USGS Maps Show Potential Non-Native Python Habitat Along Three U.S. Coasts (Feb 20, 2008)
DOI. United States Geological Survey.

Scientists fear spread of Burmese pythons (Feb 22, 2008)
United Press International.

New Report Finds Hazardous, Aggressive Aquatic Species Wreaking Havoc in World’s Oceans and Coasts: First Ever Global Maps Reveal Spread and Severity of Marine Invasive Species (Feb 19, 2008)
Nature Conservancy.

Assessing the Global Threat of Invasive Specise to Marine Biodiversity
Jennifer L Molnar, Rebecca L Gamboa, Carmen Revenga, and Mark D Spalding
Front Ecol Environ 2008; 6, doi:10.1890/070064

More information about Marine Invaders from the Nature Conservancy

MPCA Draws up Ballast Water Regulations (Feb 18, 2008)
Minnesota Public Radio.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is developing a new regulation to ban ships from releasing untreated ballast into the Minnesota waters of Lake Superior and its harbors. It would be Minnesota’s first attempt at regulating ballast water and makes it the second Great Lakes state after Michigan to take ballast action to this level.

$750,000 Grant to fight Deadly Fish Disease (Feb 15, 2008)
Michigan State University. Capital News Service.
A multi-state grant is pulling together researchers across the nation to tackle the deadly fish disease viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), which is on the attack in the Great Lakes and Michigan’s inland waters.

Predicting the Perfect Predator (Feb 13, 2008)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
University of Illinois ecologist Adam Davis has created a computer model that in combination with quarantined research tests he believes will be able to predict the perfect predator -- a pest that can be introduced into a forested area that will help reduce the garlic mustard population.

Biofuel Crops That Require Destroying Native Ecosystems Worsens Global Warming (Feb 11, 2008)
ScienceDaily.
Turning native ecosystems into "farms" for biofuel crops causes major carbon emissions that worsen the global warming that biofuels are meant to mitigate, according to a new study by the University of Minnesota and the Nature Conservancy.

Researchers Analyze Retardant Use (Feb 3, 2008)
Missoulian.
A year after the Fourth of July fire on Mount Jumbo, a long green line of cheatgrass is visible where fire retardant was dropped. The red slurry retardant allows some exotic weeds to replace native grasslands, according to preliminary results of a study by Salish Kootenai College and the University of Montana.