Indiana Invasive Species Council Conference

The goal for this coming Indiana Invasive Species Council (IISC) biennial conference is to bring Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas (CISMAs) and Cooperative Weed Management Areas (CWMAs) together with other agencies and organizations that manage invasive species and strengthen existing focused and collaborative efforts, as well as, empower statewide grassroots actions for effective invasive species management. So, please join us and learn who’s doing what and why, new resources and tools and how we can, together, have a greater impact on invasive species management in Indiana and even in the Midwest.

For full details, or to register, go to https://www.entm.purdue.edu/iisc/.

Annual Meeting Presentations Now Available Online!

If you missed SICIM's Annual Partners Meeting this summer, you can now view the presentations online!  We hope that our new Presentations webpage will serve as a great place to share presentations and resources from invasive species events across the area.  

Owen County Invasive Group Planning Meeting

Invasive Species Technician Position for SW Indiana

The Vanderburgh County SWCD along with Gibson, Pike, Posey and Warrick Counties have been awarded a 2018 CWI grant for an Invasive Technician which Vanderburgh is the lead district.  They will be hiring this person early next year.  A job application must be completed and turned into the Vanderburgh office, a resume may be included but the application must be submitted by December 15th, 2017.

View application here.

View the job description here.

For more information, contact Erin Shoup at 812-423-4426 ext 3 or Erin.Shoup@in.nacdnet.net.

Regional Specialist Positions Deadline Extended

The deadline to apply for the Regional Specialist positions has been extended until Friday, October 20th. 

"Your Hoosier National Forest"

On Wednesday, September 27 at 6 pm Mike Chaveas, Forest Supervisor for the Hoosier National Forest, will present at talk entitled “Your Hoosier National Forest and the Promise of Multiple Use Public Lands”. Chaveas will discuss the US Forest Service mission and history, provide background on how the Hoosier National Forest is managed, and share perspectives on advancing the dialogue around conservation.  

RSVP here.

Green Drinks Bloomington is held the 4th Wednesday of the month through October from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Banquet Facility of the Upland Brewing Company. There’s a $5 suggested donation, some food will be provided. To receive a monthly reminder, write greendrinksbloomington@gmail.com.  To learn more about Green Drinks visit www.greendrinks.org.

Invasive Species Planning Workshop in Owen County

The Owen County SWCD is partnering with the Purdue Extension Conservation through Community Leadership team to host a workshop visioning session related to natural resource concerns, conservation, agriculture, and land use planning issues.

We invite you to take part!  The workshop will be on Wednesday, October 11 from 10am to 3pm at the 4H Building at the Owen County Fairgrounds.  Lunch will be provided.  It will be an interactive and productive day.  

This is a pilot program to help guide community groups, boards, and commissions through facilitated action planning sessions to support locally-driven resource management strategies.  In Owen County, we are hoping to use these sessions to start an Invasive Plant Awareness Group or CWMA.  Let me know if you would like to learn more about the program. 

Please RSVP by calling the SWCD office at 812-829-2605 or by emailing Andrea Oeding (andrea-oeding@iaswcd.org) by October 7th.  

Please fill out the community readiness survey in the link below even if you cannot make it to the event, your feedback is important to us: 
https://purdue.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6ummcfyLbbNye21
 

New Ailanthus research

New research is available on the impact of timber harvest and prescribed fire on the invasive species Ailanthus altissima.  

Check out the full article on the USFS website: Distribution and demographics of Ailanthus altissima in an oak forest landscape managed with timber harvesting and prescribed fire

Photo by Nancy Dagley, USDI National Park Service, Bugwood.org

Abstract

Ailanthus altissima ((Mill.) Swingle, tree-of-heaven), an exotic invasive tree that is common throughout much of the eastern United States, can invade and expand dramatically when forests are disturbed. Anecdotal evidence suggests that fire facilitates its spread, but the relationship between fire and this prolific invasive tree is poorly understood. To better understand the impacts of fire on Ailanthus, we conducted studies at Tar Hollow State Forest in southeastern Ohio, where Ailanthus is widely distributed and where, since 2001, prescribed fire has been applied to 25% of the 3885-ha study area. Our objective was to gain a better understanding of how the distribution and abundance of Ailanthus is related to recent fires, harvesting activity, and site characteristics. We quantified the abundance and demography of Ailanthus, as well as prescribed fire, harvesting, aspect, slope, and available light, using a systematic grid (400 m) of sample plots (N = 267). From these data, we identified time since last timber harvest, not prescribed fire history, as the major driver of both Ailanthus seedling and tree presence and density. Two site factors, aspect index (a transformation of aspect) and photosynthetically active radiation, were also significant predictors of seedling presence or density. These findings to demonstrate that dormant-season prescribed fire has a limited impact on the distribution of Ailanthus within forested landscapes and that recent timber harvesting (within 20 years) is the primary predictor. Thus, care in harvesting to prevent soil disturbance and spread of Ailanthus seed is paramount when managing for this aggressive species.

In The News - Sycamore Land Trust

Check out this recent article in the Limestone Post featuring SICIM partners the Sycamore Land Trust, titled "With Invasives, an Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure."

Webcast - Early Detection and Rapid Response to Invasive Species

Join the Stewardship Network for their August monthly webcast on Early Detection and Rapid Response to Invasive Species.  They will talk with Amos Ziegler from the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN) at Michigan State University.

August 9, 2017 - 12:00 p.m. at

www.stewardshipnetworkwebcast.org

This link will be active at 11:30 a.m.

Not Webcast Wednesday? That link will take you to the free replay archive where you can watch most of the 138 previous webcasts.

Invasive Forest Pests Early Detector Training Workshops

 Cliff Sadof, Purdue University professor of entomology and Purdue Extension pest management specialist, and Carrie Tauscher, state community and urban forester at the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, will lead three workshops on invasive forest pests that pose a significant threat to Indiana’s urban and rural forests.

Each workshop will include presentations on the biology, signs and symptoms, and management of invasive forest pests. Participants will also learn about technology used by citizen scientists to report these pests across the state. There will also be time for participants to ask questions. Light refreshments will be provided.

Gardeners, professional foresters, concerned citizens and anyone interested in learning more about Indiana forest pests - including the emerald ash borer, hemlock wooly adelgid and the Asian Longhorned Beetle - are encouraged to register.

The workshops are free and open to all ages and levels of knowledge. Pesticide applicator CCHs, ISA CEUs, and SAF CFEs will be available. 

The workshop schedule:

* July 11, 6-8 p.m. EST at the Purdue Extension-Monroe County office, 3400 S. Walnut St., Bloomington.

* July 12, 6-8 p.m. EST at the Purdue Extension-Dearborn County office, 229 Main St., Aurora.

* July 13, 6-8 p.m. EST at the Brown County Fairgrounds, 802 Memorial Drive, Nashville.

Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. To sign up, go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FPSOP2017.

For more information, contact Sara Stack at (765) 494-0822 or stack4@purdue.edu.

Writer: Darrin Pack, 765-494-8415, dpack@purdue.edu 

Source: Sara Stack, 765-494-0822, stack4@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415; 
Shari Finnell, Manager/Media Relations and Public Information, sfinnell@purdue.edu  
Agriculture News Page

NEW! CWMAs & Funding Page

Check out SICIM's new page with information on Cooperative Weed Management Areas and funding support from SICIM! Check it out here or on our Resources Page.  

Registration is now open for SICIM's 2017 Annual Partners Meeting!

The theme this year is Managing Natural Areas for an Uncertain Future. Featured speakers include Dr. Jeff Dukes from Purdue University and John Shuey from TNC. The meeting will be held on June 21st, 2017 from 9:00am to 3:45pm at Spring Mill Inn, Mitchell, IN. Registration costs include lunch. For more information, contact Cheryl Coon at ccoon@fs.fed.us

Click here for an event flyer!

You can register with Paypal or a credit card here:

Registration type

Regular $25.00 USD Student $10.00 USD

SICIM Newsletter Revived!

We have recently revived SICIM's newsletter, "The Weed Watcher!" Check out the Spring 2017 edition here:

To subscribe, just send us an email at sicim.info@gmail.com!

NEW! County Resources Page

SICIM is proud that our new County Resources page is up and running!  A brainchild of the Communications Committee, this page is intended to help direct citizens to local resources wherever they may be in the SICIM 35 county area.  It also helps to showcase what areas founded CWMAs, and connect others interested in forming CWMAs with potential partners in their area. 

This page is still under development and we need YOUR HELP to finish it!  If you have contact information or website links to resources in your county please email them to sicim.info@gmail.com and we will add them to site. 

Updated Landowner Toolkit

The SICIM Communications Committee has been hard at work and is proud to release our newly revised Landowner Toolkit!  The Toolkit is designed to help landowners and land managers identify invasive threats, determine control options, and find assistance in control efforts.  It features useful brochures, handouts, species fact sheets, as well as useful articles and lists of control funding programs and contractors. 

Browse the updated toolkit on our website Get Involved page, or download all or some of the handouts from our Google Drive folder.  SICIM can also work with Partners interested in printing hard copies for Landowner Toolkit folders.  Just contact us at sicim.info@gmail.com or 812-653-5563.

Jackson County CWMA Call Out Meeting - December 8th

Call out meeting for a Jackson county area Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area group. 

December 8th at 6:00pm

USDA Service Center - 1350 Woodside Dr Brownstown, IN

For more info, call 812-358-2367 x3

Dubois County Park Invasive Workday - November 19th

The Invasive Species Awareness Coalition of Dubois County (ISAC) is hosting another volunteer workday to help improve native habitat and parklands in Dubois County. The workday is on Saturday, November 19 from 8:30 am to 12 noon. Volunteers are requested to spend the morning helping improve the natural habitat in the Dubois County Park around the lake, trails and campground. Members from ISAC identified invasive plants in the area earlier this fall, and have discussed invasive species issues with the Park board and staff. Targeted invasive plants for the day will be autumn olive, Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora rose. Donated pecan tree seedlings will also be planted.

Anyone interested in helping improve the natural beauty of the park is encouraged to volunteer to help out. No knowledge of plant species is necessary, as volunteers will be grouped with knowledgeable ISAC members to help eradicate invasive plants. Any resident who would like to volunteer is asked to RSVP to group president Ron Rathfon. He can be contacted at 812-678-5049 or ronr@purdue.edu. Volunteers should wear long pants and sturdy shoes and are asked to bring work gloves and their own pruners, loppers or handsaws. The workday volunteers will meet in the gravel parking lot in front of the lake, just across from the 4H Fairgrounds.

ISAC Dubois County was formed last year to focus on public awareness, mapping and eradication of invasive species in Dubois County. The group is made up of concerned landowners, nature buffs, public lands managers and natural resource professionals. ISAC intends to continue to host volunteer days at other public lands across Dubois County in the future. For more information about the group, go to www.isacdc.org or call 812-678-5049.

Techline News - Fall Issue Prairie & Grassland Edition

If you live or work with invasives in Prairie or Grasslands check out the excellent articles in the fall edition of the TechLine Invasive Plant News.  This issue features:

• Landowner-Hunter Partnership Supports Habitat Conservation: Controlling Invasive Plants Enhances Diversity
• Integrative Management of Sericea Lespedeza in Prairie Restorations
• Managing Sweetclover in Natural Areas
• Saint Johnswort: Biology, Impact and Management
• Celebrating the Centennial: Volunteers Unite in Glacier National Park Weed Bioblitz
• Photo Contest: $200 Prize!
• Fall Control Recommendations
• Meet the TechLine Team

Chaff Flower Survey Results

The following survey of Japanese Chaff Flower was shared by Purdue Extension.  The map shows only positive locations identified, not the entire area surveyed. 

View fullsize