Share how you're enjoying the summer while preventing the spread! 🥾☀️🌼
The Invasive Species Centre wants to showcase summer fun that supports biodiversity. Using a boot brush before and after a hike, keeping your pet on a leash, planting native flowers, burning firewood where you buy it, not dumping your bait, and more are all ways you can enjoy the outdoors while preventing the spread of invasive species.
Submit photos of your summer fun to be featured on our social media channels and in our next newsletter. Include a caption calling out how you're preventing the spread while adventuring outdoors this summer. Spread the sunshine, not the invasives!
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Greetings from the Invasive Species Centre | |
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Welcome to the summer edition of The Spread! We hope you are enjoying the sunshine and joy that summer brings.
We are having an eventful summer at the Invasive Species Centre, including the announcement of support for 97 new Invasive Species Action Fund projects. It’s an exciting time for local groups for on the ground mapping, planning and community invasive species action across the province.
Expanded opportunities for groups and organizations are opening up - the Invasive Phragmites Control Fund and the Invasive Species Action Fund, with support from the Government of Ontario, supported invasive action across Ontario this year, and a new investments from the Government of Ontario will allow for many more projects to take place next year.
With plants in full bloom, community projects to protect biodiversity are in full swing, such as the Sault Ste. Marie Himalayan Balsam Public Pull Events and the recent July Paddle with a Purpose tours, led by the ISC team removing European water chestnut in the Niagara region. New learning opportunities are available, such as the Beach Leaf Disease Workshop and our new Asian Longhorned Beetle Training course.
We are always looking for new projects and partnerships, so please continue to reach out to us if you would like to discuss ideas! I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer and the beauty of the outdoors.
Best wishes,
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Executive Director, Invasive Species Centre | |
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| | Species Updates | Program Updates | Hot Topics | Events | More news | | |
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The bees are buzzing and so is our website! Check out the ISC website's new species profiles on Goutweed, Eurasian Ruffe, Chestnut blight, and mosquitofish.
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Five invasive Grass Carp have been found in Canadian waters this summer. Three were found in Baie de Vaudreuil of Lac des Deux Montagnes, Quebec, one was found in Jordan Harbour in Lake Ontario, and one was found in Rondeau Bay. Grass Carp can consume up to 40% of their body weight per day and can significantly alter the composition of habitat by reducing food sources, shelter, and spawning areas for native fish.
You can learn more about how to ID and report Grass Carp here.
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Seasonal Reminders
🚘️Invasives like spotted lanternfly (SLF) are just a border away. If you're travelling back into Canada from areas of the U.S. infested with SLF, like New York or Pennsylvania, prevent accidentally transporting SLF into Canada by checking your car, camper, trailer, RV, and any camping gear for pests or egg masses.
🔥 Don't move firewood and familiarize yourself with legislation related to firewood movement.
🥾It’s the season for hiking! As we move into late summer and soon early fall, remember that many invasive plants will soon be spreading their seeds. Help stop the spread by cleaning your shoes, gear, and pets between trails.
📱 Learn how to identify and report invasive pests to EDDMaps.org or the Invading Species Hotline at 1-800-563-7711.
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The Ontario government is investing $16 million over three years to protect the economy and environment from the threat of invasive species. The funding will be administered by the Invasive Species Centre and Nature Conservancy of Canada to support a comprehensive, Ontario-wide plan to fight the invasive plant Phragmites, and for the Invasive Species Action Fund to provide grants to municipalities, conservation authorities, and Indigenous communities to manage other harmful invasive species. | |
Invasive Species Action Fund Winners Announced | Thanks to an investment from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Invasive Species Centre is supporting 97 new collaborative action projects for on-the ground management and monitoring of invasive species. Learn more about the 2025 Invasive Species Action Fund recipients, which include community groups, Indigenous organizations, and municipalities. | |  |
Invasive Phragmites Control Fund Supports New Projects |
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The Ontario Phragmites Action program, bolstered by a significant investment from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, is supporting 38 new collaborative projects to help combat invasive Phragmites impacts across the province.
These initiatives, supported by the Invasive Phragmites Control Fund with a total investment of more than $650,000, will increase invasive species action by community groups, Indigenous organizations, and municipalities across Ontario.
See all the projects
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Register for the ISC Training Program's new Asian Longhorned Beetle Training course. Learn how to identify, prevent, and report this invasive beetle. The course also provides an overview of Asian longhorned beetle’s history in Canada and current management techniques used in the United States. |
New Factsheet - Pathways of Spread | Check out a new ISC factsheet on Pathways of Spread, which are routes by which an invasive species is transferred from one ecosystem to another. This factsheet outlines common pathways, such as trail use, boating, and pet release, and ways people can help reduce the negative impacts of invasive species. | | |
Sault Ste. Marie Himalayan Balsam Community Science Project | |
Get involved for a chance to win! The 2nd annual Sault Ste. Marie Himalayan Balsam Project is underway. There are a few ways to get involved and have a chance to win a gift card from New North Greenhouses.
✔ Attend one of the public pull events happening throughout Sault Ste. Marie this summer.
✔ Report Himalayan balsam sightings to iNaturalist and be entered to win.
✔ Pull the plant on your own property and fill out this online form.
This contest is open to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario residents only.
Read full contest rules here.
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Thanks to a report from a recreational paddler in 2020, the ISC with support from our funders and in collaboration with our partners was able to launch the European Water Chestnut Rapid Response Program in the Welland River, Niagara Region. This summer, the team was back out on the water monitoring for and removing invasive European water chestnut. Watch what the team has been up to this summer on the ISC TikTok. | | |
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Watercraft
Cleaning Units
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Two watercraft cleaning units have been deployed in Ontario for summer 2024. The unit at Algonquin Provincial Park at Costello Lake will aim to prevent the spread of spiny water flea and the unit in the Bay of Quinte watershed will look to prevent the spread of water soldier. Both units support education and action against the spread of aquatic invasive species.
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What Happens After You Report? | |
SLF - Vigilance is Key in Halting Spread to Canada | |
What you Need to Know About Beech Leaf Disease in Ontario | |
Read ISC's most recent blog post on where your reports of invasive species sightings go after you click Submit! | |
Catch up on the current status of spotted lanternfly, what to look for and how to report sightings. | |
Learn more about beech leaf disease biology, where it can be found, and what we can do about it. | |
Social Media Spotlight: Plant Native Plants
Visit us on social media to learn about native plants you can use as alternatives to invasive garden plants. Native plants are not only beautiful - they also benefit the local environment!
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Q&A with Invasive Species Poet | Musings of nature's grandeur are commonplace in poetry – bird songs, wildflowers, changing seasons. And now, invasive species prose is also available! The ISC interviewed author Amelia Gorman about her poetry collection Field Guide to Invasive Species of Minnesota - read the full interview and poetry excerpts here. | |
Whether you're teaching from a classroom or summer camp, you can check out ISC's compiled database of free teaching resources from various invasive species groups. | |
Beech Leaf Disease Workshop | |
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Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference | |
Join us for a beech leaf disease workshop on August 7, 2024 at the Horseshoe Resort in Barrie, ON. This in-person event is in coordination with the Couchiching Conservancy and MNR. The workshop is free and lunch will be provided. | |
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Visit our webinar page to see upcoming 2024 webinars and links to past recordings.
Latest recording: Ontario Phragmites Action (OPA) program introduction and overview
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The 2024 Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference (UMISC) will take place in Duluth, Minnesota from November 12 -14, 2024. This year’s theme is People, Passion, Experience: Pathways to Success. UMISC is a biennial conference that addresses all taxa of invasive species. | |
NAISMA 32nd Annual Conference | |
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The North American Invasive Species Management Association 32nd Annual Conference will take place from September 30 – October 3, 2024 in Missoula, Montana.
This year’s theme, Celebrating Partnership, will highlight the foundations needed to implement management strategies that work, partnerships that impact diverse geographies, and policy and funding successes that can be tailored to fit your landscape.
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The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) is celebrating its 125th anniversary at the AMO Annual Conference taking place in Ottawa from Aug. 18 to 21.
The Invasive Species Centre along with our partners will be there talking about the new Ontario Phragmites Action program, the overall impacts of invasive species to municipalities across the province, and how the ISC is helping to coordinate programs to prevent and reduce these economic, ecological, and societal impacts.
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Save the date! The 24th International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species will be hosted by Queen’s University Belfast, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Aug. 23-27, 2026. Sign up for updates here.
Last May, the 23rd ICAIS took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, hosting presenters from around the world and stimulating discussion on a variety of issues related to aquatic invasive species such as ballast water, biocontrol, and policy.
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European Water Chestnut (EWC) (Trapas natans) is an aggressive invasive aquatic plant that has been detected in the Welland River. This summer, on July 20 and 26, the ISC and partners hosted the annual Paddle With a Purpose event in Pelham, Ontario. Volunteer paddlers were taken out on the water by field team staff and shown how to identify and report EWC. Thank you to all the volunteers who participated in this event.
Missed the event but want to help out? Visit the European Water Chestnut Rapid Response Program webpage to learn more about how you can help.
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2024 Spring Great Lakes Panel | The ISC was thrilled to provide support and participate in the 2024 Spring Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species June 25 - 27. It was a time for experts to get together, share updates, and continue collaborative efforts to protect the Great Lakes and tributaries. | |
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Invasive Species Centre Update | |
Invasive Species Centre’s Executive Director Sarah Rang is planning to retire in December 2024. After 5 years at the Invasive Species Centre, Sarah is retiring to spend more time with her new grandson, travel, and complete a few projects.
The Invasive Species Centre’s Board of Directors is leading a search for a new Executive Director. Details can be found here, and we welcome your interest and appreciate any assistance in distributing the posting in your networks.
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Meet the New ISC Team Members! | |
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Sophie Tan
Communications and Administration Coordinator
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Sydney Currier
Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator
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Evan Johnson
Communications Officer
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Lauren Pezzutto
Research Support Officer
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Teah Burke
Aquatic Invasive Species Research Intern
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