# **US Department of Agriculture**

**Report to the Invasive Species Advisory Council**

# October 12, 2005

By Hilda Diaz-Soltero,

# USDA Senior Invasive Species Coordinator

A. **[USDA Progress on ISAC recommendations from the October 2003
meeting]{.underline}**

1.  ISAC recommendation: **Increase efforts in education and public
    awareness**

    -   Provided USDA's exhibit on invasive species to the 2005 USDA
        Agricultural Outlook Forum and the 2005 National Invasive Weeds
        Awareness Week (NIWAW) activities. The exhibit was also
        displayed at the USDA "Blacks in Government" meeting and at a
        Natural Resources Conservation Service meeting of its National
        and State program managers, both in August 2005.

    -   Showed the [Invaders]{.underline} film at NIWAW, USDA "Blacks in
        Government" meeting and other APHIS meetings.

    -   Provided planning support and made a presentation at the 2005
        Agricultural Outlook Forum in the NRCS sponsored session on
        invasive species.

    -   Participated in the resolution of issues related to the web site
        (roles of NAL and NISC are defined; website strategy; clearance
        policy; compliance with new USDA website templates and OMB
        standards; website migration issues; implementation of special
        software and training staff on its use).

    -   Encouraged USDA agencies to provide content for Species of the
        Month. APHIS prepared the documents for Cactus moth (Mar. 05).

    -   Forest Service Research and Conservation Education Programs
        staff and other agencies are assisting NISC to develop a
        strategy to catalogue existing invasive species education and
        outreach materials.

    -   NRCS, through the multi-departmental "Partners in Resource
        Education" group, will use the findings of the cataloguing
        effort by Forest Service's Research and Conservation Education
        Programs. The information will be included in the NRCS
        presentation at the Invasive Species Workshop during the
        National Science Teachers Association meeting (Anaheim, CA,
        April 6 -- 9, 2006).

-   Forest Service launched their invasive species website in June 2005.
    Its address is: <http://www.fs.fed.us/invasivespecies/>

-   Forest Service Invasive Species Issue Team is preparing a national
    invasive species display. It will be available in several formats,
    on loan, through the Forest Service's Washington Office.

    -   Forest Service is planning a FY 2006 national conference on
        invasive species for employees and invited partners.

    -   APHIS gave public presentations regarding the revisions in the
        Quarantine 37 "Plants for Planting". Talks were presented at the
        annual meetings of the South East Exotic Pest Plant Council, the
        Mid-Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council, the American Chemical
        Society and a poster was presented at the XVII International
        Botanical Congress in Vienna, Austria. A presentation is planned
        for the Empire State Green Industry show in New York in
        November 2005. The revisions will include a new category "Not
        Allowed" plant for planting "Pending Risk Assessment" (NAPRA).
        The category will be used for plants imported directly and for
        weeds where risk factors can be determined. APHIS will hold a
        planning summit for the Q-37 revision process early in October
        2005 to assess accomplishments, current status and plan for the
        next steps.

    -   Funded the following education and public awareness projects in
        FY 2005 out of the USDA Invasive Species Coordination Program's
        budget:

        i.  Continue to support the development and implementation of
            Webcrawler technology that identifies sales of invasive
            species on the Internet, requests owners to stop sales of
            invasives, and refers persistent violators to APHIS
            enforcement for further action (\$10,000 in FY 05, \$54,000
            in FY 04).

        ii. Continue funding NISC Public Affairs Director (\$120,000).

        iii. Revision of the USDA Invasive Species permanent exhibit.

2.  ISAC recommendation: **Increase efforts in economic analysis to make
    the case for investments in invasive species efforts.**

    -   The Economic Research Service (ERS) is continuing the "Program
        of Research on the Economics of Invasive Species Management"
        (PREISM) initiated in FY 2003. PREISM supports economic research
        and the development of decision support tools that have direct
        implications for USDA policies and programs for protection from,
        control/management of, regulation concerning, or trade policy
        relating to invasive species. Program priorities are selected
        through extensive consultation with APHIS, OBPA and other
        agencies with responsibility for program management.

> For example, ERS developed a pest-ranking decision tool for APHIS to
> determine which pests would be on its 2004 Federal-State Cooperative
> Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) list, making transparent the basis for
> selecting the pests for which State cooperators could receive targeted
> pest surveillance and detections funds. Also, the recent and rapid
> spread of soybean rust in South America prompted ERS, in April 2004,
> to publish a study of the economic and policy impacts of its windborne
> entry into the United States. USDA used the ERS analysis in refining
> rapid response strategies when APHIS confirmed the presence of soybean
> rust on November 10, 2004 in Louisiana.
>
> In addition to ERS-led analyses of invasive species issues, PREISM has
> allocated over \$3.4 million in extramural research cooperative
> agreements through a peer-reviewed competitive process in FY 2003-05.
> A million of those funds were allocated for extramural agreements in
> FY 2005.
>
> ERS also organizes workshops each year to provide a forum for dialogue
> on economic issues associated with agricultural invasive species.

B. **[USDA progress on ISAC recommendations from the March 2004
meeting]{.underline}**

3.  ISAC recommendation: **What are NISC agencies doing to avoid harm?**

    -   USDA's has seven agencies included in its invasive species
        portfolio: Forest Service (FS), Natural Resources Conservation
        Service (NRCS), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
        (APHIS), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Cooperative State
        Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), Economic
        Research Service (ERS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA).

    -   Securing input from the USDA agencies, the USDA Senior Invasive
        Species Coordinator created the USDA DO NO HARM REPORT, a report
        to ISAC and NISC, by fiscal year, including 3 categories of
        activities:

> a\) Invasive Species Program activities that USDA agencies are
> carrying out to do no harm.
>
> b\) The way in which, when they do carry out other agency programs
> activities, they are also designed to do no harm.
>
> c\) A list of activities that ARE doing harm, and the future actions
> the agency will take to change the activities so that they do no harm.

Within the above categories, agencies include their own activities as
well as activities that are coordinated with another Federal agencies,
per the mandate under the Invasive Species Executive Order.

-   At the ISAC October 2004 meeting I presented the FY 2004 Do No Harm
    report for NRCS, APHIS, ARS, CSREES and ERS. At the ISAC February
    2005 meeting I presented the FY 2004 Do No Harm Report for the
    Forest Service. These were the first time the agencies prepared such
    a report.

-   Today I present you the **FY 2005 USDA Do No Harm Report for six
    agencies: NRCS, APHIS, ARS, CSREES, ERS and FS.** (See Enclosure)

4.  ISAC recommendation: **NISC should request all Federal agencies to
    identify existing grant programs, cooperative agreements and other
    mechanisms that are potential sources of funds for invasive species
    projects.**

# 

# - USDA has compiled a document that presents the most complete list of grant opportunities for work on research, technical assistance or management of invasive species. The document was published in a binder and you received a copy on February 2005. A copy of the document is also available through [www.invasivespecies.gov](http://www.invasivespecies.gov/). We are updating the document in the web site to include two additional grant programs available from NRCS. Printed copies of the updated document will be available at the USDA Weeds Day in February 2006. ISAC members will receive a copy as well.

5.  ISAC recommendation: **Encourage NISC policy liaisons to attend the
    ISAC meetings and present invasive species strategic plans for their
    respective agencies.**

    -   The Forest Service made a presentation to ISAC on the new
        "Forest Service Strategic Plan On Invasive Species" on
        October 2004. You received hard copies of the Plan.

    -   At the February 2005 ISAC meeting you heard a presentation about
        APHIS, the first USDA agency to have a strategic plan on
        invasive species, and its recently updated its agency-wide plan
        (2004). The current APHIS strategic plan can be found at
        <http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/about/strategic_plan.html>

    -   The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Natural
        Resources Conservation Service are preparing their agencies
        invasive species strategic plan. We will make presentations to
        ISAC in the future.

C. **[USDA Progress on ISAC recommendations from the February 2005
meeting]{.underline}**

> 6\. ISAC recommendation: **What is the status on the implementation of
> the Noxious Weeds Act?**

-   The Noxious Weed Control and Eradication Act was enacted October
    10, 2004. It creates a USDA five-year program.

-   Grants can be provided to weed management entities for control or
    eradication of noxious weeds, receive up to 50 % of Federal funds,
    and be matched by money or in-kind contributions. The authorization
    for appropriation is for \$7.5 Million per year in Grants, for 5
    years.

-   Agreements can be established with weed management entities to
    provide financial and technical assistance for control or
    eradication of noxious weeds. Agreements can be up to a 100 %
    federally funded. The authorization for appropriation is for \$7.5
    Million per year in Agreements, for 5 years.

-   The term "noxious weed" is defined in this law as it is defined in
    the Plant Protection Act.

-   It requires State, Tribal, regional and local involvement.

-   Some of the activities that can be funded are education, inventory
    and mapping, management, monitoring, methods development (research),
    and capacity building, including payment of personnel and equipment.

-   The legislation provides only authorization for appropriation of
    funds. To date there have been no funds appropriated for USDA to
    implement it.

-   USDA Secretary is in the process of delegating to APHIS the
    implementation for this legislation.

> 7\. ISAC recommendation: **How is the Healthy Forest Initiative
> dealing with invasive species prevention and management?**

-   The Healthy Forests Initiative (HFI), established in 2002, expedites
    administrative procedures for hazardous fuel reduction and ecosystem
    restoration projects on Federal lands.

-   One aspect of HFI was the expansion of "stewardship end result
    contracting authority" to focus on forest and rangeland health. The
    "stewardship end result contracting projects" (described under 16
    U.S.C. 2104) provide opportunities to develop land management
    contracts to reduce hazardous fuels by controlling noxious and
    exotic weeds and reestablishing native plant species.

-   The Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA) was a follow-up
    to HFI. The HFRA contains a number of provisions related to insect
    and disease epidemics.

-   Title 1 of HFRA provided that should an invasive insect or disease
    epidemic pose a significant threat to an ecosystem component, forest
    or rangeland resource, treatment may be expedited.

-   Under Title 4 of HFRA a number of research efforts are underway: to
    assess silvicultural options to minimize the impacts of gypsy moth
    and hemlock woolly adelgid, to evaluate control strategies for
    hemlock woolly adelgid, to improve traps and lures for exotic
    beetles, and to improve western white pine breeding programs focused
    against white pine blister rust.

-   Programs such as the North American Exotic Forest Pest Information
    system, Rapid Pest Detection Program, and Forest Health Monitoring
    program operate under the umbrella concept of the "early warning
    system" prescribed by Title 6 of HFRA. Additionally two "early
    warning centers" -- one in the east and another in the west -- have
    recently been established "\...to generate and integrate knowledge
    and information to provide credible prediction, early detection and
    quantitative assessment of environmental threats\..."

-   Forest Service maintains its emphasis on invasive organisms. Major
    programs exist for emerald ash borer, gypsy moth, white pine blister
    rust, Asian longhorned beetle, sudden oak death, hemlock woolly
    adelgid and invasive plants.

1.  ISAC recommendation: **Prohibition on hand carrying biocontrol
    agents by scientists: concerns of other agencies and stakeholders.**

A 2003 USDA OIG Audit Report on APHIS permitting recommended that APHIS
stop allowing the hand carrying of permitted materials into the United
States due to biosecurity concerns. Initially, APHIS PPQ did begin
"prohibiting" this practice for all organisms (plant pests, noxious
weeds, bees, biological control agents, etc.) entering the U.S. under a
PPQ permit.

Stakeholders from the biological control and the greater research
communities have concerns regarding the impact of the regulations on
efforts to implement biological control and on research on exotic
organisms.

The biocontrol community is concerned about the following issues:

1.  the prohibition on hand-carrying to inland quarantine facilities;

2.  the bonded carrier requirements to transport natural enemies from
    APHIS inspection stations to inland quarantine facilities;

3.  the additional requirement of APHIS inspections of natural enemies;
    and

4.  the NAPPO compliance for arthropod natural enemies.

The research community is concerned that current regulations are
negatively affecting the viability of transported organisms and
impending the scientific exchange of research material where exotic
organisms need to be hand-carried to quarantine for pre-introduction
studies, or for natural enemy processing (e.g., elimination of parasites
and diseases) prior to field release.

The initial prohibition has been modified so that hand carrying is now
allowed, but with certain restrictions:

-   Any permit holder may hand carry securely packaged organisms to any
    port of entry to the U.S. when justified and specifically authorized
    in the conditions of a permit, but must surrender the package to
    Customs and Border Protection inspectors at the port. The package
    will then be forwarded to a USDA APHIS PPQ Inspection Station for
    examination of contents and clearance. The package will then be
    forwarded by any commercial carrier chosen by the permit holder to
    the permit holder's address and at his/her expense.

-   A permit holder who possesses a Federal security clearance
    (confidential or higher) may hand-carry packaged organisms directly
    to the address listed on the permit when it is authorized on the
    permit. Prior confirmation by APHIS PPQ of the permit holder's
    clearance is required, and PPQ must notify Customs and Border
    Protection at the port of entry on how to meet and clear the permit
    holder for each entry into the United States. A PPQ officer may also
    visit the receiving facility after arrival of a package to confirm
    its arrival and contents.

> Although these procedures are more restrictive than prior to September
> 11, 2001, some permit holders have successfully hand carried organisms
> to the country by one of these processes during the past years. The
> most reliable, and the most common way of importing live organisms
> into the United States has always been, and continues to be by bonded,
> professional carriers; hundreds of commercial shipments of living
> biological control organisms and other types of living organisms enter
> the country every week by professional carriers.
>
> Compared with procedures prior to 2001, these new procedures for
> hand-carrying more effectively prevent the entry and dissemination of
> invasive species and plant pests in the United States, including those
> that may be actually or potentially, intentionally or unintentionally
> present in packages of biological control organisms.

APHIS PPQ is currently conducting a management review of their
regulatory processes to streamline and improve policies and regulatory
protocols that will ensure safety of imported biological organisms,
including biocontrol agents, while maintaining the organisms viability
when shipped to inland quarantine facilities for research or pest
management purposes.

ARS and CSREES have worked and will continue to work with APHIS to help
improve the regulatory process so that both agricultural security and
integrated pest management objectives can be maintained.

9.  ISAC recommendation: **Update on the Gambian pouched rat control
    effort.**

In the late 1990s, eight Gambian rats escaped from the pen of an exotic
pet breeder on Florida's Grassy Key and a viable population is now
established in that area. The rodents, which can weigh as much as 6
pounds, have been linked to several diseases that can infect humans,
including monkeypox.

In March 2005, APHIS Wildlife Service's Florida Program conducted a
pilot project to determine the prevalence of the Gambian giant rat
population in the Florida Keys and the feasibility of eradicating the
invasive species.

Twenty-nine of the giant rodents were trapped alive and humanely
euthanized during this pilot project. A preliminary survey to determine
the distribution of Gambian rats in the Florida Keys was conducted.
Program specialists were able to attract Gambian rats to particular
areas using bait stations with mineral oil and peanut butter. They
documented the rodents' presence using motion sensitive digital cameras.
Initial data suggests that Gambian giant rats are currently restricted
to Grassy Key; no Gambian giant rats were found at the monitoring
stations on Long Key. However, additional surveys are planned in
October-November 2005.

The pilot program tested bait preference and toxicant efficacy, and
designed toxicant bait stations. Nineteen Gambian giant rats were
captured on Grassy Key for this part of the study. APHIS is working to
secure an emergency exemption from the Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services for use of 2 of the 5 bait/toxicants tested.

Based on the successful results of the bait/toxicant trials, the agency
is confident that an eradication program is still possible. A scientist
participated in the zinc phosphide toxicant and baits trials (with 100%
efficacy) and is confident that successful eradication is possible. The
eradication program of Gambian giant rats on Grassy Key will start in
late September-October 2005. NEPA compliance will be met prior to
beginning eradication.

By mid September, after data is analyzed, APHIS will provide the
findings of Phase II of this project to officials with the Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services, Florida State Parks, and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service. They will be evaluating the next steps.

> 10\. ISAC recommendation: **How to streamline the APHIS permit process
> to move organisms?**

APHIS has developed e-Permits, a comprehensive Web-based permitting
database, to improve the efficiency of all of APHIS permitting
processes. This database will move the agency from a paper-based
permitting system to an up-to-date, largely paperless, and much more
effective, user-friendly and transparent system. Applicants will apply
for permits online, track the progress of their applications during the
review process, and retrieve all permits that have been issued to them.
The e-Permits database will make all APHIS permits issued for the
movement of agricultural products and organisms electronically available
to agricultural inspectors at U.S. ports of entry. This will improve
agricultural screening activities and more effectively prevent entry of
invasive species and plant pests.

APHIS hopes to launch the first release of e-Permits by January 2006. It
will be geared to APHIS applicants who will be able to apply for permits
online. The system will be distributed to field personnel and
ports-of-entry during the second release, anticipated for the summer of
2006.

The full implementation of e-Permits and recent increases in scientific
positions in the PPQ Pest Permit Evaluations program will streamline and
accelerate the PPQ organism permitting process. Times for permit
issuance have already been reduced without sacrificing risk assessments
and the Agency's oversight responsibilities.

I respectfully submit this report to ISAC. If you have any questions,
please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you.

Ms. Hilda Diaz-Soltero

Senior Invasive Species Coordinator

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Work - (202) 354-1880

Fax - (202) 371-1751

Cell - (510) 301-1164

Email address - hdiazsoltero@fs.fed.us

Office: Natl. Invasive Species Council

1201 Eye St., NW, Washington, DC

Mail: 1849 C St. NW (OS/SIO/NISC)

Washington, DC 20240