans and using native species or in-stream learning.

Invasive Species In Stream Ecosystems

Bruce Rieman, Daniel Isaak, Charlie Luce, Russ Thurow, Kerry Overton, US Forest Service,
Rocky Mountain Research Station, Boise Aquatic Sciences Laboratory, Boise, ID

Contact: Glen Contreras, National Program Leader for Fish Research, US Forest Service, Research and Development. (703) 605 5286, contact email: gcontreras@fs.fed.us

Invasive fishes are a primary threat to the integrity of stream ecosystems. Although widely distributed, invasions and disruptions of native communities are not universal. Understanding where invasion risks are most important will be key to effective prioritization of limited management resources. Accordingly, our research has three major elements Detection, Prediction, and Management. Detection is focused on development of unbiased and more efficient sampling tools needed to understand the distribution and dynamics of species across entire river basins. Even with better sampling, inventory and monitoring will still be expensive; new models are needed to predict existing distributions and identify vulnerable habitats. We are adapting newer statistical tools for landscape-scale analyses to help identify important processes. We are also developing new models to predict the distribution and dynamics of critical environmental characteristics such as stream temperature. Management of non-native invasions is often a trade off. Intentional isolation of native species to preempt invasion, for example, can increase the risk of local extinction through habitat fragmentation. We are working in collaboration with Region 1 and other agency biologists to develop framework and decision tools for evaluating these competing issues.

The West Coast Ballast Outreach Project: Coordinating Ballast Water Information Exchange for the West Coast

Holly Crosson
Coordinator, West Coast Ballast Outreach Project
Department of Environmental Science and Policy
Davis, CA 95616
Phone: (530) 752-3419
Fax: (530) 752-3500
University of California, Sea Grant Extension Program
hacrosson@ucdavis.edu

The California Sea Grant Extension Program's West Coast Ballast Outreach Project (WCBOP) coordinates information exchange about ballast water, vessel fouling and associated aquatic invasive species (AIS) along the West Coast of the North America. Initiated in 1999 with National Sea Grant College Program funding, the WCBOP began its second phase in 2005 with funding from the CALFED Bay-Delta Program. A primary goal of the WCBOP is the facilitation of communication amongst stakeholders in the maritime industry, state and federal government, universities, environmental organizations, and the public. Outreach about ballast water management and treatment technologies, vessel fouling and AIS are guided by a 50+ member Advisory Committee with representation from California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Canada. Outreach materials include our award-winning “Stop Ballast Water Invasions” poster, companion brochure, biannual newsletter Ballast Exchange, and a website. The WCBOP also organizes meetings and educational seminars for various audiences. At this communication workshop we will display and distribute our poster, brochure and newsletter.

WCBOP Brochure

WCBOP Poster

The West Coast Ballast Outreach Project Website: a Tool for Communication, Outreach, and Information Exchange

Alisha Dahlstrom
Assistant Coordinator, West Coast Ballast Outreach Project
University of California Sea Grant Extension
1515 Clay Street, Suite 1400
Oakland, CA 94612
(510)622-5048
(510)622-2501  (fax)
adahlstrom@ucdavis.edu
University of California, Sea Grant Extension Program

The updated West Coast Ballast Outreach Project website serves as a medium for increasing awareness of Aquatic Non-indigenous Species (ANS) and ballast water issues, contains WCBOP outreach materials including our “Stop Ballast Water Invasions” poster and brochure, as well as previous issues of our newsletter, Ballast Exchange, and displays a calendar of upcoming events. The website URL is: http://ballast-outreach-ucsgep.ucdavis.edu. Please help us improve our website by taking the WCBOP website evaluation survey, found at http://ucanr.org/websurvey.

Website: http://ballast-outreach-ucsgep.ucdavis.edu/ and Links to take our evaluation surveys:
Website evaluation: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=888333356592
Newsletter Evaluation: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=996051932215

Looking for a Brochure? Introducing the Catalog of Aquatic Invasive Species Education and Outreach Materials (CAISEM)

Robyn Draheim, Center for Lakes and Reservoirs, Portland State University, draheim@pdx.edu

Education on invasive species impacts and management is critical to effective prevention efforts. While outreach materials come in many forms, the most common products are brochures, signs, handouts and other graphics aimed at specific audiences or to advance specific messages. A regional inventory is vital to avoid duplication of effort, to enhance exchange of readily available information, and to help educators and natural resource personnel evaluate gaps in existing outreach efforts. With seed money from the Western Regional Panel of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, the Center for Lakes and Reservoirs began to develop such an inventory of information in 2003. In 2006, additional funds were supplied by the WRP to upgrade the existing database and create a user-friendly online interface to the catalog. Approximately two hundred outreach and education materials focused on aquatic invasive species have already been cataloged and an online database/interface is in beta-testing. Final version is set to debut in late Spring 2007.

http://www.clr.pdx.edu/CAISEM/

Stop Aquatic Invaders on Our Coast! / ¡Detanga el Transporte de Especies Invasoras Acuáticas en Nuestras Costas! Poster

Leigh Johnson ltjohnson@ucdavis.edu 858.694.2852
Jamie Gonzalez at jagonzalez@ucdavis.edu 858.694.3414
University of California Cooperative Extension –
Sea Grant Extension Program
County of San Diego MS-O18,
5555 Overland Avenue Suite 4101
San Diego, CA 92123

The University of California Cooperative Extension - Sea Grant Extension Program in San Diego County has been working on the issues of coastal water quality protection and invasive species prevention. Recent studies suggest that fouling growth on boat hulls is a significant vector for aquatic invasive species (AIS), especially for boats traveling along the coast. AIS can consume or outcompete native species, foul vessels and coastal structures, and damage shorelines.

We published a bilingual poster which explains problems caused by hull-borne invasive species and how to reduce the risk of transporting them on recreational boat hulls. Colorful photos of invasive species will help boaters identify them and report them to the appropriate agencies. We have also published a bilingual Fact Sheet based on the poster

For copies of the bilingual Poster and Fact Sheet, please contact Leigh Johnson at ltjohnson@ucdavis.edu 858.694.2852 or Jamie Gonzalez at jagonzalez@ucdavis.edu 858.694.3414

AQUATIC INVADERS: A National Partnership to Utilize Free Choice Learning to Reduce Introduction and Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species

Terri Kirby Hathaway
Oregon Sea Grant
PO Box 699
307 Ballard Hall
Manteo, NC 27954

Samuel S. Chan
North Carolina Sea Grant
Oregon State University
252-475-3663, x32
Corvallis, OR 97331 503-679-4828
terrikh@csi.northcarolina.edu                samuel.chan@oregonstate.edu

“Aquatic Invaders” is the result of a partnership of national, regional, state and private agencies involved in aquatic invasive species research, outreach, and education. Funded through the National Sea Grant College Program, the tool kit was tested at AZA-accredited institutions nationwide. The final version will be distributed to over 200 AZA sites.

Educators at these facilities have the potential to reach millions of visitors annually; however they need interactive and entertaining programs for diverse audiences. “Aquatic Invaders” engages an audience for about 20 minutes. By illustrating common behaviors, the program arms them with knowledge to help them avoid contributing to the introduction and spread of invasive species.

The kit contains props and background material for educators to present the short program, with additional information to develop longer programs. The national message focuses on the concept of invasive species as a threat to natural ecosystems, and the identification of distinct “pathways” by which the general public may unknowingly introduce these species or encourage their spread. The program is flexible, thus facilitating regionally relevant messages about pathways or species.

The project included evaluation processes throughout, including input from regional Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force panels, demonstrations at appropriate national meetings, and beta-testing.

100th Meridian Initiative

Paul Heimowitz1
Stephen Phillips2
1U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Region
2 Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission
1 Pacific Regional Office
911 NE 11th Ave,
Portland, OR 97232
503-872-2763
paul_heimowitz@fws.gov

The 100th Meridian Initiative is a national campaign to prevent the westward spread of zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species (AIS). The Columbia Basin Team of the 100th Meridian Initiative represents a diverse partnership of federal and state agencies, tribes, NGOs, academia, tribes, and others all cooperating to reduce AIS impacts in the Pacific Northwest. This team has carried out a number of communication projects to enhance prevention and early detection efforts. Those projects include a variety of boater education activities (written materials, boat shows, etc.), outreach to private marinas, training of law enforcement personnel regarding identification and decontamination of contaminated watercraft (classroom and video), media communications, websites, and low power radio broadcasts. Most recently, driven in part by the discovery of quagga mussels in the Colorado River Basin, this team has developed an interagency zebra/quagga mussel rapid response plan, of which external communications is a major component.

Outreach Tradeshow Exhibits for control of ANS

Paul Heimowitz
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Region
Pacific Regional Office
911 NE 11th Ave,
Portland, OR 97232
503-872-2763
paul_heimowitz@fws.gov

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Regional Office works with a variety of partners to promote prevention, detection, rapid response, and control of aquatic invasive species (AIS). Outreach of the public and specific user groups is an essential tool for each of those objectives. A tradeshow-style exhibit has been developed and displayed in a number of venues to help raise awareness about AIS with these target audiences. The exhibit was recently on display at the Museum of Idaho for six months, and a second version of the display is now permanently featured at the Bonneville Dam Visitor Center, which is a major tourist destination in the Pacific Northwest.

Controlling Nutria

Edmond Mouton
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Fur and Refuge Division
2415 Darnall Road
New Iberia, LA 70560
Office: 337.373.0032
Fax: 337.373.0181
emouton@wlf.louisiana.gov

The Nutria (Myocastor coypus), native to South America, is an introduced and invasive semi-aquatic rodent. Populations in coastal Louisiana result from escapes and possible releases from nutria farms in the 1930s. The decline in fur trapping activity since the mid-1980s has resulted in an over population of nutria. Annual surveys have revealed that approximately 80,000 acres of Louisiana coastal wetlands can be impacted at any one point in time. Nutria herbivory damage is ongoing, and many damaged sites are not likely to recover naturally. Without comprehensive management of nutria herbivory damage, the stability of the Louisiana coastal ecosystem is threatened. Since the introduction of the Coastwide Nutria Control Program (CNCP), the estimate of impacted acres has been reduced to approximately 46,000 acres. The project is funded by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (LDNR) with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) as the lead implementing agency. The project goal is to significantly reduce damage to coastal wetlands resulting from nutria herbivory by removing 400,000 nutria annually. The method chosen for the program is an incentive payment to registered trappers/hunters for each nutria tail delivered to established collection centers.

Natural Resource Monitoring Partnership: New tools for communicating about the monitoring of ANS

Amber Pairis
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
444 North Capitol St. NW, Suite 725
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 624-7890
Fax: (202) 624-7891
apairis@fishwildlife.org

The Natural Resource Monitoring Partnership (NRMP) is a collaborative effort by the natural resource management community to improve the accessibility of monitoring efforts in order to support effective evaluation and decision-making. NRMP has developed two internet-based tools that provide information on current monitoring activities at a variety of spatial scales and serve as a reference and clearinghouse for monitoring protocols and resource assessment methodologies. The Monitoring Protocol Library is a searchable database that provides information on monitoring protocols and resource assessment methodologies organized to facilitate reference and use. The Monitoring "Locator" is an internet-based application that allows users to identify what natural resource monitoring is being conducted within a particular area (e.g., State, county, Canadian Province, or other selected geographic area). More information can be found at http://nrmp.nbii.gov

Biosecurity for Narural Resource Pathways

Bob Pitman (505) 248-6471
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator
Southwest Region
Albuquerque, NM
bob_pitman@fws.gov

David K. Britton, Ph.D. (817) 272-3714
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Assistant Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator
Southwest Region
UT Arlington, Box 19498
Arlington, TX 76019
david_britton@fws.gov

Without appropriate planning, natural resource management (NRM) work may provide pathways to unintentionally spread hitchhiking “non-target”species. Introduced biologic contaminates often impact native species and their habitats. NASA and Pillsbury Foods refined the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) planning process as a straightforward method to prevent contamination in food processed for the moon missions in the 1960s. As a common sense planning method, HACCP is used around the world to identify, analyze and manage contamination risks in all kinds of activities, some with very little connection to food processing such as for natural resource work. Hitchhiking species of plants, animals, diseases, pathogens and parasites are pathway concerns to agencies across the country. Adopting HACCP as a common language used by all states to manage natural resource pathways could help reduce the spread of hitchhiking species or biologics. Improved biosecurity barriers developed through strategic planning protects species and habitats.

HACCP gained worldwide support and usage because it works! Its five linked forms help planners strategically evaluate risks (hazards) and develop prevention actions which are focused on key locations (critical control points) in an operation or pathway where they are most effective. Prevention strategies are easily reviewed in transparent plans allowing quick evaluation to block high risk pathways. Records assist agencies in consistently improving efficiency through time. HACCP Plans document: who, what, why, where, when, and how. The Service sponsors a support website www.HACCP-NRM.orgproviding forms, guides, training announcements, links, and a searchable database of plans. A computer-based planning wizard, developed by Dr. Dave Britton, USFWS, is also available to help with planning.

The Global Invasive Species Information Network

Elizabeth Sellers
United States Geological Survey, Mail Stop 302, Reston VA 20192, USA, Ph (703) 648-4385, esellers@usgs.gov

Annie Simpson
National Biological Information Infrastructure, United States Geological Survey, Mail Stop 302, Reston VA 20192, USA, Ph (703) 648-4281, asimpson@usgs.gov

The transport, translocation, and introduction of invasive alien species (IAS) are issues of global concern. Successful early detection, prevention, and management of IAS and their impacts on the environment require cooperation on IAS information exchange at local, national, and global levels. The Global Invasive Species Information Network (GISIN) was proposed at the 6th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), The Hague, 2002. It is a network of IAS experts, information managers, scientists, researchers, land managers, and computer scientists sharing knowledge and experience, adopting standards and protocols for information exchange, and facilitating the dispersal and increased availability of IAS information at the local, national, regional, and global level. In 2004, experts from 26 countries attended the first GISIN meeting to establish goals and an Interim Steering Committee to move the network forward. In 2005 a Web site was established for the GISIN <http://www.gisinetwork.org> and an extensible markup language (XML) schema for invasive species profiles was developed with support from the CBD Secretariat. The schema will establish a standard method for global IAS information exchange. Work has continued through workshops held in 2006 and 2007 to develop a prototype implementation of the GISIN Invasive Species Profile Schema that may eventually be adopted by invasive species data owners worldwide. The number and complexity of IAS information systems, databases, clearinghouse mechanisms, and networks in the United States and the world will continue to grow. The GISIN will grow with them, promoting IAS information sharing among them.

GISIN Poster: Global Invasive Species Information Network (GISIN) Poster

GISIN Fact Sheet: The Global Invasive Species Information Network (GISIN) Fact Sheet

Other Handouts:
National Biological Information Infrastructure Overview Fact Sheet

Invasive Species Information Network for the Americas Fact Sheet

NBII Invasive Species Information Node Fact Sheet
Developing a National Framework for Invasive Species Early Detection, Rapid Assessment, and Rapid Response

FishBase for the Americas: Improving Access to Western Hemisphere Fisheries Information Fact Sheet
NBII Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Node Fact Sheet

Chronic Wasting Disease Data Clearinghouse Fact Sheet
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Early Detection Data System Fact Sheet
NBII Wildlife Disease Information Node Fact Sheet

NBII Bird Conservation Node Fact Sheet

NBII Digital Image Library Fact Sheet