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Musseled-Out Native Species Return to the Hudson by Rebecca Kessler news.sciencemag.org When zebra mussels make the news, it's usually because they've invaded yet another water body. Not this time, though. In New York's Hudson River, zebra mussels appear to be declining as displaced native species stage a comeback. Zebra mussels are striped, nickel-sized mollusks native to western Asia. Since they first appeared in the United States in 1988 as stowaways in ship ballast water, their habit of starving out native invertebrates and fouling equipment has made them serious aquatic pests. When they showed up in the Hudson in 1991, freshwater ecologist David Strayer and his colleagues at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, New York, were prepared—if not to stop them then at least to study their effects. Cary researchers had been regularly sampling plankton and water chemistry within the Hudson's 150-kilometer freshwater estuary for 5 years and had started samp...

Rules on invasive species stall; delay may be costly By JIM LYNCH, The Detroit News A year after the Asian carp’s threat to the Great Lakes threw a national spotlight on invasive species, critics say no definitive action on the issue’s two key focal points has been made. Ballast water from oceangoing ships, considered the largest source of invasive species in the Great Lakes, remains largely unregulated. And the Mississippi River system, where the Asian carp is firmly entrenched, remains connected to the Great Lakes. While there has been progress on both issues behind the scenes, conservationists say the pace is unacceptable and leaves the Great Lakes playing a game of Russian roulette year after year. "Maybe another year or two of waiting doesn’t seem daunting, but if you get a new invasion of some species like zebra mussels that shows up in six months, then you could have a catastrophe on your hands," said Andy Buchsbaum, regional director of the National Wildlife Federatio...

A new invasive reported for the Catskill Mountains Five-leaf aralia ( Eleutherococcus sieboldianus ) is an ornamental that has invasive tendencies and is very threatening to natural communities. Please report any occurrences you find in the Catskill Mountain region to Meredith Taylor at the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development. Photo documentation is always appreciated! Meredith Taylor Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership Coordinator The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development ---------------------------------------------------------- Les Mehrhoff passes away Leslie J. Mehrhoff, 60, passed away suddenly on Wednesday, December 22nd 2010 at his home in Willington, Connecticut. Born March 16th, 1950 in Morris Plains, New Jersey to Leslie and Jessie Mehrhoff, he leaves behind his beloved wife, Olga; daughter, Jessie; and field-dog, Moxie. Les received his B.S. from New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire. He went on to receive his M.S. and PhD. fr...