Hot Issues

• Avian Influenza
• Colony Collapse Disorder
• Hurricane Katrina
• Northern Snakehead
• Soybean Rust
• Sudden Oak Death
• Non-Native Oysters
• Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia
• West Nile Virus

• Avian Influenza (Bird Flu)
  DHHS. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• Avian Influenza: A Threat to U.S. Poultry
  USDA. Animal and Plant and Health Inspection Service.
• H5N1 (Bird Flu)
  DHHS.Flu.gov.
• Avian Influenza
  World Health Organization.
• Avian Influenza profile
  USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
Colony Collapse Disorder is the sudden die-off of honey bee colonies. Pollination is vital to our survival and the existence of nearly all ecosystems on earth. One-third of our diet comes from insect-pollinated plants, and the honeybee is responsible for 80% of that pollination.

• Colony Collape Disorder Overview
  USDA. Agricultural Research Service. Beltsville Bee Research Laboratory.
• Questions and Answers: Colony Collapse Disorder
  USDA. Agricultural Research Service.
• Invasive Species Fact Sheet - Effects of Invasive Species on Pollinators (PDF | 152 KB) and NAPPC Home page
  North American Pollinator Protection Campaign.
• Learn About CCD - Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder
  USDA. National Agricultural Library.
• Pollinator Partnership
  Pollinator Partnership.
• Pollinators
  DOI. Fish and Wildlife Service.

• Northern Snakehead Fish
  Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
• Snakehead Fish Information
  Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
• Northern Snakehead profile
  USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.
• In Rain's Wake, a Deluge of Snakeheads (Oct 11, 2005)
  Washington Post.

Soybean Rust

• Integrated Pest Management - Pest Information Plantform for Extension and Education (PIPE)
  U.S. Department of Agriculture.
• Soybean Rust profile
  USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.

Sudden Oak Death

• Sudden Oak Death
  USDA. Animal and Plant and Health Inspection Service.
• Sudden Oak Death profile
  USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.

• Officials announce consensus on oysters (Apr 6, 2009)
  DOD. USACE. Norfolk District.
  After a nearly five-year study on the efficacy of introducing the non-native oyster C. ariakensis, Virginia, Maryland and the Army Corps of Engineers concluded that the use of non-native oysters posed ecological risks to the Bay and its tributaries. Focus now returns to restoring the native oyster.
• Oyster Environmental Impact Statement (Oct 2008)
  DOD. USACE. Norfolk District.
  The Draft Oyster Environmental Impact Statement was published Oct 17, 2008. The pros and cons of both the foreign oyster (Crassostrea ariakensis) and the native oyster (Crassostrea virginica) are laid out in a 1,500-page study. After a 60-day public comment period ending Dec 15, 2008, officals hope to decide on a recommendation next spring, when the final version of the report is due.
• Non-native Oysters and the Chesapeake Bay
  Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
• Non-native Oysters
  Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences.
• Non-Native Oysters
  DOC. NOAA. Chesapeake Bay Office.

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) virus is an extremely serious pathogen of fresh and saltwater fish, and is causing an emerging disease in the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada.

• Deadly virus in freshwater fish is found in Northeast for the first time by Cornell researchers (Jun 14, 2006)
  Cornell University. Chronicle Online.
• Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia
  USDA. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
• Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia profile
  USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.
  

West Nile Virus

• West Nile Virus and Maps and Data
  DHHS. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• West Nile Virus Maps
  DOI. USGS. Center for Integration of Natural Disaster Information.
• West Nile Virus profile
  USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.