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Last updated: October 11, 2002
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Noxious Exotic Weed Task Team (NEWTT)
Poster presented May 1999, at the South Florida Restoration Science Forum
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Why Was NEWTT Formed?
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At the direction of the South
Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force the South Florida Ecosystem
Restoration Working Group formed NEWTT to develop an assessment of the
current status of, and strategic plan for managing invasive plants
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NEWTT's Directives
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Develop a comprehensive interagency
strategy for managing invasive exotic plants
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The strategy will provide a
broad system-wide approach... that attempts to optimize interagency collaboration
and cost sharing...
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Deliverable Number
One
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An assessment of the current
problem with invasive exotic plants... to identify the highest priority exotic
species
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The Assessment Will
Contain
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A summary and review of past
efforts and previous assessments
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Update of invasive exotic plant
distributions
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Descriptions of major agency
programs for managing invasive exotic plants
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Review and analysis of federal,
state and examples of local legislation
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Evaluation of the general success
of the invasive exotic plant management efforts in Florida
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Deliverable Number
Two
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A broad, system-wide comprehensive
strategic plan for eliminating or controlling invasive exotics... the
strategic plan will recommend ways to maximize effectiveness within existing
programs... and augment programs
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The Strategic Plan
Will Contain
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Recommended priorities for the
overall invasive species efforts including; species, programs, and resources
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A recommended organizational
structure that coordinates all agencies involved in invasive species management
for the purpose of focusing programs resources and priorities
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Short and long-term goals for
invasive species management
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New ideas to help manage invasive
species
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The directive asked NEWTT to
relate the issues of invasive species to South Florida restoration
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As is obvious to the most casual
observer invasive species do not recognize the limits of South Florida
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NEWTT needed to develop the
assessment of the status of invasive plant species to emphasize those species
considered most serious by the Florida
Exotic Pest Plant Council in order to ensure that species that do or
may pose threats to restoration are included irrespective of their
current distribution
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NEWTT considered it essential
to develop the strategic plan from the perspective that invasive plant
management must be organized at the state level in order to utilize statewide
government to provide leadership to help coordinate, integrate and prioritize
multi-agency invasive species programs
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State governments are also key
to integration with federal agencies in managing invasive species
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Many federal activities directly
affect a states ability to manage invasive species, and vice-versa
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Agency integration at all levels
is critical
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Business as usual is not working
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Under the President's new executive
order on invasive species, federal agencies are directed to take certain
actions related to the control of invasive species... states must prepare
statewide strategic plans in order to be eligible for federal funding under
the executive order. Florida is the first state to be doing such a plan.
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States will be essential partners
if federal actions are to be meaningful... without close cooperation
between local, state and federal governments we cannot hope to be effective
against the serious and ever increasing problems of invasive species
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Who Does NEWTT Represent
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Federal, state and local agencies
in Florida that represent key interests in invasive plant control and are
part of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative
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NEWTT also consults with the
Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council
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What Agencies Are
In NEWTT ?
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For more information on NEWTT, please contact
Bob Doren at dorenr@fiu.edu.
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