Hi Christine,

Thanks so much for your report of English Ivy, thistles and morning glory in the median outside of OPB. English Ivy is choking trees and native plants all over Oregon. Unfortunately, those responsible for controlling invasive species Oregon Department of Agriculture and local land managers like Soil and Water Conservation Districts) don’t have enough resources to attack all the Ivy in the state – there is just too much! Private land owners are responsible for controlling weeds on their property, but sometimes people don’t do anything because the task seems too daunting or they are unaware of the problem. The silver lining to this gloomy picture is citizen stewardship. There are many dedicated volunteers who join forces to uncover and protect their favorite areas from English Ivy. In some cases, the SWCD can help coordinate the effort and provide resources. If you are interested in joining a local volunteer effort to combat invasive species, or starting your own, there are some excellent websites listed at the end of this email.

We hope you will keep on reporting! By looking for and reporting some of the less abundant, but equally as aggressive, invasive species, we can control them before they become tomorrow’s English Ivy. Check out this website for a list of plants and animals that are priority for early detection and control in Western Oregon: http://www.westerninvasivesnetwork.org/pages/plants.php

Thanks again and keep on reporting!

Check out these websites:

Clackamas SWCD
http://www.cc-swcd.org/

OPB Silent Invasion (scroll down to events)
http://www.opb.org/programs/invasives/

SOLV
http://www.solv.org/programs/invasives.asp

Invasives Watch Volunteers
http://www.westerninvasivesnetwork.org/pages/nature_conserv.html

The Nature Conservancy in Oregon
http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/oregon/about/art24312.html

Lisa DeBruyckere
June 28, 2008, 12:27 p.m.