2012 Everglades Invasive Species Summit

Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center – Davie, FL

July 25th – 26th, 2012

Agenda

Partners

The 9th Annual Everglades Invasive Species Summit will take place at the Broward County Long Key Natural Area and Nature Center in Davie, FL on Wednesday, July 25th and Thursday, July 26th. The Summit will focus on our innovations, successes and challenges related to invasive species research, management and outreach in the Everglades. As always it will provide a good opportunity to learn about new invasive species and review our efforts to control invasive plants and animals that are all too familiar. We’re starting early so please plan to be there by 8:30 a.m.

Wednesday, July 25th

Welcome, Tony Pernas and Dennis Giardina

INVASIVE PLANT OPERATIONS UPDATES

Regional Assessment of Priority Plants and Control Efforts – LeRoy Rodgers
Land Manager Reports on Innovations, Successes, Challenges – Hillary Cooley, Jim Burch, Greg Polidora, Jon Lane, Lisa Jameson, Jane Dozier
Biological Control Updates – Ted Center

INVASIVE ANIMAL OPERATIONS UPDATES

Burmese Pythons – Skip Snow, Frank Mazzotti, Mike Cherkiss, Cheryl Millett
Monk Parakeets – Jim Lindsay
Tegus, Deering Boas, Feral Hogs, DNA Monitoring, Exotic Birds – John Humphrey
Exotic Fish – Dave Gandy and Kelly Gestring
Update from Miccosukee Tribe of Indians – Gintautas Zavadzkas

OUTREACH

Rebecca Harvey

EARLY DETECTION/RAPID RESPONSE UPDATES

Laurel Wilt – Jorge Pena
Giant African Land Snails – Andrew Derksen and Eduardo Verona
Lumnitzera – Sonya Thompson
Mikania – Dennis Giardina
Pythons and Tegus – Bob Reed
Tegus and Chameleons – Liz Barraco and Dustin Smith
Deering Boas and
Tegu Traps – John Humphrey
Homestead AFB
Monitors, Caimans,
Grassy Key Gambian Pouched Rats – Jonathan Lewis
Gambian Pouched Rat, Northern African Python, Nile Monitor, Nile Crocodile – Jenny Ketterlin Eckles

Thursday, July 26th

MORNING BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Mikania/Lumnitzera EDRR Planning – Dennis Giardina
Objective: Review strategies for continued rapid responses to eradicate Mikania micrantha and Lumnitzera racemosa. Develop an annual plan for control efforts and monitoring. Identify funding needs and potential sources. Plan and schedule cooperative work days.
ECISMA Outreach – Rebecca Harvey Objective: Determine the next steps for ECISMA in the area of “Outreach and Education.” Review ECISMA’s accomplishments in this area, consider other outreach efforts in the region, and develop a consensus on future needs and gaps related to educating others on invasive species issues in the Everglades region. Discuss funding needs and opportunities.
Burmese pythons: Where do we go from here? – Skip Snow and Jenny Ketterlin Eckles
Objective: Review the past year’s Burmese python research and management activities and go over the plans for the upcoming year. Identify possibilities for collaboration/complementary work, improvements that could be made to existing efforts, and what research/management needs still exist. Given the collective experience with pythons and their management in Florida, recommend where future efforts should go and which management tools are worth developing. Prioritize funding needs.

AFTERNOON BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Tegu/Nile Monitor/Chameleon EDRR Planning – Frank Mazzotti and Tony Pernas
Objective: Determine the objectives of a continued effort to assess the impact and spread of tegu lizards in South Florida. Discuss the results of efforts to date, research needs and develop an outline for a tegu management plan.
Invasive Fish—What’s Next? – Jon Lane and Kelly Gestring
Objective: Utilize the findings and recommendations in the white paper ‘Non-Native Fishes in Everglades National Park: Minimizing Risks of Habitat Restoration’ to: 1) Determine if the issue of non-native fish in the greater everglades area needs to be a higher priority for ECISM; 2) Review the recommendations in the white paper and prioritize for implementation; and 3) Discuss alternatives or actions that ECISMA can take beyond the recommendations in the white paper.
Invasive Plant Cooperative Work Planning – LeRoy Rodgers
Objective: Brainstorm potential invasive plant management cooperative work projects for ECISMA in 2012-2013, then develop an action plan to implement most promising projects. Emphasis will be on projects benefiting multiple partners such as shared border project or demonstration sites.

Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area

WORKING TO PROTECT THE EVERGLADES FROM INVASIVE SPECIES