News & Events

News stories on this page include:

• Third symposium abstracts
• News and abstracts from the second symposium
• MSU Scientist contributes to invasive biology theory
• Radar useful to study invasive insects. Read story at National Geographic website.
• Too close for comfort; hydrilla hunting now urgent
• MSU 2006 Invasive Species Symposium held May 12, 2006.
• House approves Schwarz amendment to fight ash borer
• MSU 2005 Invasives Symposium a success
• Sen. Levin and Rep. Ehlers help introduce invasive species legislation

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Third symposium abstracts The 2008 Invasive Species Symposium was a great success! On April 4, 2008 over 100 people attended the event which was held at MSU Student Union. Dr. Peter Kareiva, Chief Scientist and Director of Science for The Nature Conservancy, delivered the keynote address “Invasive species science that helps instead of amuses: eradication, triage and dishonest hyperbole”. Following Dr. Kareiva, Drs. Landis, McCullough, and Whelan spoke about invasive species in Michigan (view abstracts), and the morning session concluded with a panel discussion. The afternoon session included research presentations (view abstracts) and a poster competition (view winning abstracts here).
News and abstracts from the second symposium MSU hosted its second Invasive Species Symposium on May 12, 2006 at the MSU Eppley Center. The event included a poster competition (view abstracts), paper presentations (view abstracts) and guest speakers. Dr. Katriona Shea, Deparment of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, spoke on "Invasion Ecology and Management of Carduus Thistles," and Dr. Edward Mills, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, spoke about "Chasing Ecological Change in the Great Lakes: The Role of Biological Invasions." At right, Kat Shea addresses the audience. Below left, Ashok Ragavendran (co-organizer), Doug Landis (MSU Invasive Species Initiative co-coordinator), Kat Shea, and Jeff Evans (co-organizer) enjoying the poster session.

Too close for comfort; hydrilla hunting now urgent

EAST LANSING, Mich. - September 12, 2006 -- The invasive plant Hydrilla verticillata has been confirmed in a lake less than an hour’s drive from Michigan. As a result, Michigan Sea Grant is encouraging waterfront property owners, boaters, anglers and swimmers to search the state’s inland lakes to make sure it hasn’t infested bodies of water in Michigan.  Sea Grant is also asking recreational users to take precautions against transporting hydrilla and other aquatic invasive species on their gear.

Biologists from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently confirmed the presence of the so-called “perfect weed” in Lake Manitou near Rochester, Indiana, 55 miles south of the Michigan border near U.S. 131, a major highway to the state. 

Carol Swinehart, aquatic invasive species communication specialist for Michigan Sea Grant Extension, says it’s critical to find out whether any Michigan inland lakes are infested. “The sooner we learn whether Michigan waters are infested, the better chance we have of eradicating or controlling it,” she says.  “Many of our lakes are already infested with invasive Eurasian water milfoil, and experts tell us that hydrilla is even worse.”

Hydrilla has many adaptive qualities that allow it to outcompete and greatly diminish populations of native species. It can grow in low-light areas. It absorbs carbon from the water more efficiently than other plants. It is very tolerant to both standing and flowing water and can also grow up to an inch per day. Finally, its reproductive abilities make it particularly threatening. The tubers that grow from the roots can persist, in a viable state, in the lake bottom for several years. It can also reproduce through flowers, fragments and turions (cone-shaped growths) on its stalks.

Michigan Sea Grant Extension has spearheaded the Michigan Hydrilla Hunt since 2004 in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Office of the Great Lakes.  Background information and a specimen identification card are available through the Sea Grant Web site: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/ais/plants.html. 

Citizens can also obtain hydrilla indentification cards and a fact sheet from Michigan Sea Grant Extension offices at Michigan State University and in Grand Haven, Traverse City, Tawas City, Mt. Clemens, Detroit and Marquette, as well as MSU Extension offices in Barry, Benzie, Branch, Calhoun, Charlevoix, Clinton, Emmet, Genesee, Grand Traverse, Livingston, Macomb, Montcalm, Muskegon, Kent, VanBuren, Kalamazoo and Ottawa counties and the Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners.

“If someone thinks they've found hydrilla, we ask that they compare the plant with the image on our Web site or the Hydrilla Hunt card, which provides illustrations to help distinguish it from the native aquatic plant elodea.  If it has all the characteristics described there, send us a sample so that we can make sure,” Swinehart says. 

It is illegal to possess hydrilla in Michigan (except to send it for identification) or to take the plant across state lines. Michigan residents and visitors can help prevent the spread of hydrilla by properly cleaning watercraft or other water recreation gear.  More information on invasive species prevention practices is available at www.protectyourwaters.net. Michigan Sea Grant is a collaborative program of Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, conducting Great Lakes research, education and outreach.  Visit www.miseagrant.umich.edu.     

Senator Levin and Congressman Ehlers vs. Invasive Species in the Great Lakes: Invasive Species Legislation Introduced
Washington, D.C. (April 13, 2005) – Our nation's waters face increasing threats from aquatic invasive species, and today, Senators Carl Levin (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME), and Representatives Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) and Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) introduced legislation to reduce the risk of harm to U.S. aquatic ecosystems and natural resources from these invaders.

The National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2005 would reauthorize and strengthen the National Invasive Species Act of 1996 in order to protect U.S. waters by preventing new introductions of aquatic invaders. The bill provides for rapid response when new invaders are discovered, for controlling those species that are established in our waters, and for researching pathways of introduction as well as prevention and control technologies.

Aquatic invasive species threaten biodiversity nationwide. Moreover, estimates of their annual economic damage in the U.S. range as high as tens of billions of dollars. Once an exotic species establishes itself, it is almost impossible to eradicate and sometimes difficult to prevent from moving throughout the nation.

"The stakes are high when invasive species are unintentionally introduced into our nation's waters. They endanger ecosystems, reduce biodiversity, and threaten native species. Past invasions forewarn of the long-term consequences to our environment and communities unless we take steps to prevent new invasions," Senator Collins said. "The National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2005 offers a strong framework for states throughout the nation to detect, prevent, and respond to aquatic invasive species."

"The serious problem of aquatic invasive species costs the American public billions of dollars a year," said Senator Levin. "In particular, invasive species threaten the health of the Great Lakes, one our most magnificent and important natural resources. This bill provides crucial protection for the Great Lakes and our nation's waterways from these harmful organisms."

Senator Levin is co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, and Senator Collins is co-chair of the Northeast-Midwest Senate Coalition.

Representative Gilchrest is co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Task Force, and Representative Ehlers is co-chair of the House Great Lakes Task Force. The Senate bill is numbered S. 770; the House bill is not yet numbered. Press Release from the Northeast-Midwest Institute April 13, 2005. Contact: Allegra Cangelosi (202/464-4007)

Events

April 4, 2008, MSU Invasive Species Initiative will host the third in its series of symposia on "Invasive Species Ecology, Policy and Management."