Wed Mar 21 2007 - 16:54:23 PDT

Contents
1. GISI brochures! (Global, Planet Earth)
2. Help needed creating invasive species articles (Vermont, USA)
3. Marsh sow-thistle (Sonchus palustris) on the move! (Ontario, Canada)
4. Asian longhorned beetle off Staten Island (New York, USA)
5. Preventing spread via utility corridors (Virginia, USA)
6. Ravenna grass, Saccharum ravennae (California, USA)
7. Quagga mussel news (Southwestern states, USA)
8. Oxalis pes-caprae (California, USA)

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1. GISI brochures! (Global, Planet Earth)  
From: Barry Rice (bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu)

Hear ye, hear ye, TNC staff!
The Global Invasive Species Team has recently printed a brochure that
discusses the impacts of invasive species, and work that The Nature
Conservancy is doing to fight their impacts. If you want copies of the
brochure, email me! Most requests I am getting are on the order of 50-100
brochures, but I am willing to consider larger ones.
 
Once we run out, I will probably print more, but I will need to know the
print run size. So if you want copies of the brochure, contact me soon!
Preview the brochure here:
http://tncinvasives.ucdavis.edu/products/outreach/GISIbrochure.pdf

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2. Help needed creating invasive species articles (Vermont, USA) 
From: Barry Rice (brice(at)ucdavis.edu )

The Vermont Chapter of The Nature Conservancy is developing a series of
articles on invasive plants. Each article will help identify an invasive and
will discuss its impact on native plants and animals. Tips will include
appropriate ways to remove the plant, and also attractive alternatives to
replace plants removed from gardens.
 
Has anyone else created such materials? Do you have examples you can show
us? Contact me and especially Emily Boedecker (eboedecker(at)tnc.org).
Thanks!

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3. Marsh sow-thistle (Sonchus palustris) on the move! (Ontario, Canada) 
From: Katherine Howe (khowe(at)tnc.org)

Sonchus palustris (marsh sow-thistle) is a new arrival to southern Ontario
and is spreading rapidly there. It can grow up to 5 meters in height. Keep
an eye out for this species in your area!
Fact sheet: http://tncinvasives.ucdavis.edu/alert/alrtsonc.pdf

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4. Asian longhorned beetle off Staten Island (New York, USA) 
From: Barry Rice (brice(at)ucdavis.edu )

The USDA announced that fifteen heavily infested red maple and gray birch
trees were found on an uninhabited island lying between Staten Island and
northern New Jersey. Wood quarantines have been placed upon Staten Island as
a result.
For more news: http://tncinvasives.ucdavis.edu/news/alb01.doc

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5. Preventing spread via utility corridors (Virginia, USA) 
From: Gwynn Crichton (gcrichton(at)tnc.org)

Does anyone have suggestions on how to best plan for or prevent/mitigate the
spread and introduction of plant species due to new utility corridor
construction? With new natural gas pipelines coming online in Virginia,
this is becoming a pretty big issue. In addition, on USFS lands in
Virginia, recreation has become the primary use which means more and more
recreational infrastructure is being proposed, especially trails. Can you
recommend resources/literature/case studies of how we can abate the threat
of invasives in the face of these pressures?

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6. Ravenna grass, Saccharum ravennae (California, USA)  
From: Jeff Firestone(firestone(at)ucdavis.edu)

We have a population of Saccharum ravennae (formerly Erianthus ravennae;
ravenna grass or plume grass or "hardy pampas grass") here in Northern
California that has a few of us worried. It appears to be spreading rapidly
in a valley and we do not know if it will continue this rate of spread if it
gets out of this watershed. It hasn't appeared to be a problem in the only
other reported site in our state. Do any of you have any experience with
the species? I would be particularly interested in experience / assessments
of risk and potential impacts.

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7. Quagga mussel news (Southwestern states, USA) 
From: Barry Rice (bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu)

In case you have not heard, invasive quagga mussels have been detected in
Lake Mead on the Nevada-Arizona border, at the Lake Mead fish hatchery, Lake
Havasu on the Arizona-California border, and in a Los Angeles reservoir.
Fish and water from this reservoir have been distributed widely over Nevada.
Quagga mussles (Dreissena rostiformis bugensis=Dreissena bugensis) are
closely related to zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)
 
News can be seen here:
http://tncinvasives.ucdavis.edu/news/quagga01.doc (Briefing Statement by
Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife)
http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/zebra_mussels.shtml (Arizona Game and Fish notice)
http://cars.er.usgs.gov/Nonindigenous_Species/Zebra_mussel_FAQs/Dreissena_FA
Qs/dreissena_faqs.html (USGS information)

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8. Oxalis pes-caprae (California, USA) 
From: Barry Rice (bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu)

I was recently sent some information via a TNC web page. A "Brett" from New
Zealand reported that Oxalis pes-caprae, a little plant which is causing
concern especially in duneland habitats, has an Achilles Heel: "It is very
susceptible to the active ingredient Triclopyr 600g/l. Used with a
surfactant, excellent control is achieved with 30mls per 100 sq m. It works
better than glyphosate, and regrowth is minimal if any."
 
Can anyone verify this?