WASHINGTON, DC -- State, federal, tribal and local officials, along with representatives of private sector and environmental groups, will meet during National Invasive Species Awareness Week (Feb. 28 – Mar. 4, 2011) to find ways to prevent and control “invasive species”--species that are both non-native and harmful to the environment, the economy and human health. (Asian carp, large constrictor snakes, wood-boring beetles, kudzu and West Nile Virus are a few examples of invasive species.)
Deputy Secretary of the Interior David J. Hayes will launch National Invasive Species Awareness Week 2011 on Monday at 9:30 am at the Department of the Interior.
The week will feature briefings, events and workshops in Washington, D.C. to highlight what can be done to stop or slow the spread of invasive species.
“National Invasive Species Awareness Week 2011 is a critical international effort because invasive species harm native species, reduce recreational opportunities, degrade habitat on public lands, and cost more than $100 billion a year in economic damage to the United States alone, ” said Lori Williams, executive director of the National Invasive Species Council.
The complete agenda and exact locations and times of events are available at www.nisaw.org. Highlights of the week include:
* Launch of NISAW 2011 with Deputy Secretary Hayes and forum on invasive species impacts on American Indian Communities kicked off by Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Michael Black. (9:30 a.m., Feb. 28, 2011, Interior's Yates auditorium, 1849 C Street, N.W.)
* State and Regional Invasive Species Workshop with John Goss, Asian Carp Director, Council on Environmental Quality, as featured speaker and participants from more than 20 states and 15 federal agencies (8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Mar. 1, 2011, Dupont Hotel, 1500 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.
* Agriculture Invasive Species Day (9:00 am – 12:30 p.m., Mar. 3, Dupont Hotel, 1500 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.)
A broad coalition of groups are supporting and sponsoring these events including federal agencies, the National Invasive Species Council, the Weed Science Society of America, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the Great Lakes Commission, the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force, as well as representatives from the private sector and environmental groups – to name a few.
“Whether it is the Burmese python invading the Everglades or the quagga and zebra mussels interfering with water delivery in the West, we at the Department of the Interior are working to prevent and control invasive species,” said Lori Faeth, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Policy and International Affairs. “We can do so much more effectively by working with state, tribal and local governments as well as the private sector. NISAW 2011 is an opportunity to enhance existing partnerships and build a better network to address these issues.”
Source: Department of Interior
