COORDINATION

State and Provincial AIS Coordinators

Alaska

Arizona

California

City of Bellingham, Washington

INTERNATIONAL

CANADA

Canadian Council on Invasive Species website

Invasive Mussel Prevention Framework for Western Canada (2018)

Inter-provincial-territorial agreement for coordinated regional defense against invasive species (March 2016)

PNWER
Invasive Species Working Group

The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) is a statutory public/private non-profit created in 1991 by the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Its mission is to increase the economic well-being and quality of life for all citizens of the region, while maintaining and enhancing our natural environment.

Goals

Coordinate provincial and state policies throughout the region
Identify and promote "models of success"
Serve as a conduit to exchange information.
Promote greater regional collaboration
Enhance the competitiveness of the region in both domestic and international markets
Leverage regional influence in Ottawa and Washington D.C.
Achieve continued economic growth while maintaining the region’s natural resources

PNWER has a 21 working groups, one of which is focused on Invasive Species. This working group seeks to further increase awareness regarding invasive species in the ten states, provinces, and territories that comprise PNWER. Its task is to address the regional economic and environmental impact of invasive species and promote regional collaboration and sharing of best practices.

Click here to view the PNWER Invasive Species working group webpage.

Presentations and Publications

January 21, 2015 presentation: Advancing a regional defense against dreissenids in the Pacific Northwest (.pdf)

Advancing a Regional Defense Against Dreissenids in the Pacific Northwest publication (.pdf)

Regional Defense Against Dreissenids in the Pacific Northwest 3-31-15, 2.08 PM from Lisa DeBruyckere on Vimeo.

International Links

International Association for Open Knowledge on Invasive Alien Species

European Network on Invasive Alien Species

Invasive Species Specialist Group

Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species

NATIONAL

AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES TASK FORCE

WESTERN REGIONAL PANEL

BUILDING CONSENSUS IN THE WEST

The WRP’s Building Consensus in the West Workgroup was a multi-year process to facilitate an ongoing discussion among State ANS Coordinators and the National Park Service to produce science-based standard protocols and procedures for preventing the further spread of zebra and quagga mussels in the west via recreational watercraft, in tandem with the development of a legal framework for watercraft inspection and decontamination programs. The overarching purpose of BC, and the resulting actions and work products, was to achieve greater consistency among western state agencies implementing watercraft inspection and decontamination for zebra and quagga mussels both in management practices and with respect to legal parameters. The idealized target was to have common capabilities among and between managing entities to accomplish the overarching objectives of (1) achieving maximum resource protection against ZQM and other ANS, (2) providing optimal customer service to outdoor recreationists by gaining consistency in requirements across the west for the boating public, and (3) increasing efficiencies and effectiveness of ANS programs.

Although BC discussions took place in several forums and different venues over the years, the dialogue focused primarily on coordination and collaboration among states and NPS. Participants recognized the importance of other federal and state coordination and cooperation interests, as well as working with local governments, tribes, and private industry to achieve these broad objectives.

Much of the work conducted through Building Consensus was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Building Consensus in the West Workgroup Final Activity Report 2011–2019

National Invasive Species Advisory Committee

The National Invasive Species Council (NISC) was established by Executive Order (EO) 13112 to ensure that Federal programs and activities to prevent and control invasive species are coordinated, effective and efficient.

NISC members are the Secretaries and Administrators of 13 federal departments and agencies to provide high-level coordination on invasive species and is co-chaired by the Secretaries of Commerce, Agriculture, and the Interior. EO 13112 defines invasive species as "…an alien (or non-native) species whose introduction does, or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health". Only a small proportion of non-native species are invasive (See ISAC Definitions White Paper). NISC receives advice from and consults with the Invasive Species Advisory Committee, a group of non-federal experts and stakeholders chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972.

Other Important NISC actions and duties include:

National Invasive Species Council Management Plan 2016-2018
Drafting of the Interdepartmental Invasive Species Performance Budget
Reviewing progress under the Plan and EO 13112 (see the Five-Year Review of EO 13112)
Working with the Department of State to provide input for international invasive species standards

Additional information on invasive species and related topics is available at www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov, an information center maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Library.

National Databases

National Estuarine and Marine Exotic Species Information System (NEMESIS)

Ballast Water: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

United States Geological Survey: Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Information Resource

REGIONAL

100TH MERIDIAN INITIATIVE

100th Meridian Initiative

The 100th Meridian Initiative is a cooperative effort between local, state, provincial, regional, tribal, and federal agencies to prevent the westward spread of zebra/quagga mussels and other aquatic nuisance species in North America. The Columbia River Basin Team is comprised of 100th Meridian Initiative partners, primarily in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and British Columbia.

Columbia River Basin (CRB) Team

The next meeting of the 100th Meridian Initiative Columbia River Basin AIS Team will be held June 6-7, 2023 at the SpringHill Suites Boise ParkCenter in Boise, Idaho. Registration information will be available closer to that date.

Contact Amy Stark for further information @ astark@psmfc.org