USDA Update & Range
Sustainability
Army Installation Support Session
DoD Pest Management Workshop
February 15, 2007
USDA Resources
& Programs
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides national leadership
in pest management, invasive species, and related areas such as
conservation and natural resources.
• Through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Army
Environmental Command and the USDA, Cooperative State,
Research, Education and Extension Service, subject matter experts
& technical resources of USDA and its Land Grant Universities
partners are supporting the U.S. Army pest management program
and Army range sustainability.
• This presentation will review sources of technical information,
training opportunities and ongoing research on integrated pest
management of pests, wildlife, and invasive species of interest to
the U.S. Army and Department of Defense.
Selected Topics
• USDA Update –
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IPM Training & New Extension Opportunities
Airport Wildlife Management Workshop
Invasive Species Research
Noxious & Invasive National & State Lists
Invasive Species Pathways
Alternative Herbicides
Africanized Honey Bees
• Range Sustainability o Sustainable Range Tick Management
o Invasive Species
o Yellow Starthistle
o Red Imported Fire Ants
o SRP Website
eXtension
• Cooperative Extension System eXtension Initiative
• Land Grant University & CSREES, USDA funded
• University-based, peer reviewed information from
web-based Communities of Practice (CoPs)
– Basic information, news & calendars, FAQs,
distance diagnostics, discussion & chat,
conference /streaming videos, individual &
multiple learning modules, certificate/course
credit, & help desk
eXtension
• 22 Communities of Practice Selected - CoPs
• Wildlife Damage Management
– Currently launched online
• Imported Fire Ant Management
– Will launch in April
• Urban Integrated Pest Management
– Just begun in 2007
• Pesticide Environmental Stewardship
– Just begun in 2007
• http://www.extension.org
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IPM Certificate Training
• Instruction developed by Land Grant Universities to
Answer Federal Agency Needs
– Core IPM Training: 18 hours instruction prerequisite
– Pest Biology Modules: 6 hours instruction/topic; at least 1
module required per certificate
– Specialty Modules: 12-24 hours instruction per module;
certificate awarded for each specialty module
• Fees for modules – to be announced
• Benefits
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Current expert course content
New modules to meet agency needs
Cost-effective asynchronous online delivery
Consistent IPM message across agencies
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IPM Certificate Training
• Federal Partners: CSREES, ARS, GSA, NPS, & FWS
• University Partners: Univ. of Minnesota, Purdue, Univ. of
Arkansas
• Beta version Spring 2007
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Core IPM Module
Pest Biology Modules
Structural IPM Specialty Module
Structural IPM for Managers Specialty Module
• Under development
– Landscape and Turf Specialty Module
– Invasive Species Specialty Module
– IPM for Seasonal Workers Specialty Module
Example: Weed Management
Certificate Program
Principles
Pest Biology
Specialty Modules
Core IPM Module
Entomology
Plant Pathology
Weed Science
Vertebrates
Landscape and Turf
Structural
Public Health
Invasive Species
Rangeland Weeds
Weeds of Natural Areas
Example: Structural Pest
Certificate Program
Principles
Pest Biology
Specialty Modules
Core IPM Module
Entomology
Plant Pathology
Weed Science
Vertebrates
Landscape and Turf
Structural
Public Health
Invasive Species
Rangeland Weeds
Weeds of Natural Areas
Example: Landscape and Turf
Certificate Program
Principles
Pest Biology
Specialty Modules
Core IPM Module
Entomology
Plant Pathology
Weed Science
Vertebrates
Landscape and Turf
Structural
Public Health
Invasive Species
Rangeland Weeds
Weeds of Natural Areas
Airport Wildlife
Management Workshop
• Taught by David Allaben and Ryan Stewart, USDA,
APHIS, WS who handle wildlife management for Dulles
and Washington National Airports
• Wildlife strikes
– 530,000 hours of aircraft downtime & $500 million every
year
– Birds cause 97% of strikes
– 1990 to 2005 - 67,887 strikes – 80% not reported
– DoD impacted; 1995 Elmendorf AFB crash
• 4 geese in AWACS 70, 24 deaths
• Wildlife hazard mitigation training FAA regulation (Title 14,
CFR Part 139.337) wildlife certification training – annual
training for trainers.
• Next Course 7-9 October 2007 in Washington, DC
Airport Wildlife
Management Workshop
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FAA & WS Roles and Responsibilities
Airport Wildlife Hazards Overview
Factors that Influence Wildlife Hazards
Wildlife Mitigation Measures
Wildlife Permits
When Should Mitigation Measures be Used
Habitat Management & Safe & Effective Use of
Pyrotechnics & Firearms
• Basic Bird Identification
• Bird Strike Reporting
• To review presentations from the workshop, see:
– http://www.aaae.org/products/200_OnSite_Training/WildlifeWorkshop.html
Invasive Species Research
California Special Grant
• California gets a new invasive species every 60 days
• Exotic Pests & Diseases Research Program (EPDRP) begun in
2001 with funding from USDA, CSREES
– Integrated Management of Medusahead (DiTomaso)
– Impacts of Roof Rats on Migratory Songbirds (Whisson)
– Control of Argentine Ants (Greenberg & Klotz)
– Control of German Yellowjacket (Visscher)
– Impacts of Wild Pigs (Sweitzer)
– Tumbleweed Species and Hybrids (Strong)
– Annual Grasses in the Mojave Desert (Allen)
– Invasiveness of Sahara Mustard (Holt)
– New Biological Control Agents for Yellow Starthistle (Smith)
• More information on individual projects:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/exotic
Invasive Species Research
SERDP
• SERDP (Strategic Environmental Research &
Development Program)
• Partners in Environmental Technology 2006 Technical
Symposium & Workshop presentations now available at
http://www.serdp-estcp.org/Symposium
• Technical Session (Thursday AM): Invasive Species on
Military Lands: Susceptibility & Resistance
Invasive Species Research
SERDP Presentations
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National Invasive Species Council and the Coordination of Complex
Activities – Ms. Lori Williams, National Invasive Species Council
Trying to Manage Ecosystems to Reduce Invasibility: Challenges and
Prospects – Dr. Mark Davis, Macalester College
Interactions of Native and Introduced Species May Facilitate Plant Invasions
– Dr. Bernd Blossey, Cornell University
Changes in Ecosystem Function Resulting from Exotic Invasions: Ecological
Theory and Practical Implications – Dr. Joan Ehrenfeld, Rutgers
University
Restoration from the Ground Up: Understanding and Managing BelowGround Processes for Invasive Weed Control – Dr. Mark Paschke,
Colorado State Unversity
Invasive Species on Military Lands: Susceptibility and Resistance – Dr.
Antonio Palazzo, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ERDC
Invasive Species Research
SERDP
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Integrated Control & Assessment of Knapweed & Cheatgrass on DoD
Installations – Dr. Mark Paschke, Colorado State Unversity
A Novel Approach to Managing Invasive Species Using Genetically Engineered
Bacteria – Dr. Claudia Husseneder, Louisiana State University
Bioavailability of Allelochemcials in Soil – Dr. Paul Grossi, Utah State
University
Application of Hyperspectral Techniques to Monitoring & Management of
Invasive Weeds – Dr. Susan Ustin, University of California, Davis
Developing Biological Control of Garlic Mustard – Dr. Bernd Blossey, Cornell
University
Allelochemical Control of Non-Indigenous Invasive Plant Species Affecting
Military Testing & Training Activities – Dr. George Vivanco, Colorado State
University
Developing Functional Parameters to Develop a Science-Based Vehicle
Cleaning Program to Reduce Transport of Non-Native Invasive Plant Species Under Development (SI – 1545)
Noxious & Invasive National
& State Lists
• No single list of invasive species for the U.S., but web resources
can assist in determining what are species listed as noxious
weeds by the Federal government or States.
• For noxious weed lists, go to:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxiousDriver
• Federal Noxious Weed List – Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974
• State Noxious Weed Reports
• State & Federal Composite List of All U.S. Noxious Weeds
• Invasive Plants of the U.S.
• Introduced Plants of the U.S.
Measures to Prevent
the Spread of Noxious and
Invasive Weeds
• Army installations are taking steps to prevent the
spread of noxious and invasive plant species on their
installations during projects, construction, and other
activities such as maintenance of motor pool areas
on bare soil
• There are references & lists of Best Management
Practices (BMPs) for noxious and invasive plant
control that could be incorporated in contracts and inhouse projects on the installations including practices
such as cleaning equipment, removal of invasives
prior to initiating work, consideration of pathways, etc.
Resources on BMPs for
Invasive & Noxious Plant
Prevention
• University of Nevada, Reno,
Cooperative Extension (Fact Sheet FS03-59) – ‘Measures to Prevent the
Spread of Noxious and Invasive Weeds
During Construction Activities’
• http://www.weedcenter.org/prevention/n
v_prev_fact_sheet1.pdf
Resources on BMPs for
Invasive & Noxious Plant
Prevention
• Backcountry Road Maintenance and
Weed Management – USDA, Forest
Service
• http://www.nbc.gov/facilities/presentatio
ns/Backcountry.pdf (Presentation)
• http://www.fs.fed.us/td/php/library_card.php?p_num+0371%2
02811 (Document)
Resources on BMPs for
Invasive & Noxious Plant
Prevention
• The Mid-Atlantic Exotic Plant Council website:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/invasivetutorial/Mo
nitoring.htm contains specific information on
prevention including bulleted items for checklists
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/invasivetutorial/Pre
vention.htm#l including suggested construction
contract wording for weed prevention
National Invasive Species
Council
Pathways Work Team
Focus Group Conference Report
And Pathways Ranking Guide
June 21 – 22, 2005
Penny Kriesch
NISC Prevention Committee
Pathways Team Chair
and
Herbert Bolton
National Program Leader Army
Environmental Programs
Plant and Animal Systems 7/26/06
Pathways Tasker
• National Invasive Species Council Management Plan
No. 20 :
• By January 2003, the Council will implement a
system for evaluating invasive species pathways
and will issue a report identifying, describing in
reasonable detail, and ranking those pathways that it
believes are the most significant. The report will
discuss the most useful tools, methods, and
monitoring systems for identifying pathways,
including emerging or changing pathways, and for
intervening and stopping introductions most
efficiently.
• Products & reports available at:
http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/toolkit/pathways.
shtml
Alternative Herbicides –
Considerations for Selection & Use
• U.S. Army Environmental Center
– Reviewed alternative herbicides in response
to installation requests for pesticide approvals
in sensitive environments
– Considered these products as alternatives to
traditional synthetic herbicides
– Reviewed labels & University California &
Minnesota research on post-emergent acetic
acid herbicides and pre-emergent corn gluten
Results (% control)
45DAT 1st app, 35DAT 2nd app
UNTREATED
0
1X
0
2X
ROUNDUP
98.5
98.5
ECOEXEMPT
30.0
30.0
MATRAN
13.8
15.0
CIMONEX
6.3
1X
6.3
2X
ALL DOWN
28.8
38.8
BURNOUT II
36.3
51.3
WEEDZAP
5.0
5.0
Costs
$/gal
Roundup Pro 47.60
EcoExempt 97.00
Matran
80.00
Cimonex
n/a
AllDown
15.20
Burnout II 32.00
Weed Zap
n/a
Reward
126.00
gal/A
1.70
19.00
7.60
57.00
114.00
38.00
14.25
0.66
$/A
80.92
1843.00
608.00
1732.80
1216.00
83.00
Conclusions
• Pre-emergent corn gluten can give effective
weed control on established turf
• Post-emergent alternative herbicides
– Acetic acid products have safety concerns
– Require more applications; contact herbicides
– More costly
– Work best on small seedlings/weeds as spot
applications
– On established weeds, rapid recovery
Africanized Honey Bees
• Updated 2007 map of spread of
Africanized honey bee:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm
?docid=11059&page=6
Africanized Honey Bees
Sustainable Range Tick
Management
• ‘4-Poster’ technology developed by USDA, ARS – control
of ticks over large areas
• Now available commercially
• Several Army installations have ‘4-posters
• USACHPPM-N & Main, USAEC working together to
support demonstration of this technology for effectiveness
& operational requirements
• See K. Neidhardt presentation Feb 13 AM
Invasive Species
• Yellow starthistle demonstration project
update
• Yellow Starthistle Management Guide now
published
– www.cal-ipc.org download & hard copies
for sale
• Integrated weed management techniques
from demonstration project enabled Fort
Hunter Liggett to recover 4800 acres of
primary training areas
Invasive Species
• Red Imported Fire Ants Update
• Fort Jackson/McEntire Joint National Air Station
demonstration project paper submitted for
publication
• S. invicta populations were suppressed by ≥95 %
for 3 years at the integrated site
• In the fipronil treated site, S. invicta control was ≤85
% after 1.4 years
• Ants other than S. invicta collected in pitfall traps in
the fipronil treated area of the integrated site
increased from 13% before treatment to 70%
Sustainable Range Program
• First Annual Sustainable Range Program (SRP)
14-17 May 2007 Hampton Convention Center,
Hampton, VA
• Merges former Integrated Training Area
Management (ITAM) Workshop & Range &
Training Land Program (RTLP) Symposium
• Scientific exchange on sustainable management
of military testing & training land
• SRP Web Portal https://srp.army.mil
Contact Information
• For additional information contact Herb Bolton at:
– U.S Army Environmental Command
(410) 436-7073, DSN 584-7073
herb.bolton@aec.apgea.army.mil
herbert.t.bolton@us.army.mil
– USDA, CSREES
(202) 401-4201
hbolton@csrees.usda.gov