New Website on Japanese Stiltgrass

Angie Shelton at Indiana University has created a new website on predicting the spread of invasive species, with a focus on her research on Japanese stiltgrass. The information will be of interest to both land managers and researchers. Take a look at http://www.indiana.edu/~preserve/InvasiveSpread

To hear Angie’s talk on the topic from the Stiltgrass Summit, hosted by River to River Cooperative Weed Management Area last summer, visit http://www.rtrcwma.org/stiltgrass/

Invasive Plant Curriculum

Here is a neat curriculum to assistance teachers in teaching their students about invasive plant issues.

Alien Invasion: Plants on the Move
Weed Curriculum for grades K-12

http://weedinvasion.org/weed_home.php

New Publication on Management of Aquatic Invasive Plants

A very detailed publication on the 'Biology and Control of Aquatic Plants' in now available online from the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Foundation.

A copy of the book can be found at: http://www.aquatics.org/bmp.htm

Southern Illinois Invasive Species Strike Team 2010 Annual Report available online

The 2010 annual report for the Southern Illinois Invasive Species Strike Team is now available online at: http://www.rtrcwma.org/striketeamreport2010.pdf

The report has great information on the great work the strike team is doing.

9 Great Invasive Species Worth Admiring - Gallery

Fun gallery with great pictures

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/11/invasive-species-gallery/?pid=485

Distribution maps now available on www.rtrcwma.org

Thanks to a partnership with the University of Georgia's Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, the River to River Cooperative Weed Management Area now has invasive species distribution maps available on our website.

http://www.rtrcwma.org/distribution/index.html

Maps are displayed through the popular EDDMapS system developed by UGA. Both county-level and point maps are up for many invasive species in the region.

You can also help fill out any gaps in the data by submitting invasive species reports on our website: http://www.rtrcwma.org/report/

Stiltgrass Summit presentation recordings available online

All of the presentations and panel discussions from the 2010 Stiltgrass Summit are now available online at www.rtrcwma.org/stiltgrass. The Summit had a great series of presentations, ranging from ecology and spread to control and management of Japanese stiltgrass. They are definitely worth reviewing if you manage this plant.

Presentations
● Microstegium vimineum: George Ainslie’s Discovery and What It Means to Us
Les Mehrhoff – UCONN and IPANE

● No Silver Bullet: Setting the Stage for the Stiltgrass Symposium
Chris Evans, River to River CWMA

● Strategic, Cooperative, and Coordinated Management of Japanese Stiltgrass
Mike Ielmini, USDA Forest Service

● Predictive Spatial Model of Japanese Stiltgrass Spread
Angie Shelton, Indiana University

● Establishment, Spread, and Seed Viability of Microstegium vimineum in Eastern Forests
Cynthia Huebner, USDA Forest Service

● Long-term dynamics and impacts of Microstegium invasion in the Piedmont of New Jersey
Scott Meiners, Eastern Illinois University

● Niche limitations of a vigorous exotic invader, Microstegium vimineum, across temperate forest ecotones
Robert Warren, Yale University

● Understanding the ecosystem-level effects of stiltgrass: does it set the stage for its own success?
Justin Wright, Duke University

● Nitrogen dynamics in a forest understory following invasion by Microstegium vimineum
Jennifer Fraterrigo, University of Illinois

● Positive feedbacks on M. vimineum growth through alteration of nitrogen cycling
Marissa Lee, Duke University

● Impacts and management of Microstegium vimineum invasions
Luke Flory, Indiana University

● Keeping the wolves at bay: Techniques used to slow the spread of Microstegium and other small-seeded invasive plants
Chris Evans, River to River Cooperative Weed Management Area

● Panel Discussion - mp3 (40 megabytes) / wma (40 megabytes) / ogg (122 megabytes)