An Action Plan on Invasive Species for President Obama and the 111th Congress (Dec 2008)
Union of Concerned Scientists.
This report published by the National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species outlines five areas in which the Obama administration and 111th Congress can take action to stop invasive species in the United States. It includes: screening intentional imports; preventing inadvertent introductions; funding early detection and response; federal leadership; addressing other funding gaps.

Predicting Future Introductions of Nonindigenous Species to the Great Lakes (Final Report, 2008)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Report - EPA/600/R-08/066F.
This report predicts the spread of aquatic nonindigenous species into the Great Lakes to help resource managers focus monitoring activities on particular species at the most vulnerable U.S. Great Lakes ports. The report also demonstrates the use of a habitat suitability model and ballast water discharge data to predict invasion potential.

Grazing Animals Help Spread Plant Disease
(Dec 29, 2008)
Oregon State University.
Researchers have discovered that grazing animals including deer and rabbits are actually helping to spread plant disease – quadrupling its prevalence in some cases – and encouraging an invasion of annual grasses that threatens more than 20 million acres of native grasslands in California.

Species Profile -- Mediterranean Fruit Fly
USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.
The Mediterranean fruit fly is one of the world's most destructive fruit pests. Because of its wide distribution over the world, its ability to tolerate colder climates better than most other species of fruit flies, and its wide range of hosts, it is ranked first among economically important fruit fly species.

Species Profile -- European Spruce Bark Beetle
USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.
In its native range of Europe, the spruce bark beetle is one of the most serious pests of spruce. There is no evidence that this species is established in the United States, but the detection signifies a threat to North American forests.

Species Profile -- Oriental Bittersweet
USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.
Oriental bittersweet is an aggressive invader that threatens vegetation at all heights in forested and open areas. Oriental bittersweet grows fast; it can cover tall trees in a season, causing them to collapse from the weight of the vines. Understory plants are smothered by the vines themselves or by lack of light.

Wood Boring Beetles of the World (Dec 11, 2008)
USDA. APHIS. Plant Protection and Quarantine. Center for Plant Health Science and Technology.
A Lucid interactive identification resource to the world's genera of wood boring beetles. Created through a federal-state collaboration among USDA/APHIS/PPQ – CPHST, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and Montana State University (MSU).

Managing Invasive Plants: Concepts, Principles, and Practices
DOI. FWS. National Wildlife Refuge System.
Provides an overview of invasive plant management and planning supported by case studies, quizzes, scientific literature, and web-based resources valuable to natural resource professionals.

Fire Ants Win Out Through Land Changes, Not a Better Build (Dec 8, 2008)
The New York Times.
A large study shows that for fire ants, human disturbance of the environment is the main force behind their negative impact. The researchers suggest that fire ants may not be so much an invasive species but a "disturbance specialist," and that other species may fit that description also.

Species Profile -- Didymo
USDA. NAL. National Invasive Species Information Center.
Didymo also known as rock snot, is a freshwater single-celled alga. It is found in streams and rivers in much of North America. Didymo increasingly poses a threat to aquatic ecosystems because it forms extensive mats on stream beds.