Thu Jul 14 2005 - 17:00:14 PDT

Contents
1. Weed Info Mgmt System trainings! (TNC staff, Eastern USA)
2. Phalaris arundinacea var. picta (ribbon grass) (Global, Planet Earth)
3. Free BASF on-line educational sessions (Nationwide, USA)
4. Tamarix species in southeastern USA (Southeastern states, USA)
5. Control methods for Saponaria officinalis? (Michigan, USA)
6. Data needed for sawtooth oak; Quecus accutissima (Nationwide, USA)
7. New USFS Invasive Plant Regional EIS completed! (Nationwide, USA)
8. Asian longhorned beetles in California! (California, USA)
9. Weed ID Deck from Florida! (Florida, USA)
10. Vinca seen propagating by seed again (California, USA)
11. Caragana arborescens (North America)
12. Glyphosate toxicity study (Planet Earth)

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1. Weed Info Mgmt System trainings! (TNC staff, Eastern USA)
From: Mandy Tu (imtu(at)tnc.org)

Interested in learning how to use the WIMS (TNC's Weed Information
Management System; http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/wims.html) application in a
classroom setting? Two hands-on training sessions are now being offered in
August in the East! These are one-day sessions that start at 9am and end at
4:30pm. The training session is free for all TNC participants, but you must
cover your own travel.

August 17th, Wednesday in the TNC-Virginia office in Charlottesville,
Virginia.

August 19th, Friday in the TNC-Florida office at Blowing Rocks Preserve
(near West Palm Beach) in Jupiter, Florida.

To reserve your space in either session, contact Louisa Gibson
(lgibson(at)tnc.org; 434-951-0579) and Jennifer Allen (jennifer_allen(at)tnc.org;
434-951-0572) in Virginia, or Kristina Serbesoff-King
(kserbesoffking(at)tnc.org; 561-744-6668) in Florida. Reserve your space in
either session by August 5th; last minute registrants will be heckled!

If you cannot make one of these sessions, and if there are at least 6 people
in your region that would like an in-person training session, please contact
me to set-up your own personalized classroom training session!

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2. Phalaris arundinacea var. picta (ribbon grass) (Global, Planet Earth)
From: Mandy Tu (imtu(at)tnc.org)

Has anyone seen (and documented) infestations of ribbon grass in natural
areas? We have at least one pretty sizable infestation here in Oregon, and
are wondering if anyone else has noticed sizable infestations of ornamental
varieties or cultivars of reed canarygrass. We have seen it in riparian
areas and on river islands. This plant is also called "gardener's garters"
or "Strawberries & cream ribbon grass." The two most common cultivars are
'Picata' and 'Feesey'. Both have green leaves with white stripes, but
'Feesey' also has reddish-pink coloration. Please let me know if you have
seen this, approximate size of infestation, potential impacts, etc., etc.

You can see some photos of these cultivars at
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1582/

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3. Free BASF on-line educational sessions (Nationwide, USA)
From: Barry Rice (bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu)

TNC's Elizabeth Sklad has notified me about a series of free educational
presentations that BASF corporation is running, regarding various aspects of
herbicide use. Some of the interesting topics include "IPM Control
Techniques," "Understanding Herbicide Labels/Proprietary vs. Generic
Products", and "Handling Herbicides Safely/Equipment Calibration."

To learn more about these meetings, go to http://www.vmanswers.com, click
the "Online Seminars" tab on the left side of the web page, and look for a
seminar that will interest you. You must apparently complete a one-time user
profile to enter the seminar. You can do this well in advance.

I have not participated in a seminar, but these might be quite excellent.
For more information, contact Jim Bean (beanj(at)basf.com).

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4. Tamarix species in southeastern USA (Southeastern states, USA)
From: Kristina Serbesoff-King (kserbesoffking(at)tnc.org)

Does anybody know of any control projects for Tamarix species in the
southeast? French tamarisk (Tamarix gallica) and saltcedar (T. ramosissima)
have occurrences in GA, SC, NC and NC respectively, while T. parviflora has
a vouchered occurrence noted in Franklin County (Florida).

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5. Control methods for Saponaria officinalis? (Michigan, USA)
From: Jack McGowan-Stinski (jmcgowan-st(at)tnc.org)

Bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis) is a problem in our dry sand
prairie/barrens and some mesic prairie restoration sites. We have treated
it with a foliar spray of RoundUp (1.5% a.i.) with only moderate success
(inhibits flowering, but roughly half the plants still survive). Does
anyone have suggestions?

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6. Data needed for sawtooth oak; Quecus accutissima (Nationwide, USA)
From: Sylvan Kaufman (skaufman(at)adkinsarboretum.org)

The Sawtooth Oak Subcommitte of the Maryland Invasive Species Council is
seeking input from people who have observed the reproductive behavior of the
alien species sawtooth oak, Quercus accutissima, in naturalized, roadside,
restoration and wildlife plantings.

If you have observed infestations, are familiar with bacterial leaf scorch,
are familiar with this plant's impacts, etc., your input would be useful!

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7. New USFS Invasive Plant Regional EIS completed! (Nationwide, USA)
From: Mandy Tu (imtu(at)tnc.org)

The U.S. Forest Service has just completed a brand new Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for Region 6 (Pacific Northwest region - Washington and
Oregon) on invasive plants. Lengthy and thorough (as any large EIS should
be), this is the best and most comprehensive treatment of invasive plants -
including prevention practices, early detection, monitoring, restoration,
treatment options, and risk assessments of herbicides and herbicide impacts
(on wildlife, water, soils, unintended impacts, etc.) - that I have seen
compiled into any one document. Of particular note are the economic costs
and projections of different control methods, and what potential costs could
be if you opt to wait to start management efforts. The EIS is available for
viewing in its entirety at http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/invasiveplant-eis/.

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8. Asian longhorned beetles in California! (California, USA)
From: Barry Rice (bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu)

I recently spoke with staff of the California Department of Fish and Game
about the fact that three Asian longhorned beetles (Anoplophora
glabripennis) were detected in Sacramento, California. Whether this is the
end of this infestation will not be revealed for several months. It is not
good news that this extremely harmful insect, previously known in the USA
only in the eastern states, has made it to California despite prevention
protocols.

More about this beetle is in our "Gallery of Pests":
http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/products/gallery/anogl1.html

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9. Weed ID Deck from Florida! (Florida, USA)
From: Mandy Tu (imtu(at)tnc.org)

TNC-Florida and notable partners have just produced a great little
pocket-sized weed deck (3.5" x 5" laminated cards that can be fanned-out)
called "Weeds You Should Get to Know"! Designed specifically for ranchers,
road and waterway managers, natural area stewards, etc., this waterproof and
durable weed deck includes identifying characters for 5 weeds, great photos,
and control information!

Download "Weeds You Should Get to Know":
http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/products/outreach/knowweeds.pdf

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10. Vinca seen propagating by seed again (California, USA)
From: Katie Chess (rareflowergirl(at)hotmail.com)

I saw the listserve posting "Bad news regarding Vinca"
(http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/listarch/arch100.html#04) mentioning
reproduction of Vinca by seed in wildlands. Vinca major seedlings were found
this year in riparian areas on Santa Cruz Island. Ken Owen, working on
removal of certain priority invasive species, collected specimens with
discernable cotyledons earlier this spring.

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11. Caragana arborescens (North America)
From: Barry Rice (bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu)

Conservation workers in Montana and Wisconsin have long wondered if they
should be concerned about Caragana arborescens (Siberian peashrub), a bean
family plant that was introduced to stabilize soils and decrease erosion. An
popular press article on control efforts in Canada notes that field workers
have observed that the plant forms "dense thickets, no natural vegetation
can grow underneath it". Looks like something to be worried about!
See: http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/06/12/caragana050612.html

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12. Glyphosate toxicity study (Planet Earth)
From: Barry Rice (bamrice(at)ucdavis.edu)

As noted in a previous listserve digest
(http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/listarch/arch136.html#09), a recent paper about
glyphosate and aquatic organisms received a great deal of attention, mostly
critical, from researchers who felt it was not the best science. Now that
the dust has settled, you can read this piece by Art Gover (Penn State
University), the last authoritative word I have seen on the subject:
http://rvm.cas.psu.edu/downloads/Relyea_Summary.pdf