Invasive species and plants conferences scheduled in Fairbanks

Submitted by Debbie Carter
Phone: 907-474-5406
11/09/07

Scientists, experts and others concerned about the spread of non-native, invasive plants and animals will gather for back-to-back conferences Nov. 13-15 in Fairbanks.

A variety of speakers from state and federal agencies will address concerns about invasive species Nov. 13 at the 2007 Alaska Invasive Species Conference, followed Nov. 14-15 by the eighth annual CNIPM Conference (Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plants Management). The University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service will host both conferences at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge.

Michele Hebert, agriculture and horticulture agent with Extension’s Tanana District, will welcome participants and open the Alaska Invasive Species Conference. Attendees will discuss everything from non-native, invasive mammals and fish in Alaska to plant pathogens of concern.

Guest speaker Gregory Ruiz, a senior scientist with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, will speak on "Coastal Marine Invasions in Alaska: Patterns, Processes and Predictions." Ruiz has done a great deal of research with regional citizens’ advisory councils and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The conference will end with a discussion on future actions of the Alaska Invasive Species Working Group.

During the CNIPM conference, presenters from across the state and five national speakers will talk about invasive plant prevention and management and what noxious weeds mean for Alaska. The Alaska Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plants Management includes representatives from more than 35 state and local organizations, citizens’ groups and federal agencies. Founded in 2000, the committee is dedicated to improving statewide coordination to halt the introduction and spread of unwanted invasive plants.

Fairbanks City Mayor Steve Thompson will open the conference Nov. 14 and Franci Havemeister, director of the Alaska Division of Agriculture, will provide opening comments on Nov. 15.

Conference organizer Jamie Nielsen, Extension’s invasive plants program instructor, said problems with invasive plants are not as widespread in Alaska as elsewhere. However, she said, the state is behind on developing a response to deal with the problem, which can have great economic and environmental consequences.

Plants whose seeds are carried by the wind or birds regularly colonize new areas, Nielsen said. In addition, human activities can inadvertently transport non-native plant seeds to distant places. These invasive plants thrive in a foreign environment with no natural enemies, often reproducing aggressively and displacing natural vegetation. Invasive aquatic plants can damage fish habitat and choke waterways.

"They can really wreak havoc," said Nielsen. "They can easily out-compete our native species."

Creating greater public awareness of the problem and organizing a response could help protect property value, agriculture, wildlife and wild lands--as well as minimize the problems seen elsewhere, said Nielsen. Several western states spend millions of dollars annually on invasive species control. Montana spends $14 million annually to control spotted knapweed, which covers 5 million acres in the state. Nielsen said that knapweed has been found at more than 10 sites in Alaska from Ketchikan to Anchorage.

Conference speakers will include Michael Lusk, the invasive species coordinator for National Wildlife Refuges and John Randall, the wildland invasive species team director for The Nature Conservancy. Rep. Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, will talk about a draft statute that addresses invasive plants prevention and management.

Lusk and Randall also will present a public lecture from 6:30-8 p.m. Nov. 13 in the Noel Wien Library auditorium. Their talks are titled, "Weeds Invading Alaska: Why You Don’t Want Other States’ Problems" and "The Nature Conservancy’s Global Invasive Species Approach."

Conference sponsors include UAF Cooperative Extension Service, the Alaska Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, The Nature Conservancy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fairbanks Soil & Water Conservation District, U.S. Forest Service, state and private forestry and the Salcha/Delta Soil & Water Conservation District.

For more information about the CNIPM Conference or to register, contact the Cooperative Extension at 907-786-6310. A registration form and agenda are also available at www.cnipm.org . A registration form and agenda for the Alaska Invasive Species Conference may be downloaded from www.alaskainvasives.org.

CONTACT:
Jamie Nielsen, Extension’s invasive plants program instructor, at 907-786-6315 or ffjmn@uaf.edu.

Michele Hebert , agriculture and horticulture agent with Extension’s Tanana district, at 907-474-5807 or ffmah@uaf.edu.