Invasive Species Conference

European beachgrass (at the Siltcoos River mouth) is a major invasive on the coast.\Photo by Bonnie Moreland.

A number of interesting speakers will be presenting when Portland holds its Invasives 2.0 conference on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 12:30-4:30 p.m. at the World Forestry Center (4033 S.W. Canyon Rd.) in Portland.  The “summit” session wraps up the City of Portland’s 10-year invasive species strategy and points toward a strategy for the next decade, hence the title.

The conference is focused on Portland and the Metro area, rather than on the coast.  However, many of the problems faced by the city are the same as or comparable to those encountered on the coast, and the expertise of some of the speakers carries over the coastal systems.  Among these are Mark Sytsma, a Portland State University professor emeritus and perhaps the state’s leading aquatic invasives expert (Oregon Shores worked with him many years ago to push through the state’s first law regulating ballast water dumping); John Christy, a wetlands ecologist at Oregon State University; Rian Hooff, ballast water project manager for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality; and Rick Boater, wildlife integrity coordinator for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.  The keynote speaker is Ed Jahn, executive producer of Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Oregon Field Guide” program.

The summit is free and open to all, but you do need to register here.

A website, https://www.invasives2point0.com/, has been created for the event, although it has not yet been updated with the agenda.