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Vermont Noxious Weed Rule Additions Move Forward: Burning bush, Norway maple and others may be added to prohibited list The long awaited proposed amendments to the Vermont Noxious Weed Rule (Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets Quarantine # 3 – Noxious Weeds) have been filed with the Vermont Secretary of State, and the Agency of Agriculture is inviting public comment on the rule and proposed changes. If adopted as proposed, the amendments will prohibit the sale of the following species:Norway maple ( Acer platanoides ), Common and Japanese Barberries ( Berberis thunbergii and B. vulgaris ), Burningbush ( Euonymous alatus ), Yellow flag iris ( Iris pseudocorus ), Amur maple ( Acer ginnala ) and European naiad ( Najas minor ). As proposed, the rule prohibits sale of these species as of rule adoption, EXCEPT for those specimens already in wholesale and retail inventories within Vermont at the time of rule adoption. ... Read the full story at link . -------------------------------------...

Updated 1/22. Latest news is at the bottom of this week's blog. --------------------------------------------------------- PA looking for more ways to pay for wildlife services Saying hunters, anglers pay their share, state agencies seek new money to manage wildlife Sunday, January 17, 2010 By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Some people look out the window and see a natural world that could take care of itself if we would just leave it alone. But those more experienced in the outdoors and employees of the two agencies that manage the state's wildlife see something else: A man-made landscape of unnatural second growth teeming with thousands of species of plants and animals living in a constantly changing artificial environment. In short, they see the need for constant and costly stewardship of Pennsylvania's wildlife resources. But it's become increasingly hard to pay for it. Officials at the state's separate Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission said they...

Vermont receives $497,000 to control invasive species, fund 'park interpreter' program VermontBiz.com Governor Jim Douglas today announced that the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation was awarded nearly a half-million dollars of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds from the U.S. Forest Service to control invasive insects and plants and provide conservation education programs in state parks and recreation areas within the Green Mountain National Forest. The 16-month project will allow state officials to control the spread of invasive plants and insects on state and National Forest Service lands, by conducting pest surveys, limiting firewood movement and enhancing native species recovery for ash, butternut and chestnut. “Vermont’s forests are valuable economically, ecologically and socially,” said Commissioner Jason Gibbs. “A major thrust of maintaining forest health in Vermont is detecting, eliminating or managing newly introduced pests.” The funds will a...

Updated September 6 -------------------------------------------------------- Schumer says he’ll seek more money to fight invasives By NATHAN BROWN, Adirondack Daily Enterprise Staff Writer TUPPER LAKE - Although many of the more harmful invasive species, such as the emerald ash borer and the Asian longhorned beetle, haven't been found in the Adirondacks, they are believed to be spreading through the state. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said on Thursday afternoon he will push for funding for his four-point plan to limit the spread of invasives and stop them before they get here. "A stitch in time saves nine," Schumer said at The Wild Center. Schumer said he will push to raise funding for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service by $35 million to combat the Asian longhorned beetle and $39.7 million for the ash borer. Schumer said federal help is needed to combat these pests, due to the limited resources of local governments and private groups to deal with them. Schumer al...

Updated July 17 -------------------------------------------------------- Nassau County teams with environmentalists to thwart invasive species By Phil Spadanuta, Long Island Press Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and Nassau County Legis. Dave Denenberg (D-Merrick) worked with volunteers from the Nature Conservancy to remove the invasive plant species, the water chestnut, from Mill Pond Park in Wantagh on Tuesday. [...] “The best time of the year to remove this harmful plant is in late spring or early summer before it sets seed,” said Kathy Schwager, Invasive Species Ecologist for The Nature Conservancy. “The seeds are viable for up to 10 years so control efforts must be conducted for many years, but luckily this plant has only been found in two locations on Long Island.” The water chestnut is invading Oyster Bay too. But through early detection and rapid response, the water chestnut plants invasion can be curtailed before more damage to the environment occurs. [...] As Suozzi waded ...