Oh, Hi O!

The Union of Concerned Scientists is out with a new report on the state of invasive species in Ohio. The report, which covers everything from what species are invading The Buckeye State to what should be done about it, complements earlier UCS products for West Virginia, Texas and Alaska.

Snake It Up Baby!

The Toledo Blade is reporting that a group of hunters out to score some duck in northwest Ohio were shocked to happen upon a large snake in the middle of the marsh. While heading over to retrieve a successfully hunted duck, one of the men found what turned out to be a seven foot long African rock python (Python sebae). This is all the more surprising when you consider that 1) It's Ohio 2) It was 37'F and 3) It was sleeting. The hunters could have just run away but they cowboyed up and took the snake with them. Hopefully they also reported the incident to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. For now, the snake, surely an escaped or released pet, has found a new, indoor home with one of the hunter's neighbors.

Update 12/17/07: Oh good, at least the USGS grabbed the record for their NAS Alert database.

Boars For The Taking

If it oinks, shoot it. That's basically what Ohio wildlife officials are telling hunters who encounter wild boars in their state, according to this report from the Toledo Blade. The number of wild boars (Sus scrofa, also called feral pigs) in Ohio has reached a level where hunters would have to kill 80% of them just to keep populations stable (I can't seem to find out exactly what that number is - either there are a lot of them or they are very, very fertile!). The article notes that some of the blame for the continued spread of the wild boar belongs to hunting reserves, where the animals are known to occasionally escape into the wild. Ohio hunters are being asked to do their state a favor and "pig out" year round. As encouragement, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has produced a color map (pdf) showing prime boar habitat throughout the state, and is asking successful hunters to post photos to this website (P.S. - those are hunting photos, so if you don't like seeing dead animals, skip the link!).

Cull Of The Wild

The Toledo Blade is reporting that the focus on management of the emerald ash borer beetle (Agrilus planipennis) is having unintended effects on Ohio's forests. A researcher at Kent State University, Constance Hausman, has found that forests where infested ash trees have been removed are being invaded by non-native plant species like garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense). The likely suspect is physical disturbance being caused by the heavy-duty tree-removal equipment. The article also mentions the work of University of Toledo researcher Elliot Tramer, who notes that the prevalence of ash borer beetles has been a boon for red-bellied woodpeckers.