Mitigating invasive species through transdisciplinary science headlines symposium and community day

This last Friday, April 25, the Invasive Species Collaborative (ISC) hosted their annual symposium. In attendance were affiliates that represented colleges across campus who value the collaborative approach the Collaborative takes in its support for necessary and innovative research.
Many affiliates gave short presentations of their current research projects and invited anyone interested to consider working together. These topics ranged from invasive plants, urban pests, and non-native species to invasive cancer cells.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Aníbal Pauchard, Professor at Universidad de Concepción and Director Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB), who shared his insights on the development of the international Invasive Alien Species Assessment, of which he served as co-chair.
The afternoon ended with a poster session and refreshments so that attendees could share and discuss their mutual research interests and consider future collaborations.

The ISC continued the fun on Saturday, April 26, for Invasive Species & Restoration Community Day, which was co-sponsored with the Biocultural and Ecological Restoration Initiative and the Town of Blacksburg.
Beginning at Heritage Park, attendees were treated to a discussion and hands-on fun learning about the water in the park stream by Johnathan Czuba, associate professor of biological systems engineering, and Bryan Brown, associate professor of biological sciences.
Carol Davis, the sustainability manager for the Town of Blacksburg, and Leighton Reed, assistant professor in the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, led others in describing the efforts to rid the park of invasive plants and to reclaim the valuable wetlands there. Tess Thompson, associate professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, also helped with the restoration walk and talk.

Later in the day, the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center regaled families at the Rising Silo Brewery about several native species represented by Baldwin the dwarf squirrel, Koda the Big Brown Bat, and Captain Jack Sparrowhawk the American Kestrel.

While at Rising Silo Brewery, community members also had the opportunity to participate in a partner and graduate student meet & greet from 3:00-6:30 p.m. Students shared research on red imported fire ants, invasive earthworms, laurel wilt, brown tree snakes, and native grassland ecology. Additionally, state agency and nonprofit partners shared their knowledge and expertise on invasive species identification and management.
Participating partners included the following:
- Virginia Department of Forestry
- Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
- Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
- NRV Master Naturalists
- Virginia Native Plant Society
- Plant SWVA Natives
- NRV Tree Rescuers
- Biocultural and Ecological Restoration Initiative
- Invasive Species Collaborative at Virginia Tech