Everglades Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area

Working to protect the Everglades from invasive species

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.