From okwong at blm.gov Mon Aug 17 12:41:45 2015 From: okwong at blm.gov (Kwong, Olivia) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2015 13:41:45 -0400 Subject: [APWG] PCA: National Seed Strategy Launched Today! Message-ID: The National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration was launched today in Boise, ID, see the press release below for more information. You can download a copy of the Strategy at http://www.blm.gov/seedstrategy. Please share this email with anyone that might be interested. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: August 17, 2015 Contacts: Jessica Kershaw (Interior), Interior_press at ios.doi.gov Randy Eardley (BLM), 208-387-5895 *Interior Department Releases National Seed Strategy for Landscape Scale Rehabilitation and Restoration**Effort Uses Plant & Pollinator Science Collaboration at all Levels to Make Land More Resilient to Drought, Fires, Invasive Species* *BOISE, IDAHO* ? As part of a comprehensive, science-based strategy to address the threat of wildfires that are damaging landscapes across the West, the Department of the Interior today announced the release of a National Seed Strategy for rehabilitation and restoration to help foster resilient and healthy landscapes. The Strategy, developed in partnership with the Plant Conservation Alliance and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is meant to guide ecological restoration across major landscapes, especially for those lands damaged by rangeland fires, invasive species, severe storms and drought. The Strategy is in place to put emphasis on the importance of planting appropriate seeds to help grow plant life and pollinator habitat, which are critical natural defenses against climate change. ?Having the right seed in the right place at the right time makes a major difference in the health of our landscapes,? said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. ?This is a collaborative effort to ensure that we?re taking a landscape level approach to supporting lands that are more resilient to drought, intense fires and invasive species.? In 2012, more than two million acres of sagebrush habitat burned in four western states. Now, worsening landscape scale disturbances, like wildfires and drought, have exacerbated land managers? need for mechanisms that build a natural defense against a changing climate. In the East, Hurricane Sandy caused widespread damage to native plant habitats that stabilize soils, filter water and absorb storm surges. A chronic shortage of native seed for restoration purposes left those landscapes vulnerable to hostile species and erosion, while undermining their ability to build up resilience, support wildlife and economic activity. The National Seed Strategy outlines coordinated and focused research, as well as improvements in seed production and restoration technology to increase the availability of genetically appropriate, locally adapted seed. The research findings identified in the Strategy will inform the development of new management tools to aid in restoration planning and implementation. Deputy Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Steve Ellis announced the strategy today at the BLM Boise Regional Seed Warehouse. He was joined by BLM Idaho State Director Tim Murphy; Chicago Botanic Garden, Vice President of Science Dr. Greg Mueller (Representing the Plant Conservation Alliance); U.S. Forest Service Resource Staff Officer Boise National Forest, Lynn Oliver, and Lucky Peak Nursery Manager Boise, Clark Fleege; American Seed Trade Association, Chair, Risa DeMasi; as well as Jerry Benson, president, of BFI Native Seeds. ?Large, disturbed areas must be replanted quickly to avoid severe erosion or colonization by non-native invasive plants,? Deputy Director Ellis said. ?In many cases, it has been difficult to obtain and deliver adequate quantities of the appropriate seed to meet a region?s particular need. This Strategy builds on the significant achievements we are making in landscape restoration, and calls for an unprecedented level of collaboration and commitment to further enhance the nation?s supply and distribution of the right seeds.? ?Our national grasslands and forests are threatened by an ever-increasing occurrence of wildfire and invasive plants, and need to be restored,? said Carlos Rodriguez-Franco, Forest Service Acting Deputy Chief for Research and Development. ?Native seeds for wildflowers, trees, shrubs, and grasses are essential to restore lands damaged from wildfire and to restrict advancement of non-native plants to create resilient, adaptive landscapes for wildlife to flourish. This National Seed Strategy will help ensure the success of post wildfire restoration efforts to create native habitat for wildlife. It underscores the value of Federal partners working together to be good stewards of the environment on behalf of the American people.? The Strategy involves creating a national network of facilities (federal, tribal, state, local and private) that would provide seed storage resources. This network would support the Presidential Memorandum on Pollinators and help increase the availability of native seed to a broader user base. The Strategy also calls for the coordinated establishment of a nationwide network of native seed collectors, a network of farmers and growers working to develop seed, a network of nurseries and seed storage facilities to supply adequate quantities of appropriate seed, and a network of restoration ecologists working on the ground. While the use of native seed is encouraged, the Strategy does not preclude the use of non-native seed in the instances where it is appropriate. Sophia Shaw, CEO of Chicago Botanic Garden and chair of the Plant Conservation Alliance Non-Federal Cooperators Committee, said the Strategy was a major step forward for restoration and rehabilitation. ?The cooperators look forward to helping federal agencies implement the strategy across the country,? Shaw said. The Seed Strategy does not change or create new policy, but provides a framework for increased collaboration and a common set of goals by using the collective resources of participating agencies. It also aims to provide all land managers ? federal, tribal, state, county, and private ? the tools they need to address ecological restoration at all levels. The Strategy is also a major action item called for in the Interior Department?s rangeland fire strategy to address the increasing threat of wildfires that damage vital sagebrush landscapes and productive rangelands in the West, especially in the Great Basin states of California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Utah. That strategy outlines the need to aggressively restore fire-impacted landscapes using native seed and local vegetation. The Conservation Objectives Team (COT) report , prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to guide efforts to conserve the Greater sage-grouse, highlighted the importance of restoring sagebrush ecosystems to healthy native sagebrush plant communities. As invasive annuals like cheatgrass replace native perennial bunch grass communities, the frequency and intensity of rangeland fires increases. For this reason, the COT emphasized that 'every effort must be made to retain and restore native plant communities to reduce the risk of fire in the sagebrush ecosystem.' Envisioned and initiated by the BLM as collaboration between partners, the Strategy was developed in concert with many local, state and federal partners, including the Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA). The PCA is an umbrella organization of more than 300 non-federal partners who work together to conserve and restore native plant communities across the United States, including biologists, resources managers and soil scientists. The goals and objectives for the strategy were initially created during a Seed Conference held in Washington, D.C., in June 2014. Private seed growers and organizations such as the Western Governors? Association have also engaged during the development of the strategy. The 12 federal agencies also engaged in the development of the strategy include the Department of the Interior (BLM, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service); Department of Agriculture (Agricultural Research Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and U.S. Forest Service); Department of Transportation (Federal Highway Administration); the Smithsonian Institution; and the U.S. Botanic Garden. For more information on the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration, visit this website . ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ native-plants mailing list native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo/native-plants_lists.plantconservation.org Disclaimer Posts on this list reflect only the opinion of the individual who is posting the message; they are not official opinions or positions of the Plant Conservation Alliance. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to native-plants-request at lists.plantconservation.org with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rold at pullman.com Sun Aug 30 11:59:29 2015 From: rold at pullman.com (Richard Old) Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2015 09:59:29 -0700 Subject: [APWG] Invasive Plant Diagnostics List Serve Message-ID: <004201d0e345$3bfd50d0$b3f7f270$@pullman.com> Would you be interested in joining the invasive.plant.diagnostics at gmail.com list serve? The list allows members to access a broad range of expertise to assist in the identification of unknown invasive plants. Also, if you know of others with expertise in invasive plant identification, please have them contact me. My apologies to those members of the APWG list who already share their expertise with the IPD list. Regards, Richard Richard R. Old, Ph.D. List Administrator --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. http://www.avast.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From patricia_deangelis at fws.gov Mon Aug 31 09:31:43 2015 From: patricia_deangelis at fws.gov (De Angelis, Patricia) Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2015 10:31:43 -0400 Subject: [APWG] Registration for E-Conference regarding assessments on invasive alien species and on sustainable use of biodiversity Message-ID: The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) invites governments and prospective experts with relevant knowledge and/or experience to review and further develop the initial scoping for (a) the thematic assessment on invasive alien species and their control (Deliverable 3bii) and (b) the thematic assessment on sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity and strengthening capacities and tools (Deliverable 3biii). Find the invitation letter to all member states and observers from the IPBES Chair here . ( http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5da0fed71c7e4399fb28ab549&id=a238cea7c3) The E-conference will take place in 3 sessions during 7th - 25th of September 2015. Co-Chairs from the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel will facilitate discussions in each session and experts will be invited to discuss and comment. If you would like to participate kindly register here . ( http://ipbes.net/j3/forum/index.php?/register/) The results of the e-conference will be considered at the 6th meeting of the IPBES Multidisciplinary Expert Panel (Bonn, 9-11 October 2015) and the 4th meeting of the IPBES Plenary (Kuala Lumpur, 20-28 February 2016). More information about IPBES can be found at www.ipbes.net. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From okwong at blm.gov Mon Aug 31 12:49:42 2015 From: okwong at blm.gov (Kwong, Olivia) Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2015 13:49:42 -0400 Subject: [APWG] PCA: Afternoon Bimonthly Meeting/Webinar for Sept. 9, 2015 (Washington, DC) Message-ID: NOTICE: We the meeting location is at the Department of Interior's Main Interior Building in Washington, DC. This requires going through security as all adults are required to present a photo ID to enter the building, as well as undergoing bag and parcel checks. You will need to arrive by 1:45 pm at the E Street entrance to be met and allowed into the building for the meeting. *In order to facilitate this process, you will need to RSVP to me by September 4th to be added to a list for security.* Please see the full directions for attending the meeting included in the agenda below. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. Anyone that is interested is invited to come to the meeting or join in remotely via webinar (instructions are included in the agenda below). We will be having a discussion about implementation of the National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration (www.blm.gov/seedstrategy). This message has been cross-posted to all the PCA discussion lists. Olivia Kwong CPC/PCA http://www.blm.gov/pca The Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA) Bi-Monthly Meeting is an open forum for anyone interested or working in plant conservation. The meeting is held every other month in the Washington DC metropolitan area. There is a roundtable for attendees to share relevant events, as well as updates from each of the PCA working groups and committees. Regular attendees include representatives from Federal agencies and from Cooperating organizations; however anyone is welcome to attend this meeting. Past meeting summaries and selected presentations are available at http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/fish__wildlife_and/plants/pca/announce.html . ------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLANT CONSERVATION ALLIANCE GENERAL MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, March 11, 2015 2:00 - 4:00 PM LOCATION: Room 3038 at the Main Interior Building 1849 C St. NW Washington, DC 20240 Take the Orange Line to the Farragut West Metro Station. Go out the 18th Street exit and walk south towards Constitution Avenue. The entrance to the Department of Interior Main Interior Building is 5 blocks south on E Street between 18th and 19th. All adults are required to present a photo ID to enter the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building. All visitors will be subject to security screenings, including bag and parcel checks, so arrive early to get to the meeting on time.*Please RSVP by Friday, September 4th to okwong at blm.gov if you are going to attend the meeting so your name can be added to a list for security. * WEBINAR: 1. Go to https://mmancusa.webex.com/mmancusa/j.php?MTID=m823d39a1a03fe2b553e19a9cebf6e6eb 2. If requested, enter your name and email address. 3. If a password is required, enter the meeting password: Nativeplants123! 4. Click "Join". 5. For audio, call 877-414-1336 passcode 6177335# ------------------------------------------------------------------------- AGENDA 2:00 Introductions 2:05 National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration Implementation Discussion 3:00 Announcements/Communications 3:20 Updates on Activities - Medicinal Plant Working Group - Native Plant Materials Development Working Group & Seeds of Success - Non-Federal Cooperator Committee 3:55 Closing Remarks 4:00 Adjourn ------------------------------------------------------------------------- UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS [2nd Wednesday of alternate months] - Wednesday, November 11, 2015 at 2:00-4:00 PM TBD Main Interior Building, Washington, DC - Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 2:00-4:00 PM TBD Main Interior Building, Washington, DC -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From okwong at blm.gov Mon Aug 31 13:15:47 2015 From: okwong at blm.gov (Kwong, Olivia) Date: Mon, 31 Aug 2015 14:15:47 -0400 Subject: [APWG] PCA: Afternoon Bimonthly Meeting/Webinar for Sept. 9, 2015 (Washington, DC) In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Just to clarify, there is a typo in my original email, the date of the meeting is Wednesday, September 9th. Please RSVP by September 4th if you are planning to attend in person. Sorry about the mistake! *Olivia Kwong* CPC/PCA http://www.blm.gov/pca okwong at blm.gov 202-912-7232 On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 1:49 PM, Kwong, Olivia wrote: > NOTICE: > The meeting location is at the Department of Interior's Main Interior > Building in Washington, DC. This requires going through security as all > adults are required to present a photo ID to enter the building, as well as > undergoing bag and parcel checks. You will need to arrive by 1:45 pm at the > E Street entrance to be met and allowed into the building for the meeting. *In > order to facilitate this process, you will need to RSVP to me by September > 4th to be added to a list for security.* Please see the full directions > for attending the meeting included in the agenda below. Feel free to email > me if you have any questions. > > Anyone that is interested is invited to come to the meeting or join in > remotely via webinar (instructions are included in the agenda below). We > will be having a discussion about implementation of the National Seed > Strategy for Rehabilitation and Restoration (www.blm.gov/seedstrategy). > This message has been cross-posted to all the PCA discussion lists. > > Olivia Kwong > CPC/PCA > http://www.blm.gov/pca > > The Plant Conservation Alliance (PCA) Bi-Monthly Meeting is an open forum > for anyone interested or working in plant conservation. The meeting is held > every other month in the Washington DC metropolitan area. There is a > roundtable for attendees to share relevant events, as well as updates from > each of the PCA working groups and committees. Regular attendees include > representatives from Federal agencies and from Cooperating organizations; > however anyone is welcome to attend this meeting. Past meeting summaries > and selected presentations are available at > http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/more/fish__wildlife_and/plants/pca/announce.html > . > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > PLANT CONSERVATION ALLIANCE GENERAL MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Wednesday, September 9, 2015 > 2:00 - 4:00 PM > > LOCATION: Room 3038 at the Main Interior Building > 1849 C St. NW > Washington, DC 20240 > Take the Orange Line to the Farragut West Metro Station. Go out the 18th > Street exit and walk south towards Constitution Avenue. The entrance to the > Department of Interior Main Interior Building is 5 blocks south on E Street > between 18th and 19th. All adults are required to present a photo ID to > enter the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building. All > visitors will be subject to security screenings, including bag and parcel > checks, so arrive early to get to the meeting on time.*Please RSVP by > Friday, September 4th to okwong at blm.gov if you are going > to attend the meeting so your name can be added to a list for security. * > > WEBINAR: 1. Go to > https://mmancusa.webex.com/mmancusa/j.php?MTID=m823d39a1a03fe2b553e19a9cebf6e6eb > > 2. If requested, enter your name and email address. > 3. If a password is required, enter the meeting password: Nativeplants123! > 4. Click "Join". > 5. For audio, call 877-414-1336 passcode 6177335# > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > AGENDA > > 2:00 Introductions > > 2:05 National Seed Strategy for Rehabilitation and > Restoration Implementation Discussion > > 3:00 Announcements/Communications > 3:20 Updates on Activities > - Medicinal Plant Working Group > - Native Plant Materials Development Working Group & > Seeds of Success > - Non-Federal Cooperator Committee > 3:55 Closing Remarks > 4:00 Adjourn > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > UPCOMING COMMITTEE MEETINGS > [2nd Wednesday of alternate months] > > - Wednesday, November 11, 2015 at 2:00-4:00 PM > TBD > Main Interior Building, Washington, DC > > - Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 2:00-4:00 PM > TBD > Main Interior Building, Washington, DC > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: