All, I’m working with the National Sea Grant Law Center on a project funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service on “The Role of Local Municipalities and Entities in Addressing Aquatic Invasive Species.” Our project is focused on helping municipalities access the tools necessary to play a role in aquatic invasive species prevention efforts. Although a substantial amount of attention has been placed on federal and state invasive species policy needs, the potential exists for municipalities to play a significant role in invasive species prevention efforts by addressing key gaps not addressed by state and federal regulations. Local government efforts to address invasive species risks are generally not mobilized in a coordinated or effective manner. 

We are hosting a series of 1-hour webinars in January to share the new online toolkit with local governments (and others that are interested) and walk through the regional case studies. We are asking for your assistance in sharing the webinar announcement through your state and national invasive species channels. This email contains the flier inserted into the body of the email – clicking on the flier takes you to the page to register for the webinar(s). In addition, I have attached a .pdf of the flier, which also contains an active link to register.

Specifically, our project developed an online handbook/toolkit (www.localgovAIS.com) for local entities (municipalities and counties) that guides them through the process of identifying high-risk priority AIS and key next steps they could potentially take to advance interdiction efforts. We understand that local water bodies are an important source of water for local communities, and generate significant revenue for local communities through recreational and other opportunities. The result is that local municipalities nationwide have an online toolkit to guide them through potential appropriate actions and strategies that align with state and federal laws, but that help to protect the health and integrity of their local water bodies, and advance AIS efforts overall.

Each of the three webinars we are hosting will be similar – the one difference is that we’ll be emphasizing a water body in different regions of the country when we deliver the webinars. But anyone is welcome to register for any of the webinars.

Action item:  We are asking for your assistance in distributing the contents of this email and/or the attached .pdf announcing the webinars to your state invasive species councils and any other listservs/groups associated with invasive species nationally and at the state level.

Thank you in advance for your assistance and for all that you do to prevent the spread and establishment of invasive species.

Lisa DeBruyckere, President

Creative Resource Strategies, LLC

6159 Rosemeadow Lane NE

Salem, OR 97317

Office (503) 371-5939 | Mobile (503) 704-2884

www.createstrat.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mdsg-midatlanticpanel" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to mdsg-midatlanticpanel+unsubscribe@umd.edu.