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About the MSU Invasive Species Initiative

Invasive plants, animals and pathogens present one of today's most important environmental and economic challenges. Invasive species result in increased use of pesticides, as well as losses in productivity and ecosystem services that are estimated to cost the United States more than $137 billion per year. As a central hub for international travel and commerce, Michigan and the surrounding Great Lakes region are particularly vulnerable to invasive species introductions. Even a partial list of well known invaders such as soybean aphid, emerald ash borer, garlic mustard, West Nile virus, soybean rust, and beech bark disease, demonstrate the importance of invasive species to Michigan 's citizens, agriculture and natural resources. MSU is fortunate in having a great number of individual faculty and staff with interests in invasive species and we hope that this web site provides you with access to their expertise. -- Doug Landis and Doug Schemske, Initiative Coordinators.

The initiative's history
November 2004. The provost of Michigan State University and deans of the colleges of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) and College of Natural Science issued a charge to:  
"Develop a multidisciplinary Great Lakes Invasive Species program at MSU that integrates research, outreach, regulatory and teaching (undergraduate and graduate) campus-wide.” Specific directives include:  

  • Develop a white paper to comprehensively address the disciplinary issues surrounding terrestrial and aquatic invasive species (insect, plant, disease, and animal) in the Great Lakes region.
  • Explore collaborative arrangements with relevant state and federal agencies and institutions of higher education.
  • Establish temporal benchmarks of success for the program.

To support the initiative, the provost, the deans of CANR, CNS, directors of the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station and the MSU Environmental Studies and Policy Program as well as the Department of Entomology each committed towards funding for two years of postdoctoral and program support.
January 2005. In response to an e-mail invitation, more than 70 faculty and staff registered their interest in participating in an invasive species initiative at MSU. Thirty-two of these individuals representing 15 departments/units and 3 colleges (CANR, CNS, College of Social Sciences (CSS)) attended the organizational meeting on January 18. Response to developing an invasive species initiative at MSU was overwhelmingly positive. The sense was that invasive species represent a huge interest area across many programs and units and that we have a diverse set of faculty, staff, and students working on these issues. Discussion centered on how to develop an invasive species initiative that meets our research, teaching and outreach mandates and results in MSU attaining nationally prominence for its work in invasive species.

Sub-committees were formed to work on strategic planning, website development, curriculum evaluation, symposium planning, outreach and needs/opportunities of invasives management on MSU landholdings.

The initiative's 2005 committee membership
Strategic planning: Doug Landis, Merritt Turetsky, Pat Brown, Mike Wagner, Kay Gross, Frank Telewski, Mike Klepinger, Frank Lupi, Mark Whalon, Carol Swinehart

Website development: Doug Landis, Carol Swinehart, Robin Millsap, Rufus Isaacs, Joy Landis, Tim Polack

Curriculum: Doug Schemske, Jim Smith, Craig Harris, Jim Atkinson

Symposium: Doug Schemske, Craig Harris, Jeff Evans

Outreach: Doug Landis, Howard Wandell, Carol Swinehart, Robin Millsap

Invasives on MSU properties: Doug Schemske, Frank Telewski

(First person listed is the sub-committee contact/chair.  Additional volunteers are welcome to contact them for information on next meeting times etc.)

May 2005. The group held a kick-off symposium entitled, Invasive Species: Challenges and Opportunities, May 13, 2005. The primary goal of this symposium was to bring together MSU faculty and students with interests in the social, biological, and economic impacts of invasive species.

View news and reports on activites/symposiums at: http://www.invasivespecies.msu.edu/news.asp

Fall 2006 - Initiative receives funding from MSU Environmental Research Initiative

The MSU Invasive Species Initiative was one of 12 proposals to receive funding from the Environmental Research Initiative.  The Environmental Science and Policy Program (ESPP) manages the Environmental Research Initiative (ERI) funded by the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, the Provost, the College of Social Science and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. Specific goals of the project include:

  • Complete the Nonindigenous Biota of Michigan database and publish a comprehensive inventory of potentially invasive species and an analysis of risk potential.
  • Conduct workshops to develop a network of biological and social scientists and partnerships with policymakers at state, regional and federal levels.
  • Develop a web-based training and reporting platform for invasive species survey, detection and mapping.
    For more information: http://www.msu.edu/~rohler/rnfall06/erifunding.htm

The Invasive Species Initiative is supported by MSU's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Natural Science, Office of the Provost, Environmental Science and Policy Program, Department of Entomology and Department of Plant Biology. Funding for development of this web site was provided by the MSU Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program.
Updated 10/18/06