Critical Analysis....my last blog post

                I think that many of the actors involved in the management of invasive species are strong. The actors that I talked about are the South Eastern Wisconsin Invasive Species Consortium (SEWISC) and Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin (IPAW.) They have a lot of support with and from the government to perform the things they need to get done. And both groups work with many regular citizens and volunteers to achieve their goals. I think that citizen involvement is one of the most important things when it comes to tackling a bigger problem such as that of invasive species. I think that citizen education and involvement can get a lot of things done. As there are plenty of regular citizens who really do care about the world in which they live in. I think that these two actors I chose being NGOs helps them as well. Because while they do work with the government on projects, they are not effected by things like state budget cuts. And most NGO groups are less about the money and more about the changes they are making. I always think that any cause citizens get behind and take interest in have a great chance of actually being worked on. The power of the people is so important.

                I talked about the Invasive Species Identification, Classification, and Control Rule- Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter NR40. I think that this is a really important one because it sets up a guideline for not just state run actors, but the NGO groups like the one’s I talked about as well. People and groups use rules such as this as a guideline for themselves. They work off of it and strive to abide by what it says and help the cause through the work that they do. With that being said though I feel as though a lot more can be done when it comes to how the government is involved. There could be more funding done. And certainly more education. One of J.P Evans hypotheses was that “governments matter” and it really does. They have so much power to get things done it’s just a matter of finding the ways to do so.

                Evans also says that “governance is about learning.” As it should be. There is so much that needs to be done when it comes to the environmental problems we face today. Be that finding more strict laws for invasive species. Or finding better ways to not allow foreign species into the area so easily. Yes there are laws, but if the laws aren’t often cracked down upon or highlighted how much change can there be? I can say I have never heard of someone getting in trouble for holding an invasive species in their possession, even though it is illegal. I feel as though these sorts of things need to be made more public and shown more. Education is so important. And I think education is a big key in solving a lot of the problems our environment is facing, especially when it comes to invasive species.

Nicholas DuBois 2013 Invasive Species Awareness Month Poster winner (http://dnr.wi.gov/news/features/feature.asp?id=10&article=1)

By Nick Durham

Blog Post 4

This post will serve as a final critical assessment of the various actors, regulations and initiatives pertaining to terrestrial invasive species.

The actors I've discussed include the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WIDNR), the Urban Ecology Center, and the Beaver Island Association. The WIDNR is a powerful traditional government actor in Wisconsin that enforces many environmental policies, such as the Chapter NR 40 Invasive Species Rule. Government agencies can fund environmental scientific research directly without trying to incentivize the market, but as J.P Evans points out, governance requires political vision. The WIDNR is especially beholden to the whims of the current political structure in Wisconsin, with gag orders in place to prevent discussion or research into climate change on state time. This fact also prevents the WIDNR from being able to govern effectively because it limits the
agency's ability to learn and adapt to meet its goals.

WI State Treasurer Matt Adamczyk (left) voted to impose a climate change gag order on the secretary of the Board of Commissioners of Public Land Tia Nelson and Land Board staff (Image source: http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/story/opinion/columnists/2015/04/20/gag-order-climate-science-shames-wisconsin/26098311/)

The Urban Ecology Center is a very different entity from the WIDNR. It's status as a micro scale actor that is not sanctioned by the state mean that it has no regulatory authority, but it is an important member of a network of governance. Network governance (and markets) are described by Evans as "the best things that we have" for tackling climate change due to the problem of state sovereignty and the flawed structure of international relations. The ability of a small scale non governmental organization like the Urban Ecology Center to freely take action against invasive species without being chained to large scale political agendas is advantageous, yet the governance network it belongs to is fairly loose and coordination/collective action can be challenging.

The Beaver Island Association is a great example of a fairly strong governance network. The BIA acts as a sort of nucleus to help coordinate local government, tribes, schools and NGO's toward a set of common goals which include the eradication/management of invasive species from the Beaver Islands. This approach finds a good balance between the duality of structure mentioned by Evans, as well as being able to allow for meaningful public participation and the ability to learn/adapt to changing environmental and political contexts. The Beaver Island Association may seem like a poster child for successful network governance, but given that the Beaver Islands are a small geographic region with a unique cultural and political environment, it is unlikely that their mix of approaches would transfer well to other places or would be able to scale up to tackle "wicked" problems like global climate change.

The only regulation I've presented is the Chapter NR 40 Invasive Species Rule. This effective initiative is adaptable to shifting environmental changes because species can be added to the prohibited or restricted invasive species lists as needed. Of course it is a state regulation enforced by the WIDNR, which as mentioned previously is very vulnerable to political meddling. NR 40 may not be magnified as a contrived partisan issue at the moment, but that could very well change in the future.

Eight Hypothesis for Invasive Species

                The two actors I chose to focus my study on this semester was the Mequon Nature Preserve and Eattheinvaders.org.

                I found there are many strengths to the Mequon Nature Preserve. They succeed at getting people in the local Milwaukee area to learn about nature as well as restoring a prairie/woodland back to what it was like naturally. They are doing things like making exhibits of the ash trees there to show people what was there before the invasive ash borer. They have also seen some increased biodiversity in the nature preserve since restoring the wetlands and removing invasive species. They are very strong at increasing awareness and involvement.

                Some limitations of this actor could be that they are limited to only 438 acres of land. One problem I encountered during my field work there was that invasive species from neighboring lands can still easily find their ways over to the nature preserve because of seeds being easily spread. They are not allowed to go to others properties to remove these invasive species unless allowed which could lead to problems of invasive species coming back to the nature preserve. Others wanting to copy something like the MNP could be difficult if countries are still trying to develop in other areas such as their economy.

                There are a good amount of strengths about the network eattheinvaders.org. Something that they are doing is giving a solution to really anyone with access to a computer or a library to help stop the problem of invasive species by foraging and eating them. To my knowledge, while this is a good idea one weakness may be that it seems like a relatively new idea and may not be inspiring too large of a population. People are also really picky and may not be as adventurous in the food they eat. I do think there is a chance to make a market out of it to possibly deter the spread but I do not think this may be the ultimate solution. Thinking about this more though invasive species are a wicked problem so there really would have to be many solutions possibly including this.

                Reading over J.P. Evans 8 Hypothesis there come across a couple that really seem to fit for terrestrial invasive species:

                ”Governance is about learning” is a perfect way to do this. This also plays into the part of getting the mix of approaches right. By changing laws based on past problems we are making the approaches right. As we learn knowledge is able to be exchanged by people. When we look at the Mequon Nature Preserve we are teaching a generation of children as well as adults. Another way to interpret this would be learning from past regulations or ways of dealing with environmental species.

                Many invasive species were brought in in the past without knowing the havoc they could cause for reasons such as eating, medicine or for decoration. The example of garlic mustard which is a common invasive in both prairies and woodlands in the United States is a great example. In the 1800s it was introduced, obviously now we have to deal with the problem now that we have learned and are studying it. We have now found methods for removal, and we know why it is bad for ecosystems. We now have methods such as burning and herbicides to remove them. Continuing to learn about them and finding technological solutions may be one of our strongest methods to counter them.

 

                “Getting the mix of approaches right” is also another one. For something that is such a global problem such as the spread of terrestrial invasive species we need multiple types of governance such as regulations. We need global actors as well as the local actors like the Mequon Nature Preserve. Even actors that may not reach out to a largest audience like eattheinvaders.org. Also we need a combination of different networks. An example would be that many invasive species get in from shipping goods from one country to another these regulations have allowed much of this to stop in certain places. Interest in multiple approaches can allow governance to steer solutions in the right direction.

Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin

              

               The program I have chosen is one that is run through the Invasive Plans Association of Wisconsin or IPAW. First off it is important to know a little bit about this association. IPAW was founded in Eau Claire in 2001. It was started with a few citizens concerned with the problem of invasive plant species in and entering Wisconsin and quickly gained popularity. It is now a very big program that works in the fight against invasive species. People from all over Wisconsin associate themselves with this group. 

                The group has it’s own bylaws listed on their site for it’s members. The group essentially looks for people who are interested in helping protect our state from the negative consequences of invasive plant species. This group does have board members and presidents in charge of them that help promote and keep the program running smoothly. Their members are there to promote and find funding for their fight against invasive. You can find the bylaws in the “About Us” tab in the “Governance” option at ipaw.org. IPAW relies on donations and fundraisers to keep their program running. IPAW is currently working with the herbarium at UW-Madison and the DNR on the Wisconsin Invasive Plant Reporting and Prevention Project. This project is made in hopes of eradicating certain species in Wisconsin and is funded by a grant from the EPA.

                IPAW looks to educate citizens on the dangers of invasive plants in Wisconsin and they work in close connection with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.. They provide information on invasive plant species so that people can identify and recognize them. But IPAW is not just looking to help people understand invasive plant species, they are looking to find solutions. Solutions from IPAW include ways in which to treat these invasive species. They offer manuals and educational resources to help teach people how to best manage invasive plant species.  Including removal and use of herbicides. They encourage people to come together and even offer funding and grants for groups interested in the removal of invasive that need help in doing so.

Garlic Mustard

                But what is even more interesting is they offer bounties for the reporting of prohibited invasive plant species in Wisconsin. A bounty is a reward/incentive for people who help in the cause. The bounty system works in correlation with the Early Detection Rapid Response to halt or even eradicate invasive plant species in Wisconsin with the plants listed as “prohibited” by the DNR. The prohibited plants are listed and covered by the WI DNR NR 40 rule. These plants are the kind that are not yet established in the area and can cause great harm to our land. The bounty program with IPAW encourages people to look for and report such invasive species in return for a reward. For even having a photograph of these prohibited species a person can ear $25 and if you can obtain the specimen you will earn $50. Sort of like how in the wild-west you could get money for turning in a bad guy “dead or alive” but in this case, the bad guys are the invasive plant species!

Sources:

ipaw.org

http://ipaw.org/TheSolution/Prevention/EDRR/InvasivePlantBounty.aspx

http://ipaw.org/TheSolution/Planning/FundingOpportunities.aspx

http://ipaw.org/TheSolution/Prevention/EDRR.aspx

Beaver Island

By Nick Durham

Blog Post 3

This blog post will cover the Beaver Island Association Endangered & Invasive Species Management Initiative, which is an example of network governance. Beaver Island is located in Lake Michigan between the upper and lower Michigan peninsulas. It contains the city of St. James as well as a number of smaller surrounding islands.
The Beaver Island Association itself is a non-state actor that is dedicated to preserving the natural beauty of Beaver Island, fostering sensible economic policies that ensure preservation of the environment and promoting environmental conservation. Its conservation activities include proposing environmental policies, collaborating with tribes/NGO's/government agencies/schools, sponsoring conservation education programs, performing beach and campground cleanups, and assisting with forest fire prevention. The Beaver Island Association acts as a key member in a network of governance for the Beaver Island region.

Beaver Island Association’s Endangered & Invasive Species Management Initiative is a network approach to tackling the problem of invasive species. Its four stated goals are the education of property owners and visitors, taking an inventory of all endangered and high threat invasive species on the island, recruiting a so-called Early Detection Rapid Response force to treat infestations, and the rehabilitation of natural areas through the eradication of invasive species. Beaver Island Association has been working in direct partnership with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, the Nature Conservancy, and the LittleTraverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians on the initiative.

Phragmites are common invasive reeds.

The highest threat terrestrial invasive species on Beaver Island include phragmites (pictured), autumn olive, scotch pine, marsh thistle, spotted knapweed, purple loosestrife, giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed, garlic mustard and black locust.

Sources:

http://www.beaverislandassociation.org/invasives-2/

http://www.beaverislandassociation.org/


Image Sources:

http://www.midwestconnection.org/Harbors/images/region_maps/beaver_island_hb.jpg

http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/phragmites/phragmites-seed-head-late-fall.jpg

Foraging for Invasives

Working restaurants since I was fifteen has instilled an interest in food in me. When I came across Eattheinvaders.org, I found that it was a perfect example of network governance while also hinting at some perspectives of market governance. The site is suggests that to defeat invasive species, both terrestrial and aquatic, we can eat them.

There are a couple different actors that form the network of the site. The editor of the site, Joe Roman, is a  conservation biologist and researcher for Ecological Economics at UVM. Deborah Gregor an author who has published multiple books on foraging. Caitlin Campbell, who comes up with the recipes for the site, and Fred Gates, who designs it.

To make this a little more local they include maps on their site so you would be able to see which ones are in Wisconsin. The site is also very good from an educational standpoint. They show a timeline of when each species was introduced to North America. They also have information on recipes, benefits to eating them, and information on identifying the species safely.

Market approaches that stem off of this from other articles bring up the point of using edible invasive species as a food source. Some approaches for market governance believe that invasive species could cause profit while also reducing the amount of invasive species. Some opponents to this bring up a very good point that making a market for them would create value and would then cause us to not want these invasive species. Some environmentalists have called using invasive species for food “a free weeding service.”

Many chefs and restaurant groups have been working to make invasive species more trendy so they can be put on restaurant’s menus. Mitchell Davis, who is the vice president of James Beard Foundation, has said that invasive species in the past such as dandelion greens are becoming “must have items” in restaurants. Though I am focusing on terrestrial species I do feel it is important to briefly mention that invasive fish  also have had this impact. 

   

Current ways of managing invasive species can be some trouble to the environment. Herbicides that are used to maintain invasive species can be trouble to the environment. Eating the invasive species would prevent these negative side effects.

There is also another side to this situation. Ensia.com wrote an article giving 4 reasons on why eating invasive species could be a bad idea. Some argue that eating invasive species will not put much of a dent into the population of invasive species. Another argument is that creating a market for invasive species will focus more on the financial benefits than the actual removal of the species, making the reason to change from not eating them to get rid of them but to keep them there for a monetary value. Others worry about invasive species becoming a cultural icon like the wild boar in Hawaii. There is already a federal law that prohibits the transport of invasive species. 

I do think there is some merit to eating invasive species if they are already there. I also think it important to listen to the opponents of this method because this is both a complex problem and eating them also brings up new issues. Eattheinvaders.org is a good example of a network educating people and it also got me interested in the market for invasive species.      

-Example of map from site showing where to find certain species. This one being garlic mustard.

Sources:

http://eattheinvaders.org/category/news-reviews/

http://ensia.com/articles/when-conservation-means-killing/

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/science/earth/10fish.html?_r=0

http://ensia.com/voices/why-eating-invasive-species-is-a-bad-idea/

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-top-chef-s-recipes-for-eating-invasive-species/

Blog Post 2-Invasive Species Identification, Classification, and Control Rule- Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter NR40

            One of the most well-known laws against invasive species in Wisconsin is the Invasive Species Identification, Classification, and Control Rule- Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter NR40. This makes the possession, the transportation, the transferring, and the introduction of invasive species illegal without permission.

            This law breaks down invasive species into different categories, prohibited and restricted. Prohibited species are not allowed at all and have a much more rigid penalty. Prohibited species are likely not yet in the state or are here in very little quantities but have the likelihood of becoming a devastating problem. The control of these types of species is absolutely required. Restricted species can be allowed but only with permission. One may get permission for instance if they are using an invasive to educate others on them and need to set an example. Restricted species are usually those that are already well established in the state. The control of these species is not lawfully required but is certainly encouraged. The law is set in the hopes of getting citizens involved in the fight against invasive species in Wisconsin.

            One of the goals of this law is to prevent new invasive species from making their way in to Wisconsin territory. Preventative measures are important in the fight against invasive species. As it is known that invasive species are becoming much more prominent and making their way up this way from the south. The climate change is a bit contributor to the ability of these species making their ways here. The other goal is to control invasive species that are already here. People are held responsible for the species on their private land and if they introduce a species they can be fined. The law also incorporates preventative measures. This includes requiring vehicular owners both land and marine to rid their property of any plant or animal matter it                                                                     has picked up.

            This law was recently updated this year to include more invasive species to look out for. This update also includes the statuses of invasive species located here as the spread of them is constantly changing as the environment does. The law looks into eradicating or at the very least controlling the invasive species populations in Wisconsin. Proper management of invasive species is a very important goal.

            The leading actor of this law would be the Wisconsin Department of Natural resources. They are the ones who helped in revising and implementing the law in place. They are the ones who are allowed on to lands for surveying the invasive species and also punishing those who don’t abide by it. The DNR provides plenty of information on the invasive species they are targeting and what to look out for. They also provide the education and rules so that people don’t break this law. This law applies to all of the land and waterways in Wisconsin. And the great part about it is it is always subject to change and revision as more invasive species come this way and as they spread.

Sources:

 http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/invasives/documents/NR40GuideGeneral.pdf

http://www.agriview.com/briefs/regional/wisconsin-changes-invasive-species-law/article_86b69124-1a93-52c3-aefc-5a23246b7607.html

http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/invasives/classification.html