Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)

On September 30th, 2010, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) closed its invasive species project. In the project’s 10 years, we built a body of work and accomplished much, especially while working with the National Environmental Coalition on Invasive Species (NECIS). Here you can find links to our reports as well as web pages that were once on the UCS website. We believe that these materials can be built upon as NECIS moves forward.

State Reports

• Evaluating Current State Invasive Species Policy in Light of Federal Support:
  • Fact sheets on state invasive species policies: California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee
  • Environmental Law Institute Report: Status and Trends in State Invasive Species Policy: 2002-2009
• Invasive Species in Ohio: Pathways, Policies, and Costs
• State Invasion Portfolios: Alaska, Texas, West Virginia
• The National Aquatic Invasive Species Act: Alaska, Texas, West Virginia

Federal Regulatory Materials

• UCS Urges APHIS to Enable States to Respond Rapidly to Urgent Invasive Species Problems in 2006
• 2005 Letter to APHIS on plant import regulations
• 2005 comments–APHIS Should Strengthen Regulations on the Import of Plants for Planting
• 2005 Comments to U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on Black Carp
• 2004 Comments to APHIS for Caulerpa taxifolia and Caulerpa

Legislative Materials

• Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act: H.R. 669
• The Facts on the Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act

Campaigns

• 2003 Call to Action on Invasive Species
  • Scientists and Experts Call to Action on Invasive Species
  • Citizens Groups Call to Action on Invasive Species
  • Background factsheets:
    • America’s Invasive Species Problem
    • Ten New Invaders Since 1993
    • Ten Invasive Species that the United States Exported
    • Ten Invasive Species Not Yet Established in the United States

Articles

• The Tragedy of the Commons Revisited: Invasive Species
• The Science of Invasive Species
• The National Invasive Species Act
• Introduced species policy, management, and future research needs, in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

Press Releases

• 1/29/09 Congress Steps Up to Screen Invasive Animals in Trade
• 10/08/08 Invasive Species are Costing Ohio, Report Finds
• 12/18/06 Screening for Invasive Species Could Save U.S. billion, Study Says

Tips

• What You Can Do To Prevent Species Invasions

Other

• Basic Invasive Species Solutions
• Hydrilla: Invader that Chokes Waters
• Zebra Mussel: Invader that shook federal policy