News
Non-native bass detected in the Bitterroot River
LaSalle-Photo/Getty Images/IStockphoto
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IStockphoto
Smallmouth bass aren’t native to Montana. The state introduced them for sportfishing in the 1900s. As rivers get warmer during the summers, they become more suitable for the bass, which prey on young native species like trout and whitefish. But until recently, the Bitterroot was known to be bass-free.
Invasive tick species is expanding its reach in U.S., researchers say
Researchers went to the pasture and dragged a muslin cloth along the ground, using a lint roller to pick up the sesame seed-sized creatures, which balloon to the size of a pea when feeding on blood. They managed to gather 9,287 ticks in just 90 minutes.
Since 2017, researchers have watched as Asian longhorned ticks, an invasive species not usually found in the Western Hemisphere, have spread across the United States.
Now, researchers are using the gruesome deaths of three cows in Ohio to sound the alarm about the parasitic arachnids.
In an analysis in the Journal of Medical Entomology, they tracked the state’s first known established colony of the brown ticks. In 2021, a farmer contacted Ohio State University researchers, reporting that three of his cows had died during a tick infestation. The cause was exsanguination, suffered as tens of thousands of the ticks attacked the cows, including an adult bull, and bled them to death.
Exploding wild pig population on Canadian prairie threatens to invade northern U.S. states
Two feral hogs are caught in a trap on a farm in rural Washington County, Mo., Jan. 27, 2019. DAVID CARSON/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
An exploding population of hard-to-eradicate “super pigs” in Canada is threatening to spill south of the border, and northern states like Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana are taking steps to stop the invasion.
In Canada, the wild pigs roaming Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pose a new threat. They are often crossbreeds that combine the survival skills of wild Eurasian boar with the size and high fertility of domestic swine to create a “super pig” that’s spreading out of control.Ryan Brook, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan and one of Canada’s leading authorities on the problem, calls feral swine, “the most invasive animal on the planet” and “an ecological train wreck.”
Pigs are not native to North America. While they’ve roamed parts of the continent for centuries, Canada’s problem dates back only to the 1980s when it encouraged farmers to raise wild boar, Brook said. The market collapsed after peaking in 2001 and some frustrated farmers simply cut their fences, setting the animals free.
It turned out that the pigs were very good at surviving Canadian winters. Smart, adaptable and furry, they eat anything, including crops and wildlife. They tear up land when they root for bugs and crops. They can spread devastating diseases to hog farms like African swine fever. And they reproduce quickly. A sow can have six piglets in a litter and raise two litters in a year.
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
Packing the stock, aerial photo from the drone’s flight.
November 15th, 2023
Rangeland Management Specialists on the Forest are exploring new and innovative ways to scout for and map infestations of non-native invasive plant species in backcountry locations that are difficult to access.
Randie Adams, an employee on the Butte Ranger District, with the help of aviation and remote sensing specialists, experimented with utilizing drones to identify weeds from various elevations this past summer.
First, a low elevation photo was taken over a known patch of yellow toadflax, and the height of the drone was incrementally increased to determine the optimal elevation for photos. Once that elevation was determined, the drone operator flew the drone in a grid over the specified area and took pictures systematically.
Backcountry drone usage possesses logistical challenges of getting the many pieces of equipment into the Forest, miles from any road. Areas that can only be accessed using non-motorized trails can be problematic and requires creative solutions.
The next area that Adams wants to scout is miles into the Tobacco Root Range, and it is extremely mountainous, rocky, and hard to access. Adams has ridden horses all her life and relies on them to do her job as a Rangeland Management Specialist. Although not the obvious choice to pair high-tech with one of the oldest modes of transportation, once she pitched the idea of using stock to transport the equipment in, no one said, “Neigh”.
The notion of bringing old technology together with new technology is something Adams is excited to bring to her program, and the B-D.
Recently, Adams and her colleague, Sam Tripp, met up with drone and animal-packing specialists at Ninemile Wildlands Training Center near Missoula. This training center houses 200 head of stock in the winter and hosts yearly trainings on packing to Forest Service employees and the public. They went over the best ways to secure and protect the equipment while making sure the animals are comfortable. It will take a minimum of three animals to carry the necessary equipment to backcountry sites.
This next trip will be in 2024 to scout for, and map, all species of non-native invasive plants, while specifically looking for cheatgrass and leafy spurge. Using stock to pack in drone equipment will be the first project of its kind in the Region, thanks to Adams for her enthusiasm and innovative nature! We look forward to seeing this project take off.
Training
November News from the Western Regional Panel on ANS
New Resources from Committees
- The Decon Think Tank recently completed two documents to provide the step-by-step procedures for Full Watercraft Decontamination and Standing Water Decontamination of Ballast Tanks and Bags. All decontamination procedures developed by the committee are available for use and can be found under Key Documents online.
- The Education and Outreach Committee recently released a summary document that provides key insights and recommendations for enhancing AIS clean, drain, dry outreach programs/messaging, with specific focus on key boating/boater demographics. This brief, two-page fact sheet is based on a recent survey of nearly 4,000 western boaters regarding AIS, information sources/preferences, and messaging effectiveness. This summary document can be found here.
- During the October Executive Committee call, Tom Woolf, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and Robert Walters, Colorado Parks and Wildlife were selected to serve as chair and vice chair respectively for the next year.
- The ANS Task Force will meet January 24-25, 2024, in Reston Virgina at the US Geological Survey National Center. A virtual web and/or audio option will be available. To find out more information about the meeting – visit the ANSTF here.
NAISMA launches new FREE Biocontrol 101 short course!
NAISMA’s newest short course, Biocontrol 101, is now avaliable InvasivesU online learning library. This asynchronous course was created to provide an introduction to classical weed biological control.
In this short course, biocontrol experts guide you through the fundamentals of classical weed biocontrol through six sequenced video presentations.
After completing this course, you will understand:
- The fundamentals of classical weed biocontrol.
- The science and regulations that guide the practice.
- How to distinguish classical weed biocontrol from other forms of biocontrol.
- How biological control insects are identified, tested, regulated, and approved for release.
- How biological control of weeds can fit into an integrated weed management strategy.
Registration for this short course is free thanks to funding from the USDA Forest Service. A certificate from NAISMA will be issued upon successful completion of the course.
Webinars
NISAW Webinar: The Invasive Species Language Workshop
Communicating about invasive species can get complicated! On February 27-28, in partnership with NAISMA for National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW), Sea Grant is proud to present The Invasive Species Language Workshop, bringing together invasive species researchers and science communication professionals to share best practices for communicating about biological invasions to scientists, stakeholders, and the public.
Day 1 (February 27) will feature a 2-hour NISAW webinar on communications issues in invasion biology, including inclusive language, effective use of metaphor, changes to species names, and more. These hybrid presentations will be available to watch online for free, and virtual attendees will be able to send in questions for discussion.
Day 2 (February 28), held in-person in Washington, DC, will feature in-depth discussion to develop research topics and interventions to improve communication strategies in invasion biology, including the process for changing species names, harmonizing communications strategies across agencies and research groups, tailoring messaging to different stakeholder groups, and more. Attendance for this portion is limited: reach out to Tim Campbell (tim.campbell@wisc.edu) if interested in participating in person.
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