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    "The invasion of noxious weeds has created a level of destruction to America's environment and economy that is matched only by the damage caused by floods, earthquakes, wildfire, hurricanes and mudslides," Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt said. "This is truly an explosion in slow motion by opportunistic alien species with few if any natural enemies." --from the U.S. Department of the Interior

Invasive Species in the Rochester-Area News (Please note links below will open in a new window.)

Resources on Invasive Species

Official Invasive Species Resources 

Using our government via several agencies who track and provides valuable information on invasive species

• Nuisance & Invasive Species - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Invasive species are non-native species that can cause harm to the environment or to human health. As a threat to our biodiversity, they have been judged second only to habitat loss. Invasives come from all around the world; the rate of invasion is increasing along with the increase in international trade that accompanies globalization. Invasive species have caused many problems in the past, are causing problems now, and pose threats to our future. A wide variety of species are problematic for many sectors of our world: our ecosystems, including both all natural systems and also managed forests; our food supply, including not only agriculture but also harvested wildlife, fish and shellfish; our built environments, including landscaping, infrastructure, industry, gardens, and pets. Invasive species have implications, too, for recreation and for human health.
• National Invasive Species Information Center National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC): gateway to invasive species information; covering Federal, State, local, and international sources.
• Invasive Species | Oceans, Coasts and Estuaries | US EPA Invasive species means an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Invasive species are one of the largest threats to our terrestrial, coastal and freshwater ecosystems, as well as being a major global concern. Invasive species can affect aquatic ecosystems directly or by affecting the land in ways that harm aquatic ecosystems. Invasive species represent the second leading cause of species extinction and loss of biodiversity in aquatic environments worldwide
• Invasive Species | USGS Great Lakes Science Center Since the 1800’s, over 136 species of exotic algae, fish, invertebrates, and plants have become established in the Great Lakes. As human activity has increased in the region, particularly with the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the rate of successful introduction of exotic species has surged. More than 1/3 of these invasive organisms were introduced since the 1960s and many now dominate the aquatic community in both numbers and biomass. The most problematic invasive species include alewife, common carp, Eurasian ruffe, Eurasian water milfoil, purple loosestrife, quagga mussel, rainbow smelt, round goby, rusty crayfish, sea lamprey, spiny waterflea, and the zebra mussel. These species alone have contributed to massive extinctions of native fauna, severe alterations in local food webs, and the zebra mussel alone has resulted in millions of dollars of damage to local water users such as municipalities and industries. While many of these exotics have been in the Great Lakes for over a decade, recent increases in disease outbreaks (e.g., botulism and thiamine deficiency syndrome); blue-green algal blooms; loss of key invertebrates such as Diporeia in lakes Michigan, Ontario, and Huron; decline in recruitment and body condition of important native fish such as lake whitefish in Lake Huron; and an expansion of the “dead zone” in Lake Erie, indicate severe ongoing ecosystem oscillations in many parts of the Great Lakes.
• United States Department of Agriculture

Invasive Plants

• Invasive Plants "The Invasive Plants website contains information on invasive plants, their impact on native species, and their control (particularly biological control). The web pages focus on work conducted by students and staff of the Ecology and Management of Invasive Plants Program, directed by Bernd Blossey, at Cornell University. The majority of our work concerns species and ecosystems in northeastern North America, but most species we work with are distributed widely through North America. We invite you to explore this website and to participate or contribute to ongoing research projects."
• Welcome to the Purple Pages! "This is the homepage of the Purple Loosestrife Project at Michigan State University. Explore these pages to learn more about our biological control project, which engages citizens and young adults in the control of purple loosestrife using the plant’s own natural enemies.
• Purple Loosestrife InfoCentre-- an excellent resource for finding about the Purple Loosestrife, recent new stories on this issue, and photos also
• Purple Loosestrife at Montezuma   "Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge has been, and will remain, a key area for research on the management and control of purple loosestrife. In part, this is due to the fact that the refuge has suffered one of the nation's worst infestations of loosestrife over the past 45 years."
• Giant Hogweed Noxious Weed Identification Giant Hogweed is originally from Asia and was introduced as an ornamental. A member of the parsley family, its most impressive characteristic is its massive size. It reaches a height of 10 to 15 feet when in flower and has hollow stems, 2 to 4 inches in diameter with dark reddish-purple spots and bristles. --King County, Washington
• Pales Weevil - FIDL The pales weevil, Hylobius pales (Herbst),4 is the most serious insect pest of pine seedlings in the Eastern United States. Great numbers of adult weevils are attracted to freshly cutover pine lands where they breed in stumps and old root systems. Seedlings planted in freshly cut areas are injured or killed by adult weevils that feed on the stem bark. It is not uncommon to have 30 to 60 percent weevil-caused mortality among first-year seedlings in the South, and mortality of 90 percent or more has been recorded. In the North, pales weevil is also destructive to pine and other conifers grown for Christmas trees. --from Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry - USDA Forest Service
• Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Alert The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid is a serious pest of hemlock in the northeastern United States.

Invasive Wildlife

• Emerald Ash Borer - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation Please note: If you have ash trees, stop and learn more before you act. The potential threat of emerald ash borer (EAB) is real; however, acting without understanding the specific threat to your trees, regulations and quarantines, and your options, could cause the unnecessary loss of treasured shade trees, or loss of substantial income from your woodlot.
• Emerald Ash Borer This Web site is part of a multinational effort in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Canada to bring you the latest information about emerald ash borer.

Other portals for Invasive Species

• Protect Your Waters and Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers. Throughout history, man has experimented with intentional introductions of exotic plant and animal species for a variety of reasons. While many introductions have produced beneficial results, a very small minority has created significant negative impacts.
• Invasive Species - Invasive Species Initiative, Invasive Species Education and biodiversity --from The Nature Conservancy - Protecting Nature, Preserving Life