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Global Invasive Species Team listserve digest #009
Tue, 5 Jan 1999 16:23:08 -0800 (PST)
--CONTENTS--
1. New look to the digest and archives
2. TNC biocontrol policy
3. Greater New England Research Symposium
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1. New look to the digest and archives
From: Barry Rice (bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu)
Hey All,
After a rocky start I have changed the way we are distributing this
digest. Hopefully it will be easier for you to read. In particular, the
messages won't be handled as annoying attachments as they were in the
past. I'll continue to moderate this list, and on days we get more than
one posting the mail will be bundled together as a digest (as is this
one).
Also, did you know this mailing list is archived on the web? To look at
old messages, go to
http://listproc.ucdavis.edu/archives/tncinvasives/
Messages are archived there in directories sorted by date.
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2. TNC biocontrol policy
From: John Randall (jarandall(at)ucdavis.edu)
A brief outline of TNC's policy and standard operating procedure
regarding intentional release of biocontrol agents:
TNC policy prohibits intentional releases of non-indigenous biological
control agents on lands that we own or manage. This and other TNC
'policies' are set by the Board of Governors. However, the Director of
the Conservation Science Division (Deborah Jensen) is authorized to
approve exceptions allowing releases on individual preserves. This
policy is designed to ensure non-indigenous biocontrol agents are used
only when the potential benefits clearly outweigh the risks that they may
attack and damage non-target native species on and near the preserve.
The policy is on page 17 of TNC's Policies and Procedures Manual and we
can e-mail you a copy (contact Barry at bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu, or John
Randall at jarandall(at)ucdavis.edu).
TNC's standard operating procedure for requesting permission to release
biocontrol agents is on pages 24 and 25 of the Policies Manual. A formal
proposal must be submitted first to the Weed Specialist (John Randall)
who will evaluate it and make a recommendation to the director of
Conservation Science (Deborah Jensen). The proposal must address specific
questions about the benefits and risks of the release, including how the
agent was tested for host-specificity, whether it has been shown to
reduce <underline>populations</underline> of the targeted weed in the
field and how impacts of the proposed release will be monitored.
Separate proposals must be submitted for each preserve, in part because
native species that the biocontrol agents might feed on are present at
some preserves but not at others. Two proposals were submitted and
approved last summer, one for release of insects to control purple
loosestrife at Ferndale Marsh in MN and the other for a release against
leafy spurge at Broken Kettle Preserve in IA. If you plan to request
permission for a biocontrol release, you are encouraged to use these
successful proposals as models, and even to copy directly from them where
appropriate. Contact John for copies and for more details on the scope
of the proposal and assistance in preparing one (John may be reached at
530 754 8890 or jarandall(at)ucdavis.edu).
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3. Greater New England Research Symposium
From: Elizabeth Farnsworth (efarnswo(at)science.smith.edu)
Announcing a Greater New England Research Symposium on the
Ecology of Invasive Species. The Symposium will convene on Saturday,
27 February, at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
If you and your students and colleagues are involved in research
projects addressing invasive species, we encourage you to attend this
Symposium, where over 40 talks and posters will be presented.
The deadline for registration is 1 February 1999, and pre-registration is
required. For more information and a registration form, please visit our
web site at http://www.yale.edu/forestry/special/invasive.html. We hope
you will attend this exciting Symposium. Please contact either of us if
you have any questions.
Elizabeth Farnsworth
Clark Science Center
Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts 01063
(413) 585-3736
email efarnswo(at)mtholyoke.edu
Laura Meyerson
Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
Sage Hall, 205 Prospect Street
New Haven, Connecticut 06511
(203) 776-7464
email laura.ahearn(at)yale.edu