Spotting Knapweed

Read about one man's attempts to manually control spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa, C. biebersteinii, C. stoebe ssp. micranthos, etc. etc.) in a wildlife sanctuary in Pennsylvania.

EAB in C PA

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced today that the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) was discovered in central Pennsylvania. Until now, the EAB had been confined to five counties on the western edge of the state. The beetle's discovery in Mifflin County means a new quarantine zone for Pennsylvania. No word yet on how or when the beetle was found.

Hogs Gone Wild!

Back in April 2007, the ISW reported that feral hog (Sus scrofa) populations in Pennsylvania were on the rise due to the import and subsequent escape of the animals for the purposes of hunting. Now comes word from the Morning Call that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has responded by officially declaring feral hogs to be "wildlife."

Before this ruling, feral hogs, along with any other animals brought onto hunting reserves, were simply considered to be private property. Now they are subject to the state's Game and Wildlife Code, though the immediate effect of the ruling is not entirely clear. At this point Pennsylvania officials aren't really sure of the extent that the hogs were being imported into the state, since the hunting reserves were not being monitored. Whether regulations will be put in place to limit the import of feral hogs or to prevent their escape into the wild remains to be seen. Also, whereas any escaped hogs in Pennsylvania used to be able to be shot on sight, the new ruling means that the animals are now protected from hunting...until the Game Commission sets up an official hunting season. A draft plan for a feral hog hunting season should be out by the end of January.

Internetaction

In honor of today's environmentally-minded Blog Action Day, here is a roundup of news stories about people who are actually going out and doing something about invasive species:

• Out in Louisiana, the post-Katrina reports are starting to come in, and as would be expected following a massive environmental disturbance, the invasive species are making new inroads. As Bloomberg reports, it's all about the feral hogs and Chinese tallow trees. Forest managers are responding to these threats with hunting permits and herbicide treatments, respectively.
• The Governor of California signed AB 1683 into effect, giving that state's Department of Fish and Game the power it needs to manage the spread of the invasive quagga mussel (and hopefully prevent the spread of the zebra mussel) throughout the state. Read the full story from the Daily Democrat.
• The Bushkill Stream Conservancy is all set to start the restoration of an invasive plant-infested portion of Bushkill Creek. This month they'll begin their makeover, which includes removing Japanese knotweed and tree-of-heaven and replacing them with native greenery in four different spots. The Conservancy got funding for the $80,000 project through a series of grants from the state and non-profit organizations. Read more from the Express Times.

Weekend Blog Blogging

The past week in invasive species blogging, elsewhere on the net:

• Blue Crab Boulevard has a post about the cane toads in Australia.
• Invasive Notes has a list of plants used as "biofuel" - it's a long one, and there are a lot of invasive species in there.
• View from here blogs about putting gray squirrels on the pill...yes, *that* pill.
• 10,000 Birds notes that Australia has a major Myna Problem.
• Garden in Bethlehem PA has a post about two common invasive shrubs in Pennsylvania.
• The sky blue waters report has a post about a very large bighead carp caught in a lake in southeastern Minnesota.

The Taxa Man

According to this story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, homeowners in Pennsylvania can now get their very own environmental audits - for free! Audubon Pennsylvania has partnered with Friends of the Wissahickon to sponsor the program, which involves a visit to the homeowner's property from the Audubon at Home program. Once there, an Audubon staffer will survey the property and point out all of the invasive plant foibles. Participants also get lots of advice on native plant alternatives and how to make homes more inviting to local wildlife.

It turns out there are actually lots of options, at least in the Pennsylvania area, if you are looking to getting your own home an environmental audit, though a fee is typically required. If you live in the Northeastern USA and want to check out some alternatives to replace your invasive plants, you are also welcome to play with this tool my lab developed using the nursery catalog of the New England Wildflower Society.

Weekend Photoblogging

Mile-a-minute berries
Originally uploaded by fyrefiend

Part of an impressive patch of mile-a-minute vine (Polygonum perfoliatum) in Pennsylvania. Hmm...not sure this vine grows in any way other than "impressive"...

Thanks to fyrefiend for posting this photo under a Creative Commons license.

You've Got A Beetle In Pennsylvania

philly.com is reporting that the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) has been found in Pennsylvania. The beetles were found June 22 on the western edge of the state, in Butler County. According to this website, Pennsylvania has been surveying the western portion of the state for the presence EAB since 2003

As a result of the discovery, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has placed a quarantine on the movement of all firewood in Butler County and the neighboring Allegheny, Beaver, and Lawrence Counties. While other states dealing with the EAB have specifically targeted ash wood and wood products, Pennsylvania is taking a more pragmatic stance. Noting how difficult it is to determine the type of tree that firewood comes from, they're quarantining all hardwoods.

You've Got A Feral Pig In PA

The Tribune-Democrat is reporting that feral pig (Sus scrofa) populations in Pennsylvania are on the rise due to hunting. While that may seem counterintuitive, there are actually two good reasons why this is the case: 1) Hunting reserves have been importing the pigs to meet hunter demand and 2) Escaped pigs have responded to being hunted by dispersing into small groups and hiding, making them difficult to manage.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission will be meeting later this month to consider putting a ban on the release of feral pigs into the wild. As this article at Lancaster Online notes, feral pigs are not considered game animals in Pennsylvania, and as such are not subject to hunting regulations. It will be interesting to see how this is resolved, with the juxtaposition of concerns of sports hunters, pig farmers, state and local government officials and environmentalists. Do I smell bacon???

Road Warriors

The U.S. government and the Pennsylvania Deptartment of Transportation have put together a unique educational outreach video that targets road maintenance crews. "Dangerous Travelers" tells workers where to seek help to learn about the weeds in their area and gives tips for thinking smart about invasive plants when disturbing the land. It was great to see the example of a crew that goes out and collect seeds and other native plant propagules *before* construction so that they can restore the disturbed land using the same native stock that was originally growing there.

I highly recommend this 26 minute video not only to anyone who works on a road crew, but also to all you land managers out there who are impacted by the work of those crews. There's plenty of good advice in there for everyone. Also, I really, really want my own boom-mounted brush mower :-).

Tip of the virtual hat to the folks on the APHIS listserver for posting about the video.

The Love Bug(Mobile)

What better way to get the news out about invasive species than with a talking Volkswagen? Well, maybe it sounds a little silly, but then you do get to call your car the "BugMobile." Now everyone can share in the joy of Penn State's BugMobile by viewing their new, award-winning video: "BugMobile vs. The Invasive Species." A report from the Environmental News Network describes the video, which discusses how IPM (Integrated Pest Management) can be used to combat invasive species, and provides details on how to purchase it.