RECENT ANS ANNOUNCEMENTS

2022 Lionfish Invitational

In recent years, lionfish derbies have served to raise awareness of the invasive lionfish problem and remove large quantities of lionfish throughout the tropical western Atlantic (southeastern United States, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico). Unfortunately, this type of one-day dive/snorkel event is not practical for Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary due to the remote location and the depth of our reefs. As an alternative, we host a Lionfish Invitational. This multi-day event is a science-based research expedition in which 11 dive teams work to remove as many lionfish as possible, while also recording helpful data on lionfish activity and sightings. In addition, a science team of 8 divers conducts surveys to determine what species, quantities and sizes of fish are present at each designated site before and after the removals. To apply:  2022 Lionfish Invitational Application

UPCOMING MEETINGS

UPCOMING WEBINARS

Invasive Species Centre

March 28, 2022 @ 2:00 pm EDT - The status of Black Carp in the United States

Black Carp are an emerging invasive fish species in the United States. Specifically, to be discussed: what are Black Carp, what is their history of use and importation, how to identify Black Carp, and what recent research is available

NAISMA Monthly Webinars: NPS Integrated Pest Management Webinar Series

April 20, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CDT - A Biocultural Approach to Integrating Indigenous Knowledge with Western Science for Invasive Species Management and Policy

May 18, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm CDT - Using Community Based Social Marketing to Prevent the Spread of Invasive Species

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

U.S. Forest Service

The FERA Team (Fire and Environmental Research Applications) with the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station (Corvallis, Oregon) is seeking a highly motivated postdoctoral research fellow to collaborate with scientists and land managers researching relationships between fire and invasive plants in western forests and understanding wildfire risk. Research opportunities for the fellow will be organized around two primary activities: 1) designing and implementing a complex field-based invasion ecology research project, and 2) collaborating with a team to help develop a major state of the science book chapter focused on inter-relationships between fire and invasive plants in the United States, with a focus on western forests. A key role (#1) will be the opportunity to co-lead a new western to potentially national field experiment focused on evaluating the role of plant propagule pressure (via weed pretreatments) and disturbance intensity in understanding plant invasion in forests. Complex interactions between disturbance (fire, thinning or logging), other abiotic factors, biotic processes, propagule pressure, and invasion are rarely studied together. This is a unique opportunity to design and implement a series of novel and complex manipulative experiments and author novel contributions to the literature. FULL ANNOUNCEMENT

Huron Pines

Huron Pines is accepting applications for an Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Survey Specialist to implement priority conservation initiatives throughout NE lower Michigan by conducting invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species surveys of aquatic systems with a focus on Michigan Watch List species, European frog-bit. pecialists will be completing tasks as a part of the Huron Coastal and Huron Heartland Invasive Species Networks. These networks are a collaboration of local, state, and federal partners working together to address invasive species concerns across jurisdictional boundaries. The AIS Survey Specialists may also have the opportunity to participate in other activities as part of Huron Pines Stewardship Team such as conducting invasive species mechanical and/or chemical treatments, participating in educational events, collecting native plant seeds, and additional invasive species survey efforts. This is an at-will, seasonal, non-exempt position running from May 23, 2022 to Aug 31, 2022.  For more information visit: https://huronpines.org/jobs/

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

​ The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Invasive Species Matrix Team requests proposals that engage a local community in the removal of invasive species from local communities in Maryland.   Any Maryland resident is eligible to be a principal investigator, submit a proposal and receive funding. FULL DETAILS.

RECOMMENDED READING

Speeding up the detection of invasive bivalve species using environmental DNA: a Nanopore and Illumina sequencing comparison

Egeter, B., Veríssimo, J., Lopes‐Lima, M., Chaves, C., Pinto, J., Riccardi, N., ... & Fonseca, N. A. (2022). Speeding up the detection of invasive bivalve species using environmental DNA: a Nanopore and Illumina sequencing comparison. Molecular Ecology Resources.

Minimizing the Spread of Herpetofaunal Pathogens in Aquatic Habitats by Decontaminating Construction

Juliean, JT., Henry PF., Drasher JM., Jewell SD., Michell K., Osenrider KJ.,Smith SA.  Herpetological Review, 2020, 51(3), 472–48.  Abbreviated version also available.

ANS IN THE NEWS…            

Invasive plants endanger sea turtles, hurt SC sand dunes

March 27, 2022. Beach vitex, an invasive species from the Korean peninsula, hurts sand dunes and endangers sea turtle hatchlings by making it harder for them to making it out to the ocean.

Minnesota DNR Warns About Another Potential Invasive Species

March 26, 2022. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is warning of another way that an invasive species can get into our waters, and it's quite a bit different. They posted a warning to their Facebook page about having crayfish boils with invasive live crayfish.

Pilot program enlists ORV users in invasive species fight

March 25, 2022. The North Country Cooperative Species Management Area, which includes Mecosta, Osceola and Lake counties, has been awarded two grants totaling $334,000 from the Michigan Invasive Species grant program.

New York State combatting spread of round goby

March 25, 2022. The New York State DEC and New York State Canal Corporation have announced a new effort to combat the potential spread of the round goby, an aquatic invasive species, to the Lake Champlain Basin.

Climate change plans ‘fail to tackle invasive species’

March 22, 2022. Countries are making little effort to link climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change adaptation plans with invasive species management, a study says, despite the potential financial benefits of doing so.

118 Invasive Species Found in Illegal Zoo

March 21, 2022. In Gran Canaria, part of the Canary Islands, police have recovered 139 animals, most of which were invasive species and several of which are dangerous. The lineup includes iguanas, pythons, giant African snails, and caimans.

Why poisonous Australian toad tadpoles have evolved into ravenous cannibals

March 21, 2022. Scientists say the invasive species may have adapted to regulate its own population

The pandemic that closed the U.S./Canadian border to people may have opened it to the invasive sea lamprey

March 21, 2022.  During 2020, 93 Great Lakes tributaries and 11 standing bodies of water were scheduled for chemical treatments for lamprey, according to research recently published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research. Only 26 tributaries and six standing bodies of water were completed.

Pythons and caimans among animals found by Spanish police at illegal zoo

March 21, 2022.  Spanish police have recovered dozens of exotic animals, including two caimans, three pythons, eight iguanas and 46 giant African snails, after discovering a private zoo on the Canary island of Gran Canaria.