INVASIVE SPECIES

Wyoming Game and Fish Department aquatic invasive species inspectors intercepted a watercraft from Oklahoma with viable zebra mussels attached to its hull. Working with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, officials quarantined the vessel and required professional decontamination before launch. The incident demonstrates the importance of year-round watercraft inspections and multi-state coordination to prevent invasive mussel spread.

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources established a permanent invasive carp harvest permit effective December 2025 to enable large-scale removal of silver, grass, and black carp from public waters. The free permit allows commercial fishing using gill nets and seines while protecting native fish populations and recreational activities.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation confirmed the first Black Carp discovery in a McCurtain County private pond. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Illinois Department of Natural Resources are tracking the invasive species through the "Keep, Cool, Call" initiative, offering Oklahoma anglers $100 per fish reported, up to 10 monthly.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is offering free certified aquatic invasive species inspector training statewide throughout spring. The one-day courses include classroom instruction and hands-on watercraft inspection exercises, with Josh Leonard serving as the aquatic invasive species coordinator.

Michigan's Invasive Species Program is hosting NotMISpecies webinars featuring experts from the Department of Natural Resources, Lake Superior State University, Trout Unlimited, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians to address invasive species management, didymo tracking, quarantine protocols, and protection of culturally significant trees.

Michigan announced $2.4 million in funding for 27 projects through the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program, supporting prevention, detection, eradication and control of invasive species. The program, cooperatively implemented by the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Natural Resources, has awarded over $42 million to 328 projects to date.

Wildlife Forever announces 2025 Clean Drain Dry Initiative results reaching 47 million media impressions. University of Wisconsin–Madison research confirms boaters exposed to Clean Drain Dry and Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers! messaging are more likely to remove aquatic plants and drain live wells, preventing invasive species spread.

During National Invasive Species Awareness Week (Feb. 23-27, 2026), Michigan's Invasive Species Program, implemented cooperatively by the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy; and Natural Resources, encourages residents to prevent invasive species spread. In 2025, the program surveyed over 110,000 acres for species like spotted lanternfly and hemlock woolly adelgid, with management actions covering nearly 36,000 acres.

Montana's Fish, Wildlife & Parks reports another year without invasive mussels as watercraft inspection season begins March 7 at stations in Dillon, Ravalli, and Anaconda. FWP partners with Trout Unlimited and Walleyes Unlimited to prevent aquatic invasive species, urging residents to inspect boats brought from out of state.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department will permanently close Jessica's Pond in the Casper Region this month following confirmation of invasive New Zealand mudsnails. The pond will be filled in to prevent species spread near the Dan Speas Fish Hatchery. Chief of Fisheries Alan Osterland cited the rapid spread rate as the reason for closure, with Yesness Pond offered as an alternative.

Have you ever submitted a report to the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network and questioned whether anyone would see it? Maybe you spent a semester slogging through rivers or fields to catalog species and habitat and wondered why. If so, the upcoming NotMISpecies webinars will confirm that your input matters.

Wildlife Forever will soon install more than a dozen waterless, free-to-use, watercraft cleaning stations at public boat ramps across the Great Lakes area, helping boaters and anglers prevent the spread of zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species (AIS).

The Michigan DNR and Department of Agriculture and Rural Development encourage those who have eastern hemlock trees on their property to take time this winter to inspect the trees for signs of hemlock woolly adelgid – tiny, soft-bodied insects that consume the trees’ stored nutrients, slowly sucking the life from the trees.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah DNR officers and other partnering agencies worked hard inspecting and decontaminating boats across the state this year. Their primary focus was preventing the spread of quagga mussels and other aquatic invasive species — including Eurasian watermilfoil.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) treated Clear Lake last week with the approved aquatic herbicide, Sonar A.S. to eliminate Eurasian watermilfoil.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) has completed its 2025 spotted lanternfly monitoring efforts, confirming a new population in Jackson County thanks to a report submitted by an attentive Michigander through the Eyes in the Field reporting tool.

At their November meeting, Commissioners with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved staff recommendations to advertise proposed rule changes for Prohibited green iguanas, including concepts relating to outdoor caging, biosecurity, collection and transport.

Montana’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) team was recently recognized by the Western Regional Panel (WRP) of the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force as the 2025 “Best in the West” for its exceptional work preventing the spread of invasive species across the state’s waters.

Cuban bulrush, a fast-spreading invasive aquatic plant, was found in September on Cane Creek Lake within Cane Creek State Park. The species is widespread throughout the lake, and initial treatments have begun to treat the infestation in specific areas.

Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted the success of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Python Action Team – Removing Invasive Constrictors (PATRIC) program in achieving record-setting removal numbers of invasive Burmese pythons from Florida’s Everglades. The governor also called on funding for the program to be continued annually to build off of the state’s initial $2 million investment in 2025.