Thu Feb 17 2005 - 14:03:57 PST

Contents
1. WIMS is now available!!! (Global, Planet Earth)
2. Common tansy, Tanacetum vulgare (Minnesota, USA)
3. Fire and butterfly bush, Buddleja davidii (Pennsylvania, USA)
4. Cactoblastis cactorum added to Gallery of Pests (Global, Planet Earth)
5. Feasibility of starting invasives program (Ohio, USA)

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1. WIMS is now available!!! (Global, Planet Earth)
From: Mandy Tu (imtu(at)tnc.org)

TNC's Invasive Species Initiative, in collaboration with several awesome
partners, is proud to finally make available to all invasive species
enthusiasts and natural resource managers the much-desired and
much-anticipated Weed Information Management System (called WIMS, since
everyone needs a cool acronym)!!

Do you struggle to keep track of all of your weed locations, inventory and
monitoring data? Do you have trouble remembering how you treated a certain
patch of weeds three years ago? Would you like assistance compiling summary
reports on your weed situation? How about creating weed maps? Do you still
create weed maps by drawing them on paper? Do you want to be able to
instantly share your weed data with partners? If you answered "yes" to any
of the above questions, woo hoo...do we have an application system for you!!


Whether you would like to use WIMS, or just want to look at and copy some of
what we have created, point your browser to the following url to learn more
about WIMS!

http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/wims.html

**Note from listmaster Barry---in case you are uncertain what WIMS is, this
is the software-hardware system that you may have seen Mandy demonstrating
in the field, in which she uses the handheld device (with GPS attachment) to
map weed infestations and record all kinds of great monitoring and control
information. We have a PowerPoint presentation on line at the url above that
shows what WIMS can do.

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2. Common tansy, Tanacetum vulgare (Minnesota, USA)
From: Simba Blood (simba(at)rwmwd.org)

We have a restoration site where it has been spreading rapidly. This past
year we treated with Transline, with no effect. Rodeo 1-1/2% and 3%
solutions had minimal effect. All herbicide applications were done pretty
late in the year: mid-September, late September and mid-October in Minnesota
(since it was a mild, warm fall the plants were not yet senescing).
References I have read says pulling is not effective. Any ideas or
recommendations would be welcome.

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3. Fire and butterfly bush, Buddleja davidii (Pennsylvania, USA)
From: Joanne Steinhart (jsteinhart(at)tnc.org)

Do any of you have information on the effect of fire on the exotic butterfly
bush (Buddleja davidii)? This is a major concern at one of the Conservancy's
grasslands preserves in Pennsylvania. I have looked at my usual list of
websites but have found nothing on fire effects.
 
Any help you can provide would be appreciated, and please feel free to
forward this request.

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4. Cactoblastis cactorum added to Gallery of Pests (Global, Planet Earth)
From: Barry Rice (bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu)

I have uploaded a new beastie to the Gallery of Pests: the dread cactus moth
Cactoblastis cactorum. This excellent review was written by the ISI's
Tunyalee Martin, who is currently on maternity leave caring for her own new
infant caterpillar (Tobias Niko Martin, hatching at 6 lbs 14oz).
See: http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/products/gallery/cacca1.html

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5. Feasibility of starting invasives program (Ohio, USA)
From: Rachel Orwan (rachel(at)ruralaction.org)

The Appalachian Forest Resource Center is looking into starting a volunteer
monitoring program for invasive species in southeast Ohio. I am surveying
those involved in invasives monitoring and control to find protocols, BMPs,
lessons learned, successes, volunteer involvement, concerns, comments, etc.
I would appreciate any input on them you all could give. Some questions are
below:

1)How do you select and rank the locations and species you will monitor?

2)Where do you work (public lands, national/state, private lands)? How much
land do you monitor? What land cover type does this encompass?

3)Can you describe your monitoring program (i.e monitor along transects or
random sampling, etc)? Does it involve the use of volunteers? If so, has
this been a successful endeavor? What sort of time commitment is involved
from volunteers?

4)What is your control strategy (i.e. how do you determine where you will
focus efforts, mechanical vs. chemical)? Do volunteers participate in it?
Any successes? Will you generally try to control small infestations before
large, or vise versa?

5)Do you suggest any particular methods/materials/tools for monitoring and
controlling invasives?

6)Do you have any lessons learned form your program that you wouldn't mind
sharing?

7)Do you have any resources you'd be willing to share with us for inclusion
in a resource cd we are putting together and will distribute (i.e. sample
data sheets, protocols, materials, studies on validity of volunteer
collected data, other info on working with volunteers, etc)?

8)Do you have any suggestions with individuals/organizations that would be
helpful for us to contact in the planning stages of our program?

For groups working specifically with volunteers:

1)How many invasives are volunteers expected to know and monitor for in the
field? What type of training do volunteers receive to assure they will id
the correct plants and follow protocols?

2)What is your volunteer turnover rate? How many dedicated volunteers do
you have and what sort of affiliation do they have (i.e. church group,
volunteer organization, hunting organization...)?

3)How does that compare to the total number of volunteers you have had? Are
you able to get all of your monitoring and/or control done through
volunteers, or does you staff have to augment volunteer efforts?

4)What have you found to be the best way to engage volunteers and promote
public awareness (videos, news media, educational events...)?

5)Has it been a worthwhile endeavor to include local citizens in these
programs? Do you think their knowledge and awareness of invasives and other
environmental issues have increased?

6)Do you have any concerns with using volunteers for monitoring and/or
control of invasives?!