New Outlook for New Jersey

The governor of New Jersey recently signed an executive order establishing an Invasive Species Council for that state. The Council representatives will be an interesting mix of people from government, environmental, horticultural, and agricultural backgrounds. The Courier-Post reports the story.

Removing the Barriers to Building...a Barrier

Following criticism from legislators (and probably many others in the Great Lakes region), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has adjusted its budget, and restored the promised $4.4 million for construction of a permanent electrical barrier to keep carp from entering the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Read a blurb about it from Newsday.com. It was only a few days ago when the ISW posted that the USACE had pulled their funding.

Mesquite Mayhem

allAfrica.com has this very interesting article about the consequences of the introduction of mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) to Kenya. It seems that the National Environmental Management Authority of Kenya has called upon the FAO to answer for their intentional introduction of this noxious weed. Mesquite is often grown as a source of wood (firewood and woodcraft), to combat soil erosion, to amerliorate sites by fixing nitrogen, and even as a food source (the pods). The Community Museums of Kenya is claiming that parts of the country now suffer from low water tables, decreasing biodiversity, and even more soil erosion, all due to mesquite. Bonus points to allAfrica.com for using the plant's scientific name.

Thanks to a member of the ALIENS-L listserver for posting a link to the story.

Jumping the Fence

The news isn't good for those hoping to keep carp out of the Great Lakes. According to this story at the Kansas City Star, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has cut federal funding for the project, which sought to construct a permanent electric barrier at the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. There is already a temporary barrier in place, but it isn't expected to last much longer. You can read previous ISW postst about the temporary barrier by clicking here.

"Brach" is Back

The marine algae Caulerpa brachypus is making a return appearance in Martin County, Florida. As reported by The Stuart News, divers spotted the algae snagged on part of an artificial coral reef known as the House of Refuge. Scientists think cold waters kept the algae from showing up for the past nine months. No word on whether they are removing the offending seaweed. You can read past ISW posts about the C. brachypus in Marin County by clicking here.

Gesundheit!

swissinfo is reporting that Switzerland is under seige from one of the most annoying American plant species: ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). Ragweed is well-known in the U.S. for the hayfever-inducing pollen clouds it produces in late summer. While it has been present in Switzerland for years, scientists are concerned about a recent population explosion. Bonus points to swissinfo for using the scientific name.

Prickly Logic

According to this article from The Sydney Morning Herald, the farming of prickly pear cacti (Opuntia spp.) is rising in popularity in Australia. The species, whose crops bear tasty fruits, are native to America, and well-known to many Australian biologists for their invasiveness. Not to worry, though; according to the farmer in the report, there's no threat of his crops becoming invasive, now that the Cactoblastis moth (Cactoblastis cactorum) has been introduced as a biological control. As reported in the ISW back in 2003, some scientists beg to differ. I wonder if the Cactoblastis moths negatively impact crop yields?