Happy National Invasive Species Awareness Week!
· To get
fired up about the week, check out a couple of articles in the Alaska Dispatch
News about invasive species and how you can make a difference when you choose
what plants to put in your landscape/garden.
· Aaron
Martin, USFWS, shares a reminder that being diligent in your actions to avoid
spreading invasive species, and
reporting invasive species to agencies that can respond are ways you do are
part of the solution.
· Alaska
celebrates Alaska Invasive Species Awareness week in June but don’t let that
stop you from sharing information about known invaders, preventive behaviors,
and reporting site information with friends, family and neighbors.
From: Martin, Aaron [mailto:aaron_e_martin@fws.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2017 8:36 AM
Did you know that invasive species are the second
greatest threat to native ecosystems across the world?
Did you also know that one of the most underappreciated
threats to Alaska’s economy, subsistence cultures, and way of life are unwanted
introductions of invasive species?
Much of Alaska remains intact and free of high-risk
invasive species due to the remoteness of most of the state. However, the number of vectors of
introduction are increasing rapidly.
While the Service (USFWS) and our partners are trying to control and
eradicate existing invasive species like Elodea, northern pike, and rats in
Alaska, we have an opportunity to be proactive in dealing with many other
high-risk taxa that are not yet here.
This will take us all.
Everyone has a role in bolstering our regional early
detection and rapid response efforts through knowing what to look for, reporting
it, and understanding and minimizing the vectors. FYI, we are all potential vectors as we go to
the field, recreate in our backyards or travel abroad.
February 27 to March 3 is National Invasive Species
Week<http://www.nisaw.org/>.
The USFWS and other federal agencies are hosting a series
of activities in D.C. to raise awareness about invasive species and efforts
that are underway to prevent, control, eradicate, and monitor invasive species
across the country. Region 7 (Alaska)
will be working with Alaska DNR and DF&G to host activities in June on
Alaska's Invasive Species Awareness Week. For now, please help raise awareness
of how not to be a vector and what you can do to help understand the
distribution of invasive species.
For now, here are some links to useful online resources
to help learn more about invasive species and the most effective ways to report
a potential sighting in Alaska.
* Alaska Department of Fish and Game Invasive
Species website for reporting vertebrates<http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=invasive.report>
& invertebrates.
* Alaska Department of Natural Resources
Invasive Species website for reporting plants<http://plants.alaska.gov/invasives/index.htm>.
* UAA's Alaska Exotic Plants Information
Clearinghouse (AKEPIC)<http://accs.uaa.alaska.edu/invasive-species/non-native-plants/>
- includes a database and mapping application<http://aknhp.uaa.alaska.edu/apps/akepic/>
that provide geospatial information for non-native plant species
* US.FWS's website for Ecological Risk
Screening Summaries of invasive species<https://www.fws.gov/fisheries/ANS/species_erss_reports.html>
- includes species background and habitat suitability modeling results for
aquatic invasive species in the lower 48.
Collectively, we can make a difference.
--
Aaron E. Martin
Fish and Aquatic Conservation, &
Aquatic Invasive Species
Program Coordinator
Alaska Region
1011 E. Tudor, Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Phone #: Office: 907-786-3510
Cell: 907-378-0568
Fax: 907-786-3848
_____________________________________________________
Tammy Davis / Invasive Species Program Coordinator
ADF&G /P.O. Box 115526 / Juneau, AK 99811-5526
P: (907) 465-6183 / C: (907) 209-2492
Be part of the solution… Report Invasive Species:
1-877-INVASIV
