Invasive species pose a serious threat to native species and natural ecosystems and cost the country billions of dollars to combat.
Spend a day learning what is being done to address the serious issues of both land and water invasives at the 2023 Illinois Invasive Species Symposium hosted by University of Illinois Extension. Registration includes all sessions and lunch.
Two criteria must be met for a species to be considered invasive: the species is not original to the ecosystem it's currently living, and the species is likely to cause economic and environmental harm or harm to human health if left unchecked.
Agenda
9:30-9:40 AM | Welcome and Introductions
9:40-10:10 AM | Managing Millions of Hungry Mouths: Predicting and Mitigating Impacts of Invasive Carps
Researchers: Steven E. Butler, Anthony P. Porreca, Joseph J. Parkos III, Kaskaskia Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey; Jeremy S. Tiemann, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute; Andrew Runyon, School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan; Kristopher A. Maxson and James T. Lamer, Illinois River Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey; David P. Coulter, Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Presenter: Steven E. Butler
10:10-10:40 AM | Illinois Invasive Species Council Update
Presenter: John Lough, City of Chicago
10:40-10:50 AM | Break
10:50-11:20 AM | Assessing Silver Carp Habitat use in the Wabash and White Rivers using Acoustic Telemetry
Researchers: Coy Blair, Daniel Roth, James Garvey, and Robert Colombo, Eastern Illinois University. Presenter: Coy Blair
11:20-11:50 AM | Examining Tributary Contributions to Bigheaded Carp Reproduction in the Illinois River
Researchers: Tyler Pasley, Daniel Roth, Robert E. Colombo, and Eden Effert-Fanta, Center for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Eastern Illinois University. Presenter: Tyler Pasley
11:50 AM-12:45 PM | Lunch
12:45-1:15 PM | Update on Spongy Moth Status and Operations in Illinois
Presenter: Scott Schirmer, Illinois Department of Agriculture
1:15-1:45 PM | Disentangling the impacts of species invasions on vector-borne pathogens in Illinois
Researchers: Chang-Hyun Kim, Andrew Mackay, Holly Tuten, Chris Stone, Medical Entomology Lab, Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Presenter: Holly Tuten
1:45-2:15 PM | Improving control efforts on invasive plants through research
Presenter: Chris Evans, University of Illinois, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
2:15-2:25 PM | Break
2:25-2:55 PM | Impacts of autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) are not mediated by allelopathy or soil microbes
Researchers: Kyra D. Duncan and Scott J. Meiners, Eastern Illinois University, Department of Biological Sciences. Presenter: Scott J. Meiners
2:55-3:25 PM | Population Trends of Introduced Beetles in Forests, Wetlands, and Grasslands Across Illinois Over 20 Years
Researchers: Elizabeth C. Hrycyna, David N. Zaya, T. J. Benson, Illinois Natural History Survey; and Jacob I. Dixon, Tulane University, Illinois Natural History Survey. Presenter: Elizabeth C. Hrycyna