CWMA Proposal Presented

(The green areas on the map on the right are the proposed natural areas to be included in the CWMA scope.)

At the NIIPN meeting on Wednesday, September 24, Paul Labus, The Nature Conservancy, presented a proposal to form a Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA)in Northwest Indiana.

Following the Cooperative Weed Management Area Cookbook: A Recipe for Success, the proposal, conceived by Labus, with input from Tom Anderson, Save the Dunes; and Kris Krouse, Shirley Heinze Land Trust, includes the following components:

1. Start with an initial leader or champion. The Nature Conservancy has offered to take on this role. Short term role which Maggie will fill only until the CWMA is fully organized and operating – when the chairperson and vice-chairperson assume leadership responsibilities.

2. Establish geographic boundaries. Remember that while your CWMA needs to be big enough to address your weed problems, it also needs to remain manageable. TNC is in the process of developing a GIS project which will highlight managed natural areas in the Lake Michigan Coastal Program Area and their possible vectors for new infestation and re-infestation (e.g. roads, ROWs, adjacent landcover analysis).

3. Identify potential partners and begin building support.

4. Determine common goals.

5. Choose a CWMA fiscal manager. There are three organizations that could potentially do this.

6. Hold a public meeting and invite all partners. All major landholders and stakeholders within geographic boundaries.

7. Establish a steering committee. Ensure broad representation, keeping the steering committee at a manageable size (max. 12 individuals).
8. Select a chairperson and a vice-chairperson to schedule and facilitate meetings, help organize and energize efforts, ensure that steering committee members are involved and engaged, search for funding, ensure compliance with project and grant requirements.

9. Develop an agreement. (e.g. MOUs and Hold Harmless agreement) This establishes roles and responsibilities, enables sharing of funding and resources, and creates long-term relationship among partners. *** This agreement is what differentiates between a CWMA and an informal invasive plant working group. *** A CWMA should not overshadow or preclude partner considerations. The purpose of an agreement is to facilitate cooperation across jurisdictional boundaries and eliminate administrative barriers.

10. Develop a strategic management plan. The plan should include:
• An accurate map of the CWMA
• Inventory and map of known priority invasive plant infestations
• Management responsibilities including the establishment of management areas or zones
• Criteria for the prioritization of invasive plant management activities
• Control techniques likely to be used in your CWMA
• Equipment, supplies, people, and other resources available for the CWMA from each partner

11. Develop an annual operating plan. The plan details annual projects, expected in-kind contributions, necessary funding, and the personnel needed for project completion, and will serve as the basis for outside grant requests.

12. Establish and utilize committees. Ad hoc and standing committees.

13. Implement plans. Potential projects: education, prevention, early detection, control efforts, monitoring.

14. Celebrate success and get media attention. Utilize media and newsletters, hold annual meetings, prepare and distribute an annual report.

The following timeline is proposed for implementation of the Northwest Indiana CWMA:
• September 24, 2008 – NIIPN meeting to present CWMA development plan

• November 2008 - February 2009 – GIS project (TNC) to identify managed natural areas, assess vectors for infestation, land cover determine most logical geographic boundaries and scale; group discussions (task force) to assess threat levels by land cover use

• February 2009 – presentation of findings of GIS assessment at NIIPN meeting (TNC)

• February 2009 – April 2009 – discussion of geographic boundaries, identify partners, and determine common goals of those partners (NIIPN/ task force)

• April 2009 – December 2009 – developing strategic plan; possibly developing and implementing some small scale pilot projects; possibly completing some more detailed assessments

NRCS Study Committee Releases Invasives Report

Damage to the economy of Indiana will be exponential if more is not done to identify and control invasive species, according to the Indiana Invasive Species Task Force appointed by the Indiana General Assembly in 2007.

Findings of the Task Force were presented to the Natural Resources Study Committee at a meeting of the committee on August 26, 2008 at the Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center. Several NIIPN members attended the meeting, including Tom Anderson, Steve Barker and Susan MiHalo.

Following is the Executive Summary from the Task Force report, which is titled “At the Crossroads – Invasive Species in Indiana: Findings and Recommendations from the Indiana Invasive Species Task Force.” The complete 54-page report was e-mailed to all NIIPN members and should soon be placed on http://www.in.gov/legislative/interim/committee/nrsc.html. Thank you to Ellen Jacquart, Director of Stewardship at The Nature Conservancy, Indianapolis, IN, for providing the full report. She also led the efforts of the Task Force.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
At the Crossroads – Invasive Species in Indiana: Findings and Recommendations from the Indiana Invasive Species Task Force

Indiana is the crossroads of America—our waterways, railroads, highways and other transportation facilities are some of the finest in the nation. That distinction as a hub of transportation and commerce means Indiana has more than its share of invasive species problems. Invasive species enter Indiana through both transportation and commerce, and the rate at which invasive species are entering Indiana is increasing rapidly. We are also at a crossroads in time; by taking action now, we can lessen the impact of invasive species to our economy and environment.

Invasive species harm our economy, environment, and human health in many ways. Just one invasive insect, the Asian soybean aphid, has significantly decreased soybean productivity in the US. In 2003 an estimated 300 million bushels were lost to this pest. With today’s soybean prices hovering at $15/bushel this translates into a loss valued at $4.5 billion nationally. There are dozens of invasive plants, aquatic species, insects, plant diseases, terrestrial animals, and animal diseases that threaten Indiana. Asian bush honeysuckle has invaded forests in every county in the state, significantly decreasing tree regeneration and growth. Hydrilla has invaded Lake Manitou in Fulton County, and if appropriate action is not taken it could spread to other waters and result in reduced aquatic biodiversity, recreational opportunities, and fish populations. Emerald Ash Borer is killing ash trees in northern and central Indiana, and will most likely be moved by people south to the vast forests of southern Indiana. Feral hogs are destroying crops and forested land in southern Indiana, potentially carrying brucellosis and pseudorabies, two diseases that have been eradicated in our domestic livestock but could be reintroduced by these animals.

In 2007, in response to the growing problem of invasive species, the Legislative Council of the Indiana General Assembly directed the Natural Resources Study Committee to investigate invasive species issues. Following the guidelines set forth in a resolution introduced in both houses, the Committee created an Invasive Species Task Force made up of individuals from a broad assortment of organizations and agencies with expertise in invasive species issues to provide findings and recommendations for the committee to consider in 2008. This document summarizes those findings and recommendations.

The most cost-effective way to address invasive species is to prevent them from reaching Indiana in the first place. If, despite prevention efforts, invasive species reach the state, early detection programs can help locate and eradicate those invasive species before they become widely established. If invasive species elude early detection and establish and spread in the state, control and management programs to monitor and minimize their negative impacts to the economy and environment will be necessary, but these efforts can be very costly. The sooner we act the more effective and less costly our efforts will be.

The current jurisdictional structure over invasive species in Indiana is basically sound; the Department of Natural Resources, Board of Animal Health, and Office of Indiana State Chemist work to address this important issue. However, communication and coordination between jurisdictional agencies and with affected parties is currently limited and has hampered the effectiveness and timeliness of invasive species efforts. Further, there is a lack of readily accessible information on the current location of invasive species in Indiana, a lack of coordinated outreach and education for the general public and for invasive species practitioners, and limited coordination with neighboring states. Resources dedicated to addressing invasive species in the state are extremely limited and there are inconsistencies in state agencies’ policies and procedures on invasive species. Some of the few existing statutes lack clarity which hampers their implementation.

The Invasive Species Task Force here proposes seven recommendations to address these shortcomings, which are further explained in Chapter 3:

1. Improve coordination and communication between agencies and affected stakeholders through creation of an Invasive Species Council. While many agencies and organizations are working on invasive species issues in Indiana, there is currently a need for better communication between them. The regulating agencies and affected stakeholders have few opportunities to discuss these issues, which has led to a lack of effective invasive species coordination, inventory and data management, prevention activities, early detection efforts, and control and management activities.

2. Develop and share information resources to target management in a cost-effective manner. Everyone agrees that prevention and early detection are the most cost-effective ways to address invasive species, but these strategies depend on knowing where invasive species are in Indiana and where they aren’t. Currently, there is no agency charged with gathering and maintaining data on invasive species in Indiana. The ISC will address this deficiency and establish a lead agency for each taxon (plants, insects and plant diseases, aquatics, animal diseases) to develop and maintain a unified data management system for Indiana.

3. Coordinate with other Midwest state governments as well as regional and federal agencies and other relevant organizations on common invasive species issues to increase consistency and effectiveness of programs. Invasive species don’t stop at Indiana borders, and neither should the communications about invasive species. The Invasive Species Council will reach out broadly to other Midwest states, regional groups, and federal agencies to find and import the best examples of prevention, early detection, and control of invasive species.

4. Work with agencies and organizations to coordinate a comprehensive education and outreach effort to share new information and best practices, including convening or supporting invasive species meetings. There are many entities in Indiana that have produced educational products on invasive species, but the products have not been disseminated well to the target audiences, and the lack of coordination between entities has resulted in the independent production of multiple similar products. The Invasive Species Council will coordinate what educational materials are needed, with what message for which audience, and what entity should produce them.

5. Improve the consistency and efficiency of state agencies’ invasive species policies and procedures. Given the many state agencies and their varied missions in Indiana, it is not surprising that there are inconsistencies in policies and practices on invasive species between them. In some cases, one state agency is actively working to eradicate or control an invasive species that other agencies have deliberately introduced. To assure wise use of state funds, the Invasive Species Council will provide a regular forum for reviewing current state agency policies and practices to identify ways to improve consistency and address any deficiencies.

6. Allocate appropriate resources to invasive species efforts to improve prevention, early detection, and control and management in Indiana in a cost-effective manner. There are four specific appropriations recommended; creating an Executive Director position for the Invasive Species Council, establishing an Emergency Invasive Response fund, creating a Terrestrial Invasive Species Coordinator position, and establishing a matching grant program to address invasive plant management across land boundaries in Indiana.

7. Amend statutory language to allow more effective implementation of invasive species regulations. Existing statute in Indiana allows the regulatory agencies – Department of Natural Resources, Board of Animal Health, and Office of Indiana State Chemist – to address invasive species in the state. A few changes and additions to statute will simplify implementation of the statutes.

Cypress Spurge Threatens the Dunes

A population of Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias L.) was spotted today by Susan MiHalo and Laura Thompson, just inside the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore boundary from Ogden Dunes.

This plant can be very aggressive in areas such as the dunes, where it poses a threat to numerous species. It also has very little wildlife value since it exudes a toxic latex when you break the stem that irritates the eyes, mouth, and gastrointestinal tract; and causes dermatitis upon contact in some people.

Laura plans to return soon to begin controlling it. It is best controlled during early budding (it flowers mid-summer) or in the early fall.

Unfortunately, this is an area where a lot of people walk their dogs, which may help spread it even more.

Following is a fact sheet with more information:

http://www.invasive.org/weedcd/pdfs/wow/cypress-spurge.pdf

Have you seen much of this on your properties? If so, what kind of success have you had in controlling it?

The following Google Earth Map shows where the population exists. The plants have not been counted yet.

Participate in a MIIPN Survey

The Midwest Invasive Plant Network (MIIPN) is conducting a survey to direct their activities , focus their research, and strengthen the community of people working together to reduce the impact of invasive plants in the Midwest.

If you haven't aleady filled out this quick and easy on-line survey, please take a minute to do so by visiting:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=37222162906

By the way, this is an example of a free surveying tool that allows the user to design the survey and then send it to a list of users. It then tabulates the results for you! It has some potential for use by NIIPN in the future.

Chicago Trib Story Features Biological Controls

The fight against invasives was given a boost today with a story on the front page of the Chicago Tribune about biological controls in use and under development.

While information contained in the story may not be news to you, the information presented will certainly help build public support for NIIPN's cause.

However, the quote at the end of the story, provided by Dave Voegtlin of the Illinois Natural History Survey, cries for another story:

"Exotics continue to come in. Our water and soil are just full of them. They're changing the dynamics of our system."

So, just how are exotics changing the dynamics of our ecosytems? The public needs to know about those impacts as well as the values of biodiversity, described in Chicago Wilderness' Biodiversity Recovery Plan, Chapter 2. Chicago Wilderness also has helpful information on its website on why biodiversity matters: http://www.chicagowilderness.org/biodiversity/why/index.cfm

If anyone is interested in pursuing this kind of story with Chicago Tribune reporter John Keilman, please comment below and Susan MiHalo will try to arrange something.

The Chicago Tribune story may be found at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/green/chi-bugs-weeds_both_02jul02,0,3470362.story

Lake Rim GIS Data Available

During a recent discussion with Lauren Rhein, Data and Research Analyst with the Northern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, Susan MiHalo was reminded that Indiana GIS data may be available to assist with NIIPN's desire to map invasives.

A number of datasets are available that might be of use to you on the Lake Rim GIS website, including pipelines, land use, railroads, public property, and much more. To download shapefiles, please go to:
http://129.79.145.5/arcims/lrim/lakerim_dload.html

Please provide feedback indicating whether or not any of this data is helpful to you.

CWMA Task Force Meets

The Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) Task Force of NIIPN met on Tuesday, June 10 at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Field Research Station in Porter to discuss the feasibility of having NIIPN formalize more into a CWMA.

Concerns were expressed by some participants about the need for such a venture. Thoughts offered about the need included:

+Leveraging resources.
+Offering a regionwide approach to a regionwide problem.
+Learning how weed problems emerge in the first place.
+Access to more resources (money, funding) may be the most compelling +argument for forming a CWMA.
+Joint education and outreach efforts to the public.
+Rapid detection of invasives with the possibility of rapid response.

Concerns expressed about this initiative included:
· The difficulty in engaging industry, pipeline companies, railroads, INDOT and utilities that maintain corridors where invasives can spread.
· The difficulty in engaging landowners on the periphery of biodiverse areas, such as the NPS. For instance, small towns such as Beverly Shores and Ogden Dunes may not have the resources to control invasives.
· Need to be careful to set some reasonable expectations about what a CWMA can accomplish. Need to hone in on some specific needs.
· In comparison to western lands, the natural areas in this part of the country are owned by many, many different owners, making coordination that much more difficult.
· Current county governments don’t have a person appointed to weed control. Might be a hard sell for the counties.

In order for the CWMA to achieve success, a targeted Strategic Plan and Workplan would need to be developed.

The participants also felt that there is a strong need to develop some areawide GIS maps showing invasive infestations. An overlay of land use, especially rail and transportation corridors, would be especially helpful in showing vectors that spread invasives to other areas. Susan MiHalo offered to talk with NIRPC about whether or not they can provide land-use data. In addition, it might be useful to alert NIRPC about the potential for formalizing NIIPN into a CWMA and to ascertain whether or not they would be supportive of the effort.

Members of the Task Force offered to try to pull their data together to get the mapping started. John Ervin offered to assist with the effort. Once we have some coordinated mapping that is useful, others might be convinced to follow suit.

As a follow up to these discussions, Susan MiHalo contacted John Swanson at NIRPC. He was very supportive of the concept. Of course, the first thing he asked was whether not the project was funded. He offered to have Shannon Lefever, NIRPC GIS Technician, contact Susan about the status of land-use mapping at NIRPC. John also indicated that Mary McConnell from The Nature Conservancy applied for funding for a study of how invasives spread along transportation corridors. Unfortunately, the funding was denied. It might be helpful to obtain a copy of that funding request from Mary.

Shannon called Susan right away. Their maps are not where they would like them to be yet. They are still waiting for data from Lake County. She also indicated that NIRPC may not be in a position to provide some of the data. We may have to go to the individual counties to obtain the shape files. She will check and let Susan know what is available.

A helpful phone call with Carol Cook at Save the Dunes Conservation Fund also revealed that some important groundwork has been laid already with respect to building a CWMA. In 2006-2007 Carol implemented a grant for Chicago Wilderness titled “Developing a Regional Capacity for Invasive Species Assessment and Abatement.” A copy of the final report may be found on http://www.savedunes.org/land_program/chicago_wilderness/. You are urged to read it!

Through the grant it was learned that area land managers, including city park managers, are very concerned about invasive species identification and mapping but lack the resources to undertake that task. On the other hand, it was noted that land managers for state, county and federal agencies are much more interested in mapping and identification. The needs of NIIPN members are diverse!

Lyme Grass Invasion Noted

John Ervin, Regional Ecologist, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, recently discovered an invasion of Lyme Grass (Leymus arenarius (L.) Hochst.(= Elymus arenarius L.) on the shores of Lake Michigan. Areas in which an invasion has been found to date includes Ogden Dunes; and in Whiting just east of Whiting Park and at Whihala Beach County Park.

While this ornamental grass is not noted federally as an invasive species, the State of Wisconsin is very concerned about an invasion in that state, where it appears to be spreading quickly and outcompeting native flora. Following is a link to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources information about this grass:
http://www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity/herbarium/invasive_species/leyare01.htm

According to John, this grass can be distinguished from Marram Grass by its height, which is around 4 feet; and it currently has green seed heads, whereas the Marram Grass has brown seed heads.

John is currently surveying areas for invasions and is planning a control campaign later this summer to help stem the invasion.

Please let John know if you have an invasion of this plant on your shoreline area.

(Thanks to Noel Pavlovic for this photo. He also found Lyme Grass back in 2004 in Miller.)