Items
of Interest:
Divers
Hunt Invasive Lionfish and Help Protect
Florida Keys Coral Reefs
(Apr
18, 2011)
DOC. NOAA.
National Ocean Service.
NOAA's
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, in
partnership with Reef Environmental Education
Foundation, will host the second annual
series lionfish derbies
starting in May and ending in Nov 2011.
Divers who remove lionfish from sanctuary waters
will be eligible for more than $10,000 in cash
and prizes. For more information on the derbies
and to register online, visit REEF's Lionfish
Research Program. The inaugural series
of lionfish derbies held last year resulted
in the removal of more than 650 of the invaders
from sanctuary waters.
Nonnative
Pet Amnesty Day is March 12 (Mar
3, 2011)
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission.
In an effort to keep unwanted exotic pets
out of Florida's native habitats, people
can surrender exotic pets free of charge
with no questions asked, at this one-day-only
event at Zoo Miami (10 am - 2 pm). Every
attempt will be made to place all healthy
animals with qualified
adopters.
USDA
Establishes Quarantine Area for Citrus
Black Spot in Florida (Oct 19, 2010)
USDA.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
The U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service issued a Federal Order, effective immediately,
establishing quarantine and regulated areas
for certain portions of Collier and Hendry
counties, Florida, for citrus
black spot. The USDA
first confirmed the presence of citrus black
spot in Florida, in Apr 2010.
Research
Finds Economic Impact of Laurel Wilt Disease
Could be "Catastrophic" (Sep
9, 2010)
American Society for Horticultural
Science.
Scientists have found that the
invasive fungus called laurel
wilt disease and the redbay ambrosia
beetle, which carries laurel wilt, represent
a significant economic threat to Florida's
avocado industry. According to the report Potential
Economic Impact of Laurel Wilt Disease on
the Florida Avocado Industry published
in HortTechnology, direct losses
from the invasion could range from $183 million
to a remarkable high of $356 million.
South
Florida Water Management District,
U.S. Army
Corps to Build "Bug
Nursery" to
Control Invasive Plants (PDF | 229 KB) (Aug
9, 2010)
South Florida Water
Management District.
The South Florida Water Management District
(SFWMD) and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers recently signed a Project
Partnership Agreement to build an annex to
the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Agricultural Research
Service Invasive Plant Research
Laboratory in Southern Florida, to raise
insects for use as biological controls. These
insects and other biological controls are
used to manage the spread of invasive exotic
plant species. Researchers at the USDA will
strategically release and monitor the biological
controls where they will be most effective
as part of an integrated pest management
strategy.
Mediterranean
Fruit Flies Found In Palm Beach County (Jun 15, 2010)
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services.
Mediterranean fruit flies (Medfly) have
been confirmed in Palm Beach County, Florida.
The flies were found on traps in mango, loquat
and sour orange trees. This is the first major
outbreak of Medfly since the 9 county eradication
program in 1997 and 1998. The Medfly is
considered the most serious of the world's
fruit fly pests due to its potential economic
harm and threat to our food supply.
2010
South Florida Environmental Report (Mar
2010); see also 2011 Draft
Report
South Florida Water Management
District.
For invasive species related information,
see the Executive Summary and Volume
1: Chapter 9 (The Status of
Nonindigenous Species in the South
Florida Environment).
Park
Unveils "Don't Let It Loose" Billboard
Campaign (Dec 22, 2009)
DOI. NPS. Everglades
National Park.
Everglades National Park, in partnership
with other Federal and state land management
agencies in Florida, unveiled a year-long campaign to highlight the ongoing issue
of invasive species in the Everglades. Over the next twelve months, a statewide
network of billboards will feature select nonnative species and advise viewers
to "Don't Let It Loose."
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