This story should resonate with Rhode Islanders.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife News Release
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/

October 29, 2007
Contact: Mike Cenci, (360) 902-2936
Mike Whorton, (509) 892-7857

First Washington citations issued for
zebra mussel contamination

SPOKANE — Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) enforcement officers have shifted from warnings to issuing citations in an effort to keep Washington‘s waters free of an invasive species that threatens native fish and wildlife.

The state’s first citations for illegally transporting zebra mussels were issued earlier this month to two out-of-state trucking companies hauling large boats to the Pacific coast. Live zebra mussels were found attached to boats being transported by a hauler from Ontario, Canada, and another from Iowa. The zebra mussels were spotted during Washington State Patrol commercial vehicle inspections at a Washington-Idaho port-of-entry weigh station east of Spokane.

Zebra mussels have been prohibited in Washington since 2002, but officers are taking stronger action against contaminated vessels now that zebra mussels and a subspecies known as Quagga mussels have shown up in other western states.

In the recent detections here, State Patrol officers who had been trained by WDFW on invasive species inspection spotted the tiny mollusks and contacted WDFW. WDFW issued the trucking companies gross misdemeanor citations for unlawful importation and transportation of the prohibited aquatic animals, and arranged for decontamination of the boats at marine facilities on the coast.

“We hope these citations, which can result in fines up to $5,000, will raise awareness that this state looks at invasive species very seriously,” said Mike Cenci, WDFW deputy chief of enforcement. “Once a species like this gets into our waters, it’s very unlikely we can contain it,” he said.

“When I talked with the truck driver and trucking company manager from Ontario, both said they fully understand because they’ve seen what zebra mussels have done to the Great Lakes area,” said Capt. Mike Whorton, who heads WDFW’s enforcement operations in eastern Washington. “One trucking company manager said he would no longer haul vessels that have not passed an aquatic-invasive-species inspection.”

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) are native to the Caspian Sea. They entered the Great Lakes in the mid 1980s in ship ballast water, and have since spread to more than 20 states and two Canadian provinces. The mussels are easily transported on boats and trailers because they can live out of water for up to a month. Once zebra mussels are introduced to a water body they multiply quickly and threaten native fish and wildlife by consuming available food and smothering other species. They also clog water-intake systems at power plants and other facilities. In southern California, Nevada and Arizona, Quagga mussels, have spread recently.

“If zebra mussels get started here they could devastate our fish and wildlife resources, as well as hydroelectric facilities and irrigation systems,” Cenci said.

Intercepting mussel-contaminated vessels at commercial vehicle inspection stations is just a small part of the solution, Cenci noted, because many recreational boats are hauled into the state without inspections. Earlier this year the Washington Legislature expanded authority and funding for random inspections and field checks of all watercraft.

“Any real success in controlling the spread of this invasive species will rely heavily on boat owners taking responsibility for their vessels,” Cenci said. “It’s important that they know what to look for and thoroughly clean their boats.”

For more information on zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/ans/you_can_help.htm

This message was originally sent to the WDFW News Releases & Weekender mailing list. Visit the WDFW News Release Archive at: http://wdfw.wa.gov/do/newreal/

The 1^st Annual Lisa Lofland Gould Native Plant Program on October 13 was a big success and a perfect beginning for what we hope will be a great permanent addition to environmental education in Rhode Island. Attendees, including Lisa Gould herself, agreed the day went wonderfully and was just the right combination of fun and information…and what’s better than fun information? To read more about the Barberry control demonstration plots featured in the presentation go to that page on the invasive species portal.

Invasive Control Demonstration Project

Thirty people attended, including science students from N. Kingstown High School. All together, the event raised another $160 for the LLGNPP fund, bringing the total to $10,742! This fund is now invested with the Rhode Island Foundation where it will grow and provide income for more programs. We also raised awareness of the Nettie Jones Preserve and the beautiful W. Alton Jones Campus.

Thanks to the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society, including Karen Asher and Cheryl Cadwell, to the URI CELS Outreach Center, including Marion Gold, and to URI’s W. Alton Jones Campus for help with the program. Thanks to program presenters Hope Leeson, Garry Plunkett, and Anne Wagner, and special guest Lisa Gould. A big thanks to Belmont Market, in Wakefield, for donating the refreshments.

Photos by Erik Endrulat:

 

 

On October 16, Matt Ricker, a graduate student in URI professor Frank Golet’s wetlands ecology class retrieved a leaf of an unfamiliar plant from Belleville Pond in North Kingstown.

Discovery specimen from Matt Ricker and Frank Golet

Professor Golet and RINHS staff confirmed the leaf as coming from a water chestnut. On October 18 two survey staff members returned to the find site and confirmed a patch about 20 meters in diameter, containing some hundreds of individuals. The plants, which are annuals, are already beginning to die back, with leaves and rosettes floating loose from their stems and leafless stem heads sinking to the bottom. Numerous seed pods were observed, caught in submerged vegetation or in mats of floating algae. The population is in a meter of water, on loose and unconsolidated organic sediment bottom. It is about 50 meters from shore in the northwest section of the pond.

A brief reconnaissance of nearby areas of the pond did not locate any other patches. At first glance, based on the number of individuals, the species appears to have been present since at least the 2006 growing season, though probably not for long before that, given its apparently still restricted distribution. The lat. & long. of the patch (determined using Google Earth Plus) are: 41* 33′ 56.51 N x 71* 28′ 58.69 W.

Find site

Belleville Pond is located in the town of North Kingstown. The pond is a well known fishing, waterfowling, and passive recreation location accessible by canoe from a ramp in Ryan Park, off of Oak Hill Road. Belleville Pond is part of the Annaquatucket River system, a relatively small watershed with headwaters a mile or so to the northwest, discharging through a series of historic impoundments into Narragansett Bay at Bissel Cove a mile or so to the southeast. The river includes the state-run Lafayette fish hatchery.

Map of Belleville Pond and contiguous waters in the Annaquatucket watershed to assist with reconnaissance for other T. natans patches.

Water chestnut (Trapa natans) is native to Eurasia (and is not related to the water chestnut commonly found in stir-fry). It was introduced to North America in the 19th century as a horticultural plant and it promptly escaped to the wild. It can grow vigorously and densely in shallow, nutrient-rich waters, obliterating native pond habitat, clogging waters to most recreational uses, and presenting a significant physical hazard to swimmers and waders due to its diabolical, barbed seed pods. Concerted efforts have been made to limit its spread, with variable results, throughout the past century. New York and Vermont spent almost half a million dollars controlling it in Lake Champlain in 2006.

Water chestnut seed pod from Belleville Pond. Each pod has four, centimeter-long spines, each with numerous needle-sharp, backward-pointing barbs.

Fact sheets on water chestnut, including more photos, diagnostic drawings, control measures, etc., at:
invasive.org
IPANE
Vermont DEC
Maine Center for Invasive Aquatic Plants

The discovery of water chestnut in Rhode Island is an extremely serious development, though not entirely a surprise, given its distribution in nearby states. In fact, the small size and apparently low distribution are good news. Also good news is the fact that the plant have seeded already and we have about 8 months to prepare an eradication plan. Water chestnut is an annual, so control efforts can be effective if undertaken before seed is set. Unfortunately, water chestnut seed can remain viable, in pond mud, for 5-12 years so reconnaissance and control will be a long term commitment.

RINHS is in touch with freshwater ecologists at DEM and around the state and region as well as with grassroots watershed and aquatic recreation groups about the discovery and we expect to convene a meeting on the issue later in the fall. At this meeting the technical requirements for eradication will be described and we will begin planning an eradication campaign for spring and early summer of 2008. If you want to keep in touch with developments or are interested in participating in the meeting, please contact David Gregg at RINHS. Please visit rinhs.org for regular updates. RINHS members can receive email updates: membership information.

Panel to hold forums on Aquatic Invasive Species

10/3/07, WAKEFIELD – The Northeast Aquatic Nuisance Species (NEANS) Panel is hosting a series of public forums from October 10-12 to gather comments on the draft Rhode Island Aquatic Invasive Species (RIAIS) Management Plan that was recently completed by the RIAIS Working Group, chaired by the Coastal Resources Management Council.

The public comment meetings will be held from 6-8 p.m. each of the three days, with a meeting schedule as follows: October 10 at Stedman Government Center, Room 232, 4808 Tower Hill Road, Wakefield, RI; October 11 at Narragansett Bay Commission, One Service Road, Providence, RI; and October 12 at Roger Williams University School of Law, Room 286, 10 Metacom Avenue, Bristol, RI. The general public is encouraged to attend.

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are non-native animals, plants, or microorganisms that may harm aquatic environments, economic resources, or the public health. The most notorious AIS in the United States is the zebra mussel which has caused billions of dollars in damage while spreading throughout the nation’s freshwater systems since its accidental introduction to the Great Lakes in 1988. The RIAIS Plan will become a significant part of the NEANS Panel’s efforts to address the threat of AIS in Rhode Island and the northeast once it is approved by the Federal Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force. The CRMC is a charter member and serves as co-chair of the NEANS Panel, which was established in 2001 under the Federal Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990. This law seeks to prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species into U.S. waters and to control or eradicate them if necessary. The NEANS Panel includes the six New England states, the State of New York, and the Canadian Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. It represents state, provincial, and federal governments; academia; commercial and recreational fishing interests; recreational boaters; commercial shipping; power and water utilities; environmental organizations; aquaculture; nursery and aquarium trades; tribal concerns; lake associations; and the bait industry. The RIAIS Plan’s goals to prevent, control, and abate the impacts of AIS in the state will be implemented on a continual basis upon receiving federal approval.

RI Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan (Draft) (PDF)

Directions to the Meeting Locations

DIRECTIONS TO THE STEDMAN GOVERNMENT CENTER:

From the North:

• Follow Interstate 95 South to Exit 9, Route 4 South
• Follow Route 4 South to Route 1 South
• Stay on Route 1 South for approximately six miles, Stedman Government Center is on left side of highway

From the South:

• Follow Interstate 95 North to Exit 3, Route 138 East
• Follow Route 138 East to Route 1 South
• Stay on Route 1 South for approximately three miles, Stedman Government Center is on the left side of the highway

Please take notice!!! The front door to the government center will be locked shortly after 6:00 p.m. If you find the door to be locked please press the doorbell just top the right of the front doors and someone will arrive to open the door for you.

DIRECTIONS TO THE NARRAGANSETT BAY COMMISSION OFFICES:

From Points North:

• 95 South to Providence
• Take the Thurber’s Avenue exit
• Bear left off the exit to Allens Avenue
• Take a right onto Allens Avenue
• Follow Allens Avenue approximately 1/4 mile
• Take a left on Terminal Road at stoplight
• Take the first right onto Ellis Street
• Take the first left onto Ernest St.

From Points South:

• 95 North to Providence
• Take the Thurber’s Avenue exit
• Bear right off the exit to Allens Avenue
• Take a right onto Allens Avenue
• Follow Allens Avenue approximately 1/4 mile
• Take a left on Terminal Road at stoplight
• Take the first right onto Ellis Street
• Take the first left onto Ernest St.

Continue along Ernest Street until road turns right. The Narragansett Bay Commission’s Field’s Point Wastewater Treatment Facility is immediately to your left. Visitor parking for Field’s Point is located in the second lot. The NBC Corporate Offices are on your right. Visitor parking is available in the parking lot north of the office building, and the building is accessed via the door adjacent to this parking lot. A Narragansett Bay Commission employee will greet you at the door and request that you sign in as you enter the building.

DIRECTIONS TO ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW:

From Boston, Massachusetts and points north:

Follow either 128 South (also called I-95 South) or I-93 South to Route 24 South heading toward Fall River, Massachusetts. Merge onto I-195 West and follow for about a mile to exit 8A to continue on Route 24 South. Follow for approximately 8 miles to Exit 2 towards Bristol and the Mt. Hope Bridge. Turn right at bottom of exit, continue across the Mt. Hope Bridge; the University is just after the bridge on the right.

From Albany, New York and points west:

Take Route 87 to Interstate 90 East (Mass Turnpike). Take Route 146 South to Interstate 95 South to Providence, Rhode Island. Take Interstate 195 East to Exit 7 (Route 114- Barrington/Warren). Travel south on Route 114 approximately 14 miles through Barrington, Warren and Bristol. The University is on the left just before the Mt. Hope Bridge.

From New York City and points south:

Take Interstate 95 North to Providence, Rhode Island. Take Interstate 195 East to Exit 7 (Route 114- Barrington/Warren). Travel South on Route 114 approximately 14 miles through Barrington, Warren and Bristol. The University is on the left just before the Mt. Hope Bridge.

Please use the following link for a campus map showing the location of the School of Law: http://law.rwu.edu/sites/visiting/content/pdf/RWUCampus_1205.pdf

The Rare Native Plants of Rhode Island, prepared by Richard Enser, is a list of the rarest plants in the state which are in need of conservation. The September 2007 revision, which replaces the 2002 version, includes 321 plants, approximately 25% of the state’s native flora. There are 12 previously unlisted plants included in this update.

Enser, R.W. Rare Native Plants of Rhode Island. 2007. Rhode Island Natural Heritage Program. Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Providence, RI 02908. (PDF, 602K)

You can help keep this list up to date. Submit your observations of rare plants to RINHS.

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