Thursday, January 15, 2009
Meat The Squirrels
More on the squirrel-eatin' Brits, this time from The Colbert Report. Previous ISW squirrel-eatin' Brit coverage here.
Labels: Britain, rodents, squirrels, UK, video
Jennifer Forman Orth 7:11 PM
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Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Read Up!
The National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species (NECIS) has just published "An Action Plan on Invasive Species" aimed at effecting change in the policies set by both Congress and the President of the United States regarding invasive species. Specifically, NECIS, which is comprised of 17 different non-governmental organizations, is asking for the following five actions to be taken:
- Screen intentional imports
- Prevent inadvertent introductions
- Fund early detection and response
- Create and support federal leadership
- Fill other funding gaps
They're not asking for much, are they? :-) Want to learn more? You can download the full report
here.
(Thanks to a member of the ALIENS-L listserver for posting a link to this story.)
Labels: legalese, USA
Jennifer Forman Orth 11:59 PM
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Sunday, January 11, 2009
Chocolate Peanut Butter Squirrel?
Britain is apparently trying to eat its way out of a grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) invasion, according to this report from the New York Times. Squirrel has become a very trendy option at butcheries, and restaurants have been serving up such dishes as "Squirrel, Peking Duck-style" and, of course, Squirrel Pasties. As the interest in cooking and eating gray squirrel in the UK appears to be driven by popular culture, the movement is not likely to contribute to its eradication, but may perhaps raise awareness about this invasive species.
If this kind of cookery piques your interest, you'll want to click over to the NYT's companion article about preparing squirrel.
Tip of the virtual hat to Michael K. for sending in a link to this story. Original of the photo above by law_keven via Flickr (CC-licensed)
Labels: animals, England, rodents, squirrels, UK
Jennifer Forman Orth 1:31 AM
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Sunday, January 04, 2009
Cagus Myna
The Northern Star has an interesting story about local residents in Lismore, Australia taking the fight against the myna bird into their own hands. Indian myna birds (Acridotheres tristis, also "mynah" bird) are aggressive towards Australia's native bird populations, frequently scaring them out of nesting sites. While they like to hang out near garbage dumps and other waste areas, in recent years they have been spreading into agricultural areas, where they damage crops and can spread disease. In response, the town of Lismore now offers its residents free traps to help get rid of them - so far more than 200 birds have been captured.
Labels: Australia, birds
Jennifer Forman Orth 10:27 PM
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Friday, January 02, 2009
Happy New Year!
The ISW 2009 Wall Calendars are threatening to become irrelevant. I've knocked a buck off the price (hey, I only make $2 per calendar so there's not a lot of markup to work with). As always, I donate all proceeds I get from Cafepress to non-profit organizations doing work with invasive species.
Get yours today!
Labels: buystuff, calendar, egoblogging
Jennifer Forman Orth 2:24 AM
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Monday, December 29, 2008
Weekday Photoblogging
Interesting invasive species shots recently posted to Flickr...
A spiny-tailed iguana in Lemon Bay Park, Florida.
Originally uploaded by Flickerhoo
Bridal creeper in Australia.
Originally uploaded by Mundoo
Asian shore crab in Connecticut.
Originally uploaded by Ken-ichi
Labels: Flickr, photoblogging
Jennifer Forman Orth 5:20 PM
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Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Hunting For The Right Angle
The US Forest Service, in conjunction with a number of other government agencies and environmental groups, has produced a new video to teach hunters and anglers about invasive species prevention. Featuring stories about the ways that hunters and anglers interact with the environment, "Defending Favorite Places" is filled with examples of the way invasive species impact the environment. It also presents several good tips to prevent the spread of invasive species, for example, cleaning off your clothes, vehicle and equipment to remove any invasive species hitchhikers. Also worth noting is a recommendation to report invasive species (or any plant or animal that seems out of place!), and record its location, especially if you're armed with a GPS unit. As one of the anglers noted, if you are a "regular" at a fishing site or hunting area, you're going to be the first one to notice when some new plant or animal shows up.
You can download "Defending Favorite Places" in full-length or mini versions to show to your favorite group of outdoor enthusiasts, or enquire about the DVD version by contacting:
USDA Forest Service
San Dimas Technology & Development Center
444 East Bonita Avenue
San Dimas, CA 91773
909-599-1267
Labels: fishing, hunting, outreach, video
Jennifer Forman Orth 9:37 PM
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