Fall 2019 OISC Meeting Recap

Here is a quick recap of the October 2019 meeting in case you missed it. This 3-day event included engaging presentations, thoughtful discussions, and field tours.

• We had more than 50 attendees over the 3-day event, representing 31 organizations to share information and connect programs & priorities to the strategic statewide goals to protect Oregon from invasive species.

• Representation included 8 State Agencies, 6 Federal Agencies, 3 Educational Institutions, 2 Tribes, local Oregon Legislator, and U.S. Congress staff, and many others including NGOs and advocacy groups.

• We heard from 17 speakers from across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

Day One

Day one topics included OISC committee updates, 2019 -2020 OISC calendar planning, Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA) updates, and round table updates from Council members. We also heard 2019 Oregon legislative session updates​ from Representative Greg Smith from Oregon House District 57 and words of support to the Council from Senator Merkley and Senator Wyden​, presented by Jessica Keys with the ​Office of U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley ​and Kathleen Cathey with Office of U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. 

During the day one info forum, we learned about:

• Potential Impacts of Flowering Rush/Northern Pike on Salmon and Steelhead in Selected Reaches of the Columbia River Downstream of Priest Rapids Dam from Blaine Parker with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (PDF of Presentation, CRITFC website)

• Columbia Basin Flowering Rush Management Plan from Tim Butler with the Oregon Department of Agriculture (PDF of Presentation, ODA Noxious Weed website)

• One Fish, Two Fish, 15,000 Fish: Brook Trout Suppression for Bull Trout Recovery in the Upper Malheur​ from Brandon Haslick with the B​urns Paiute Tribe (PDF of Presentation, BPT website)

• The Pacific Northwest as an Emerging Beachhead of Crayfish Invasions from Julian Olden with the ​University of Washington (PDF of Presentation, University of WA website)

• Invasive Crayfish Removal in Malheur Basin from Rick Boatner with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (PDF of Presentation, ODFW website)

• Sage Grouse, Fire, and Invasive Grasses from Jackie Cupples with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (PDF of Presentation, USFWS website)

• Invasive Species Impacts to First Foods and Native Plants from Cheryl Shippentower with the ​Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation  (PDF of Presentation, CTUIR website)

• Revegetation for Elk and Invasive Plant Management from Cameron Sponseller with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (PDF of Presentation, ODFW website)

Day Two

Day two topics included OISC committee updates, next steps for the 2020 OSIC Education Grant Program (now open), an interactive activity to identify regional invasive species priorities (see image below), updates from the 2019 OISC Chair, discussion on setting Rule for Chair & Vice Chair roles and process, determining the 2020 member nomination process, and discussion about support of a proposed northern pike suppression and early detection grant program in Washington State.

During our day two info forum, we learned about:

• Statewide Noxious Weed Program Updates from Tim Butler with the Oregon ​Department ​of Agriculture (PDF of Presentation, ODA Noxious Weed website)

• Morrow County Weed Management from Dave Pranger with Morrow County (PDF of Presentation, Morrow County website)

• Roadside Vegetation Management from Will Lackey with the Oregon Department of Transportation (PDF of Presentation, ODOT website)

• Cultivating Invasive Plants in Oregon: Lessons Learned and Future of Giant Reed (​Arundo donax​) from Tim Butler with the O​regon Department of Agriculture (PDF of Presentation, ODA Noxious Weed website)

• Pest Pathways into Oregon via Air Cargo and Ground Transport from Helmuth Rogg with the O​regon Department of Agriculture (ODA website)

• Oregon Aquatic Invasive Species Inspection Stations: 2019 Season Updates from Rick Boatner with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (PDF of Presentation, ODFW website)

• Feral Swine Management in Oregon from Dave Williams with the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service - Wildlife Services (USDA APHIS Wildlife Services website)

• Idaho Invasive Species Council Updates from Nic Zurfluh with the ​Idaho State Department of Agriculture (PDF of Presentation, Idaho State Department of Agriculture website)

• iMap Invasives & Online Reporting Updates from Lindsey Wise with the Institute for Natural Resources (PDF of Presentation, Oregon Invasive Species Online Hotline)

Day Three

Day three field trips included:

• A trip up to a site along the Columbia River to see an active U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flowering rush treatment and monitoring site.

• Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Wildlife site visit to hear about noxious weeds issues on their Wildlife Management Area.

• An Irrigon Wildlife Management Area site visit to see invasive crayfish sampling.

• The Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge visit to see examples of wetland & waterfowl habitat management, invasive weed control, cooperative programs & partnerships, and a Canada thistle biocontrol site.

What an information packed meeting! Special thanks to members of the OISC’s Eastern Oregon Working Group for helping with arranging guest speakers, meeting venue, and field trips locations: Lindsay Chiono, Kristopher Crowley, Erin McConnell, Dave Pranger, Karen Ripley, and David Wooster! 

We hope to see you at our next meeting in 2020.

More details will be available soon on the OISC meetings page.

The views and opinions expressed in the attached file(s) or link(s) above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oregon Invasive Species Council. Please contact the author directly if you have any questions regarding the content.