The 2017 Invasive Species Research Conference included a diverse line-up of speakers presenting on a wide range of invasive species research topics. The permission to post presentations publicly was provided by most presenters. These slide decks can be viewed as PDFs by clicking the presentation title highlighted below:

June 20, 2017

Keynote Address: Managing invasives: Progress, Problems, and Polemics; Dr. Daniel Simberloff; University of Tennessee                         

“Hot Topic” Presentation 1: Utility of unmanned aerial vehicles for mapping invasive plant species: a case study on yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus L.); Garrett Whitworth; Thompson Rivers University      

Session 1: Ecological Restoration Following Invasion                     

Effects of fire and herbivore exclusion fencing on native and non-native plant populations in a Garry Oak Ecosystem on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia: A role for deer grazing in novel ecosystem management? Jennifer Grenz; University of British Columbia   

Implementing and maintaining ecological restoration efforts in urban estuary and riparian environments: a case study of MacKay Creek in North Vancouver; Julia Alards-Tomalin; Echo Ecological Enterprises                     

Session 2: Social Aspects of Invasion     

Policy pitfalls and opportunities for marine invasive species management in Canada; Natascia Tamburello; ESSA Technologies    

Socio-economic predictors of invasive plant species occurrence in urban green spaces of Metro Vancouver; Woongsoon Jang; University of British Columbia

Lightning Talks – a series of rapid fire 5 minute research presentations              

Examining Soil Legacy of Spotted Knapweed; Matthew Coghill; Thompson Rivers University                       

The effect of time since burning on stem density of Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica), Yellow toadflax (L. vulgaris), and Spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa);Gabrielle Hindley; Simon Fraser University                             

Assessing the Effectiveness of Fisheries Compensation Habitats for the Port Mann Highway 1 Improvement Project; Stephanie Cavaghan; Triton Environmental             

Drought and invasiveness on temperate grasslands in the Southern Interior of British Columbia; Janelle Paulson; Thompson Rivers University                                      

Problematic persistence of common carp and innovative measures to eradicate from a pond environment; Darryl Arsenault; Golder Associates Ltd.                                            

Effects of the invasive plant, Spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa), on grassland arthropod communities and genomic barcoding solutions for ecosystem reclamation management; Jordann Foster; Thompson Rivers University                   

Kootenay Boundary Bullies: Protecting Northern Leopard Frogs Through Bullfrog Eradication; Morgan Sternberg; Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society                  

Comparing conventional and alternative control of Linaria genistifolia ssp. Dalmaticain a semi-arid grassland of British Columbia’s southern interior; Jacob Bradshaw; Thompson Rivers University                       

Session 3: New Approaches to Invasive Species Management

Potential for Glyphosate Resistance in Bohemian Knotweed (Fallopia x bohemica); Matthew Strelau; Trinity Western University                          

Bacterial diversity and virus detection in the invasive Yellow crazy ant; Meghan Cooling, Victoria University of Wellington

Anti-Pd activity: Can environmental microorganisms be used against Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of white-nose syndrome? Naowarat Cheeptham; Thompson Rivers University     

Session 4: Risk Assessment of Invasive Species

Assessing the Risk of Pacific Fisheries Regulation Schedule VIII Species; Thomas Therriault; Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Phragmites australis niches for other biota are similar on three continents; Erik Kiviat; Hudsonia

Evaluating movement of marine infrastructure as a pathway of aquatic invasive species spread; Josephine Iacarella; Institute of Ocean Sciences        

Session 5: New Approaches to Invasive Species Management         

Suppression of Invasive Northern Pike in Box Canyon Reservoir of the Pend Oreille River in northeast Washington State, USA; Nick Bean; Kalispel Tribe of Indians 

Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris) Control in the South Okanagan; Ken Sapsford; BC Ministry of Agriculture         

Assessing Benthic Barriers vs. Aggressive Cutting as Effective Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus) Control Mechanisms; Catherine Tarasoff; Thompson Rivers University 

Northern Pike Invasion and Suppression in the Columbia River; Crystal Lawrence; Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure                              

Under the cover of rock snot: understanding the effects of didymo algae in Yukon; Heather Milligan; Yukon Government Department of Environment                          

Session 6: Risk Assessment of Invasive Species        

Modeling the Risks and Damages from a "Potential" Invasive Plant Species: Yellow Starthistle (Centaurea Solstitialis); Sergey Tsynkevych; Simon Fraser University      

Assessing the Risk of Marine Invasive Species in the Bering Sea; Amanda Droghini; Alaska Center for Conservation Science

How important is seed production in the spread of Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica)? Sharon Gillies; University of the Fraser Valley        

Introduced Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) in BC lakes: Feeding, movement and a possible control method; Carmen Tattersfield; Thomspon Rivers University             

June 21, 2017

Keynote Address - Predicting Impact: A Challenge for Invasive Species Risk Assessment; Dr. Anthony Ricciardi, McGill University                          

“Hot Topic” Presentation - Building DNA Reference Libraries to Enable the Development of eDNA Metabarcoding Tools for Invasive Species Detection; Cathryn Abbott;Fisheries and Oceans Canada          

Session 7: Molecular Approaches to Invasion Biology                                   

Development of an eDNA metabarcoding tool for detection of invasive freshwater fish in British Columbia lakes; Davon Callander; Fisheries and Oceans Canada      

Invasive rat colonization history and movement dynamics in Haida Gwaii; Bryson Sjodin; University of British Columbia Okanagan                                       

Identifying marine invasive species from environmental DNA: a tool to inform the management of shellfish aquaculture movements. Kristen Westfall; Fisheries and Oceans Canada                                              

Guest Speaker - Research Funding Partnership Opportunities for Companies & Researchers; Pam Giberson, NSERC                                                  

Session 8: Tracking invaders: Where are they?                 

Columbia River Invasive Northern Pike - Exploring Movements Through Physical and Chemical Means; Dan Doutaz; Thompson Rivers University

White-nose syndrome in the west: updates and strategies; Cori Lausen; Wildlife Conservation Society Canada  

Occasional and established introduced ants in Washington and Oregon; Laurel Hansen; Spokane Falls Community College

Session 9: From just taking up space to an invasive meltdown  

Shared experience of invasive grey squirrel management practice; Craig Shuttleworth; Bangor University (Wales)               

Changes in age structure and diet of invasive centrarchid fish populations under management by electrofishing; Lungi Roberts; Trinity Western University