Outstanding State Government Achievement

Bill Whitacre; Western Governors’ Association:

This year’s award for outstanding state government achievement goes to Bill Whitacre, Policy Analyst for the Western Governors’ Association for his leadership in uniting the Western states in the fight against invasive species. Over the last year, Bill has spearheaded a series of 5 workshops across the West, focusing on data collection and sharing, early detection/rapid response, restoration, land management, and cross-border collaboration. This broad-scale collaboration initiative to explore shared solutions is paying dividends to maximize invasive species prevention efforts across the West in connection with state, local, federal, and tribal entities.

Outstanding Volunteer Achievement

John Kabashima; Environmental Horticulture Advisor, Emeritus, University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources:

 This year’s award for outstanding volunteer achievement goes to John Kabashima for his continued efforts to address shot hole borers across California and the West. Over the last several years, shot hole borers and polyphagous (invasive fungus) threaten 13 native tree species and continued to spread. Noticing insufficient support from the California state legislature, John spearheaded an “Invasive Species Summit” in January 2018 to develop consensus recommendations that conservation organizations would use to lobby state legislatures. This effort, in consultation with John, developed two bills based on the Summit’s recommendations, and retained $5 million to address invasive shot hole borers. While the efforts to maintain funding and awareness continue, John’s excellent, actionable leadership has helped produce important awareness for a pressing invasive species issue.

Outstanding Private Sector Achievement

Ed Rudberg and Mark Apfelbacher; CD3 Station:

 This year’s award for outstanding achievement by a private sector company goes to Ed Rudberg and Mark Apfelbacher, co-founders of CD3 Station. Their company, based out of Minnesota, has developed 4 different cleaning stations for boaters to clean, drain, and dry their watercraft to prevent the spread of invasive species. Their extensive research and subject matter expertise, coupled with product backgrounds has created both an educational campaign for invasive species best practices and a Waterless Cleaning System for boaters to clean their watercraft when taking out of a water body. With new stations being placed around the country, CD3 is at the forefront of creating behavioral and scientific solutions to prevent the spread of invasive species.

 Outstanding Federal Government Achievement

USDA Region 6 Invasive Species Program:

This year’s award for outstanding federal government achievement goes to the USDA Region 6 Invasive Species Team. Over the last 15 years, Region 6 has served as an example for integrated invasive plant treatments and early detection and rapid response. These efforts have resulted in 50,000 acres of invasive plants treated and 42000 acres restored annually. Additionally, Region 6 has developed a robust Aquatic Invasive Species Management Strategy, which coordinates

with law enforcement, fire management, and other entities to prevent the transport of invasive species. Be it boot/brush cleaning stations, training on invasive species identification, or advanced sampling techniques, Region 6 has developed a comprehensive strategy to mitigate invasive species risks.

Outstanding Innovation

Enrico Bonello; Ohio State University Center for Applied Plant Sciences:

Resistance is the cornerstone of plant health management, and this is true for both agriculture and forest health management.  Professor Bonello has successfully harnessed the power of spectroscopy to screen trees for resistance to significant invasive diseases, from sudden oak death to chestnut blight, to ash dieback, in a non-destructive and very rapid and efficient manner.  This opens up new routes for the breeding and development of resistant tree stock that can be more rapidly and confidently deployed in conservation and restoration efforts.

Please click below to view and complete the nomination form. We ask that you email your completed nomination to alex.hosmar@rrisc.org by May 28 so that we can manage a rigorous and timely selection process. 

2018 RRISC Awards Nomination Form

Phragmites is a wetland grass that grows along the Atlantic coast. Otherwise known as common weed, it grows aggressively, at times up to 15 feet tall. There are two main subspecies found in on the East Coast: a native and a nonnative species. The native species of phragmites is rare, non-invasive, and is inclined to live in a mixed wetland. The nonnative species was brought to the US accidentally in the late 1800s from Eurasia. Since then, invasive phragmites has spread by targeting wetlands that have been disturbed, either by natural or human causes. Hurricanes wash away soil and tear away trees from wetlands, leaving an optimal situation for phragmites to establish itself. In human-induced circumstances, phragmites flourish in man-made ditches, abandoned hay roads, and other areas of human interaction.

Once phragmites is introduced into an area, it spreads by horizontal underground rhizomes, which create thick underground mats that send out roots and shoots that create new plants. They can expand up to 30 feet per year, contributing to phragmites’ quick spread. Its inclination to live in a monoculture prevents other species from cohabiting the marsh.

Phragmites reduces the biodiversity of a marsh.  Since it grows as a monoculture, it blocks out native marsh vegetation. It provides little to no food or shelter to wildlife in the marshes, while eliminating preexisting habitats for fish and birds.  As a perennial, phragmites dies back every fall, leaving dry vegetation in its place. The high concentrations of dry plant material put communities at risk to fast-spreading fires, threating residential, commercial, and natural areas.  On a positive note, there is speculation that coastal phragmites could help protect marshes from rapid sea level rise.

Due to the thick mat of rhizomes underneath the phragmites, it has proven very difficult to control and remove the species. Biological controls are often costly and have very little positive impact on the invasive plant. It is time consuming and ineffective to physically remove the dense mat of underground rhizomes, not only because of the type of machinery needed, but also because extreme care must be taken to prevent introducing the species elsewhere. Additionally, established phragmites have allowed humans to develop in low-lying marsh areas, so removal of the plant may restore tidal flow in impractical areas.

Careful application of herbicides to phragmites, especially when used simultaneously with non-chemical methods, has proven to be one of the most successful methods of controlling the spread of the species. It is important to understand and target the landscape issues that allowed the phragmites to invade. Usually, herbicides must be applied multiple times to ensure the whole plant is treated and killed.

Recently, the Western Governors’ Association has asked the EPA to register Pseudomonas fluorescens (ACK55), a broad-scale biopestiside agent, to be used in combatting cheat grass. By applying ACK55 to landscapes with high cheat grass concentrations, officials anticipate considerable reduction in risk of wildfire, property damage, habitat, and crop loss. The document in its entirety is available HERE.