Upcoming Invasive Species Conference in Chicago

From May 11th through May 13th, 2011, the Program on the Global Environment at the University of Chicago is hosting the conference "Invasive Species in a Globalized World".

The goal of the conference is to bring together people working on invasive species from a broad range of perspectives, including ecologists, economists, legal scholars, historians and outreach/communication specialists.

The conference begins on Wednesday the 11th at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago with a keynote address by Rick Shine (University of Sydney, Australia): Invasive Cane Toads in Australia: the ecological, evolutionary and social effects of a tropical amphibian in a strange land.

This will followed by sessions at the University of Chicago all day Thursday (12th) and Friday (13th.

More detail, including the full list of speakers, is available at: http://pge.uchicago.edu/invasive-species. This website it being regularly updated, and will soon have the full schedule.

All sessions of the conference, including the keynote, are free and open to the public.

Please contact Reuben Keller (rpkeller@uchicago.edu) if you have any questions.

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/