Maine Invasive Species Network (MISN) brings together both professionals and amateurs who are interested in understanding and managing invasive species in Maine.
Our members work, among other places, at the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, University of Maine, Nature Conservancy, Colby College, Unity College, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Maine Lakes Society, several land trusts, and for private land management companies. We also have many citizens who are simply concerned about land stewardship and preservation of natural ecosystems.
MISN and this website were conceived in October 2009, when a group of 45 people met in Augusta at the first meeting to bring together people who work intensively on invasive plants, animals, and other invasive species in Maine.
Purpose of MISN
- serve as a communication tool;
- help members identify and pursue collaborative projects;
- support research on management of invasive species;
- map invasive species populations;
- present funding opportunities;
- exchange species-specific information;
- explore new tools to monitor populations;
- develop and distribute educational materials;
- provide outreach opportunities; and
- exchange database tools.
The Maine Forest Tick Survey Is Seeking Land Managers to Help with a Study
The Maine Forest Tick Survey, a project led by the University of Maine, was set up to study the impact land management has on ticks and tick-borne pathogens. We are seeking land managers or owners who plan to harvest timber or remove invasive plant species from wooded properties in the following counties: Androscoggin, Cumberland, Hancock, Knox, Kennebec, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, and York. As part of an expansion to the Maine Forest Tick Survey’s research, we want to conduct tick surveys before and after major land management activities. If you own or manage a property that will be conducting management in the next three years (2021-2024), and are willing to let us assess tick densities, please email Elissa at elissa.ballman@maine.edu
We are additionally seeking landowners in Southern and Coastal Maine who own between 5 and 1,000 acres of wooded land to participate in our citizen science project. We will provide all the supplies and training necessary for landowners to collect ticks on their properties during July 2021. We will identify all collected ticks to species, test blacklegged tick nymphs for pathogens, and report all our findings to our volunteers. For more information and to sign up, please visit www.UMaine.edu/ForestTickSurvey.
