Heartland CISMA news and upcoming events, including Hallo-weed on 11/8 or a date of your convenience at a location near you, new job opening, monthly CISMA call, upcoming activities and MORE!

Hi all! Below are 9 items, the 1^st 4 new and the last 5 reminders, including the final one about a free Grass ID Workshop at our neighbor CISMA to the north this week. Send any updates for next time!

 

1)      Participate in the 1^st annual Florida CISMA Fall “Hallo-Weed” Count- this is a great opportunity to get out and look for Praxelis clematidae:

First Annual Florida CISMA Fall “Hallo-Weed” Count!!

 

Make a Date

N  What: First Annual Florida CISMA Fall “Hallo-Weed” Count!!

N  Who: Five Florida CISMAs have stepped up to pilot a statewide survey method: Six Rivers, Heartland, Southwest Florida, Everglades and Suncoast CISMAs.

N  Where: Various locations within each CISMA, focusing on cogongrass and select CISMA Early Detection/Rapid Response plant species

N  When: One to two days only, during the two week window around Halloween = October 26 through November 8

N  Why: To utilize the CISMA network to implement an assessment method that will provide information on the distribution, trends, and magnitude of problem of invasive plants in Florida.

N  How: Each CISMA has a coordinator. For Heartland CISMA, Brendan Myers will be coordinating a survey on Saturday November 8th. You are welcome to join Brendan Myers OR you can contact him at the information below to obtain survey methods (locations, EDRR plants, and EDDMapS instructions) and go out on your own or with your own group any time during the 2 week period.

N  Heartland: Brendan Myers, thescarydoor@gmail.com

2)     New job opening: Bok Tower Gardens is currently accepting applications for an assistant land steward position.  This is a part time (24 hours/wk), permanent field position.  The main duties include the use of various herbicides to control invasive species with a backpack sprayer.    The link to the job posting  is http://boktowergardens.org/get-involved/job-opportunities/land-steward-assistant/ (and attached)

3)      Air potato beetle update: Haven’t introduced them on your site (or nearby)? They travel, so keep an eye out for them. Katrina Noland at Bok Tower Garden spotted evidence of their damage to air potato (and the charismatic beetles themselves, photos attached) recently where they had not been introduced. If you are interested in getting some introduced, releases will resume in spring, and I suggest turning in beetle requests now so you save your place on the wait list and receive them sooner this spring. Find out more at:  http://bcrcl.ifas.ufl.edu/airpotatobiologicalcontrol.shtml.

4)     Monthly CISMA call this Wed., October 22^nd, 1:30-2:30pm with Jim Cudu talking about hydrilla, a CISMA update and shout-outs about upcoming events. Below are the online WebEx and phone-in information:

Here are log-on instructions for WebEx and the teleconference:

Note:  It is best to log on to WebEx and follow the prompts to call in. 

For information on how to join this WebEx or Teleconference see below: 

1)     Meeting information 
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Topic: Florida CISMA Monthly Call 
Date: The 4th Wednesday of every 1 months, from Wednesday, August 22, 2012 to no end date 
Time: 1:30 pm, Eastern Daylight Time (New York, GMT-04:00) 
Meeting Number: 824 138 461 
Meeting Password: Invasive2! 

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To start or join the online meeting 
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Go to https://nethope.webex.com/nethope/j.php?ED=161250487&UID=482708092&PW=NZDRmYjdmYzdl&RT=MiMxMQ%3D%3D 

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Teleconference information 
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Call-in toll-free number: 1-866-385-9623  (US) 
Call-in number: 1-443-863-6602  (US) 
Show global numbers: https://www.tcconline.com/offSite/OffSiteController.jpf?cc=2542410186

 

5)      SAVE THE DATES reminder: At our 9/24/14 meeting, we planned several upcoming activities and you are welcome to participate! Details in the attached notes and here are the highlights:

a.       Air Potato Mega Raid, Saturday, 1/25/15- We would like to conduct this air potato mega raid at YOUR location on this day too. In coordination with the Central Florida and Osceola CISMAs, we’ll conduct air potato raids at as many sites in our CISMAs as would like to participate, and already have several lined up, so don’t miss out. We’ll help you publicize it, get volunteers, and organize. Contact me for more information.

b.      The 5^th annual Central Florida Invasive Species Workshop will be Wed., 2/25 at Circle B Bar with speaker and breakout ideas in notes.

c.       Tegu ID, survey and trapping workshop- This will be at the annual workshop to get us ready for surveying and, if necessary, trapping tegus this spring. Check the notes for more information and contact me if you’d like to participate in surveying on your property.

d.      The workshop is scheduled during 2015 National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW) -February 22 – 28, 2015- what will YOU do for NISAW? Let me know!

e.      Exotic Pet Amnesty Day, spring 2015- The date’s still a work in progress but keep this on your radar for March or May 2015, likely in Kissimmee in coordination with Osceola CISMA.

6)      Seeking Exotic Animal Responders!- We have a few responders lined up but would like more for when that call comes. If a report comes in and is verified of a captured exotic animal, FWC would like responders to be available to potentially pick it up and transport it to FWC staff- could this be you? More details are in the attached notes. Contact me for more information.

7)      Outreach opportunities: The Heartland CISMA brochure (http://www.floridainvasives.org/Heartland/Heartland_CISMA_brochure.pdf ) and other outreach materials are available if you are attending an outreach event and can spare a little table space. If you can’t print them yourself, contact me to have them mailed or possibly dropped off for you. Upcoming opportunity:

a.       Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Festival at Highlands Hammock- If you are willing to represent the Heartland CISMA at this year’s CCC Festival, either at a Heartland CISMA table or as part of your own organization’s table, we can provide materials.  It is scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 2014 from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm.  Contact Carla Kappmeyer-Sherwin at Carla.kappmeyer-sherwin@dep.state.fl.us for more information.

8)      Florida Forest Service’s Cogongrass Treatment Cost-Share Program for private landowners, revised to include all Florida counties and open for applications until October 3- The 10/3 deadline is for applicants who wish to begin treatments immediately. This will be followed by a long sign-up period (through February 27) for those who wish to begin treatments in 2015. A press release http://www.freshfromflorida.com/News-Events/Press-Releases/2014-Press-Releases/Cogongrass-Treatment-Cost-Share-Program-Now-Accepting-Applications-from-Private-Landowners and web page contain more info http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/For-Landowners/Programs/Cogongrass-Treatment-Cost-Share-Program. Thanks to Corey Walk for passing on this opportunity. Contact your County Forester or Jeffrey Eickwort (Jeffrey.eickwort@freshfromflorida.com)  with questions.

9)      Our neighbor CISMA invites us to their grass ID workshop:

Hello, You are invited to the following event: Central Florida CISMA Grass ID Workshop Event to be held at the following time, date, and location: Friday, October 24, 2014 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (PDT) Morgridge International Research Center, MIRC University of Central Florida 4000 Central Florida Blvd Orlando, FL 32816 View Map   Attend Event Share:     Please join the Central Florida CISMA for our 4th Grass ID Workshop on Friday, October 24 at the University of Central Florida Morgridge International Research Center building. Registration is FREE and Lunch and snacks are provided! Topics to include: -Morning classroom session with guest speaker Dr. David Hall giving an overview of the grasses and their look-a-likes, an introduction to... Share this event on Facebook and Twitter We hope you can make it! Cheers, Cental Florida CISMA

 

 

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Cheryl Millett Biologist cmillett@tnc.org (863) 635-7506, ext. 205 (Office) (863) 604-3352 (Cell)  (863) 635-6456 (Fax) nature.org Download our Nature Conservancy magazine App FREE for exclusive digital content.

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