Invasive species conference scheduled in Fairbanks

Marie Heidemann spreads knowledge about invasive plants at a UAF Earth Day celebration in spring 2010. She will present her poster at a conference in Fairbanks next week.

Scientists, experts, and members of the public concerned about the spread of invasive species are invited to the Alaska Invasive Species Conference Oct. 26–28 in Fairbanks.

The conference at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge will feature the 11th annual Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plants Management Workshop and the fifth annual Alaska Invasive Species Working Group Workshop. A variety of speakers will discuss invasive plants around Alaska Oct. 26-27 and presentations the final day will cover other groups of organisms, especially those threatening aquatic systems.

Participants hope to raise awareness of the invasive species problem and to coordinate research and prevention efforts. Conference coordinator Michele Hebert, agriculture and horticulture agent for the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, said harmful, non-native invasive plants, animals and microorganisms affect our economy and environment. Hebert said invasive species in Alaska threaten native fish, plants and wildlife and their subsistence users, as well as resource-dependent industries, including agriculture, tourism, forestry, hunting, and fishing.

The public is invited to a pre-conference lecture with John Peter Thompson from 6:30-9 p.m. Oct. 25 on the UAF campus. Thompson, of the National Agricultural Research Alliance, will talk about “Invasive Plants and Interactions with the Human and Natural Landscapes” in the Pearl Berry Boyd Lecture Hall, Room 201 in the Reichardt Building.

An Invasive Plants of Alaska Educators Workshop also will take place prior to the conference, from 12:30–4:30 p.m. Oct. 25. The workshop will allow teachers to gain hands-on experience doing invasive plant activities and get free materials to help teach about invasive plants.

Conference sponsors include the Fairbanks and Salcha-Delta Soil and Water Conservation Districts, U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Alaska Department of Transportation, National Park Service, and UAF Cooperative Extension Service. Preregistration is requested. A registration form and agenda is available at the Extension website.

SNRAS graduate student Marie Heidemann will present her campus invasive plant management plan at the poster session of the conference Oct. 26 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. (free to the public). Last spring Heidemann brought together the UAF landscape supervisor, Institute of Arctic Biology animal facilities supervisor, Fairbanks Experiment Farm manager, Bioscience librarian, North Campus manager along with other diverse and representative members of campus to discuss invasive weeds on campus. When it comes to invasive weeds, impacts are not limited to agricultural and landscaping operations, but extend also to recreationists, animal health, and daily operations.

The UAF Campus Invasive Plant Management Plan was developed through a task-force process with thirteen representative members of campus. Heidemann facilitated the formal process, through which the recommendations were formed and agreed upon. An initial scoping process included interviews with task force members and other interested individuals to identify issues that the plan should address. Task force members attended meetings from February through May 2010 to discuss these issues and make recommendations for invasive plant management on the UAF Campus. A public meeting was held on April 28, 2010 to present a draft of the plan and gather public input. Heidemann wrote the final draft of the plan, based on the agreements the task force developed in their meetings. The final plan is currently being considered for acceptance as an addendum to the campus landscape plan.

A focus on best management practices, education and awareness, and management of existing infestations are the primary goals of the plan. Additional recommendations include campus zone priorities, hiring an invasive plant management coordinator, and forming an invasive plant management steering committee. The UAF Campus Invasive Plant Management Plan provides campus land managers with clear guidelines and management priorities to reduce current invasive plant infestations and prevent the establishment of new invasive plants.

At the UAF Master Planning Committee meeting Nov. 4 Heidemann's plan will be under consideration. It has been approved by the Campus Landscape and Outdoor Art Subcommittee and the North Campus Subcommittee.