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Hi everyone! I'm excited to announce a change to the MiCorps Exotic Aquatic Plant Watch, which is part of the Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program. In the past, participants in the Exotic Aquatic Plant Watch, who learn to survey lakes for invasive plants in Michigan, were required to collect other water quality data regularly on the lake(s) they surveyed. We recognized that was a hurdle for some potential participants (both individuals and organizations), who were interested in invasive species but did not have the time or interest to collect water quality data too. Starting t

America wasn’t ready for the pandemic. And it isn’t ready for the next contagion to strike our woodlands. View the full article

A program to vaccinate homebound older people was put on hold while the one-shot vaccine was paused. View the full article

Arenac Conservation District is looking to hire one full time (40hrs/week) Invasive Species Monitoring Crew Member for a limited term position through August 31, 2022. Employee will be part of a 2-member crew conducting standardized monitoring activities for invasive species in Saginaw Bay Watershed. Activities focus on pre- and post-treatment of non-native phragmites in Bay County, as well as other invasive species within treatment areas. Compensation: $12.50-16.00/hour Work Location: Saginaw Bay Watershed, primarily in Bay County. Benefits: Mileage reimbursement and training

Claire, when I reloaded the species catalog on my smartphone app I got an error notification for all of the new species. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app, but I had the same problem. Is anyone else having this issue?

Hi all, I wanted to share the rack card we produced this year as well. This is editable and has been approved by our MISGP contact and MDARD, so feel free to edit and share! One version is designed for print and the other for web use (has hyperlinks). You can set-up a free Canva online account (it's a really useful program for creating outreach materials). Template for print: https://www.canva.com/design/DAEXEffzci0/JTrQSNKM5MA8ylFmpZAAMQ/view?utm_content=DAEXEffzci0&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton&mode=preview Template for

Hi all, With the help of several CISMA coordinators and our Outreach Technician Madelaine Corbin, we now have materials ready for anyone to use! These Canva templates are editable, so you can change the information here to your CISMA and print them. You can get a free Canva account to access these for editing. Let me know if you have any questions or run into any issues! Template for print: https://www.canva.com/design/DAEXEffzci0/JTrQSNKM5MA8ylFmpZAAMQ/view?utm_content=DAEXEffzci0&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton&mode=preview

Great, thanks, Claire!

A program to vaccinate homebound older people was put on hold while the one-shot vaccine was paused. View the full article

Amur silvergrass (Miscanthus sacchariflorus) Beefsteak plant (Perilla frutescens) Chicory (Cichorium intybus) Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) Creeping yellowcress (Rorippa sylvestris) Large-flower primrose-willow (Ludwigia grandiflora) Oak-leaved goosefoot (Chenopodium glaucum) Oriental ladys thumb (Polygonum cespitosum) Rough bugleweed (Lycopus asper) Silktree (Albizia julibrissin) Spotted ladysthumb (Polygonum persicaria) Water mint (Mentha aquatica) Weeping alkaligrass (Puccinellia distans) Winter vetch (Vicia villosa) In order to see these species with

I was curious to see what was being distributed since I've noticed the prevalence of, specifically, baby's breath in a number of packets. Great job, Nor!

Wow! I'm actually super encouraged that there's nothing on that list that makes me want to throw up! Nice work, Lowe's. Thanks for looking into it, Nor!! @EmilyCook_ISN @Shelly Stusick check it!

Recently, Lowe's started a "SpringFest" campaign that includes free garden kits each Thursday this month. Unfortunately, a lot of these programs, historically, have included general "wildflower" seed packets which sometimes include problem species, such as baby's breath or some species of forget-me-nots. I reached out to the PR team and got a pretty good response. Though the seeds do include some that are non-native/naturalized, it largely avoids invasives. Additionally their "tree give away" is sourcing local Michigan red pines, which is such a better step then the general programs which prov

America wasn’t ready for the pandemic. And it isn’t ready for the next contagion to strike our woodlands. View the full article

I was looking for an activity for 5th graders who are learning virtually. I saw ISN's Invasive Species Escape Room that thought it was great, but might be too advanced for the group I am working with. I also found Invasive Species Council of British Columbia has a game that for younger students. It is cool that all the game "challenges" are choices they could make. For example, clean off your life jacket and don't let pets lose in the wild. Even if you don't read all the information the game provides, you still get the take home messages. It also has multiple levels of difficulty, so pla

Below is the link to download versions of the MISIN android app for devices running older version of the Android operating system. Please note that Google sets these target requirements for new apps and app updates. https://www.misin.msu.edu/0/webservice/android/installer/index.html If you have any questions or need any help - please contact me!

Attached is a Request for Bids ISN has used in the past. Feel free to steal verbiage (I think our was stolen from work in the UP) and improve upon it! NER RFB Project Summary.pdf

Two seasonal positions (one Crew Leader, one Crew Member) running MSU's Mobile Boat Wash program. Spend the summer traveling statewide, helping boaters learn how to stop AIS! Great outreach and science communication experience. We'll also be collecting data on boater behavior to inform research and future outreach. Please help us spread the word! Accepting applications until 4/15 or until filled. Details: https://www.jolatimore.com/opportunities

The Mason-Lake Conservation District is seeking a Forest Pest Coordinator to focus on management of invasive hemlock woolly adelgid. The position is based in Scottville, MI (near Ludington), with work to focus in Mason county and occasionally other shoreline counties throughout west and northwest Michigan. POSITION DETAILS Term: This is a full-time, limited term, grant-funded position. Two-year term ends June 2023 with potential to extend dependent on funding. Duty Location: Mason-Lake Conservation District office, Scottville, MI Schedule: 40 hours/week, Monday-Friday, 8:00

Thanks Katie, I'll shoot Audrey an email to follow up!

We've done printed (or PDFs, which we then print for record-keeping purposes); our policies require a signature. If your policies are different and grant requirements allow it, Google Forms could be a great streamlining tool! @Audrey Menninga is also a great resource at ISN, as she deals with our permission forms, and may have some streamlining tips.

Hi all, The MISIN smartphone training app has been completed and can be found at the following URL: https://www.misin.msu.edu/media/video/misin_appVideo_final.mp4

Awesome stuff! Thank you for sharing Katie. CAKE is going to be working on a similar prioritization exercise for our upcoming season. Stay tuned for updates...

Hey All, New kid on the block here. I am hoping to get some feedback on the idea of trying to integrate something like google forms to collect landowner consent and information. Has anyone done this successfully already? Are there any legal considerations I should be sensitive to? I know many landowners do not even use computers or emails, but I think having even 50% of consents be automatically entered into a spreadsheet would be a help to our crew. Cheers, Kirk

ISN re-did our prioritization in 2019, and I wanted to share the tools we used with you all. Attached is: Our list of species (far from complete, but certainly enough there to keep you busy) in the worksheet we used to record our scores The original (rc'd from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, though apparently they adapted it from elsewhere) priority ranking system & rationale The priority ranking edited for ISN's outlook Our method was, after checking in with the Steering Committee for approval, to get ISN's staff together and go through the speci