GULF & SOUTH ATLANTIC REGIONAL PANEL ON AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES
USGS, Wetlands and Aquatic Research Center
Lafayette, LA
October 4-6, 2016

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

8:30 Call to Order – Kristen Sommers

• Introductions
• Public Comment

8:45 Review and Adoption of Agenda – Kristen Sommers

8:50 Review and Approval of Minutes (4/5-6/2016 Orange Beach, AL) – Kristen Sommers

9:00 Field Testing the Use of Food Grade Oils to Suppress Apple Snail Reproduction – Jacoby Carter

9:20 Population Modeling of Maculata Apple Snails: One Model Does Not Fit All – Lihong Zhao

9:40 Managing ANS in the Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges – Billy Leonard

10:00 BREAK

10:20 Update on the Invasive Plant Program in Louisiana – Jill Day

10:40 Current Distribution of the Invasive Asian Carps in Louisiana – Bobby Reed

11:00 Detection of Feral Hog Impacts to Water Quality and Wildlife – Michael Kaller

11:20 LUNCH

1:00 The Spread of Zebra Mussels in Texas – Monica McGarrity

1:20 Giant Salvinia Extracts as an Endocide to Control Giant Salvinia – Shiyou Li

1:40 Large Scale Giant Salvinia Weevil Production at Caddo Lake – Lee Eisenberg

2:00 Effects of Didymosphenia geminate Invasion on Riverine Food Webs – Justin Murdock

2:20 Update on the 2016 USFWS Region 4 AIS Small Grants Program – James Ballard

2:40 Update on African Clawed Frogs in Florida – Kristen Sommers

3:00 BREAK

3:20 Update on AIS Prevention and Control Efforts in Puerto Rico – Wilfredo Robles

3:40 Invasive Crayfishes: Impacts, Pathways, Detection, and Prevalence – Susie Adams

4:10 Using Genetics to Understand the Invasion Dynamics of Megabalanus coccopoma – Eric Hoffman

4:30 Public Comment

RECESS

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

8:30 Call to Order – Kristen Sommers

• Public Comment

8:35 Overview of the Texas Lionfish Symposium and Future Plans – Leslie Hartman

9:15 Overview of the USGS ANS Database Updates – Pam Fuller

9:35 Update on New Aquatic Nuisance Species Introductions – Matt Neilson

9:50 Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force Update – TBD

10:00 BREAK

10:20 Discussion about Panel and Work Group Membership – All

10:40 Update on USFWS Region 4 Aquatic Nuisance Species Activities – Tim Strakosh

10:55 Update on the Invasive Species Traveling Trunk Revisions – Education/Outreach Committee

11:15 Update on the Establishment of a GSARP Distinguished Service Award – James Ballard

11:30 LUNCH

1:00 Update on the Clearinghouse of Outreach Materials – James Ballard

1:15 State Reports / Members Forum

3:00 BREAK

3:20 State Reports / Members Forum

4:20 Discussion of ANSTF Recommendations – All

4:40 Other Business

• Next Meeting, Time and Place (Georgia)
• Public Comment

ADJOURN

Thursday, October 6, 2016 – Field Trip

8:30 – 12:00 noon: We will tour Lake Martin which is located 20 minutes by car from the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center. Lake Martin is managed by the Nature Conservancy and is a premiere site for watching colonial water bird nesting in the spring. Lake Martin’s lake level is maintained by water control structures to be kept high year round. In addition to bird watching the site is used for duck hunting, swimming, and swamp tours. It has also been used for exterior shots for several film productions because of its iconic cypresses covered with Spanish moss. There are a variety of invasive species and water quality problems at Lake Martin. Invasive species present include both species of Salvinia, water hyacinth, and nutria. We will have somebody to discuss what the local management is doing to address their invasive species problems.