The University of California’s Early Detection Monitoring Manual for Quagga and Zebra Mussels publication defines aquatic invasive species (AIS) as ”non-native aquatic organisms that have caused, or likely will cause economic or ecological harm or impacts to human health (pg 1).”

Written by Ventura County UCCE’s Carolynn Culver and Monique Myers and Los Angeles County UCCE’s Sabrina Drill and Valerie Borel, this publication gives great background information while providing clear guidelines and instructions for monitoring small lakes, reservoirs and streams in California and is designed especially for citizen volunteer and monitoring groups.  We hope that early detection of these species in California’s waterways will reduce their negative impacts.  From the manual:

The sooner a population is detected, the more time there will be to take action and the higher the likelihood of successful eradication. Responding to an infestation at an early stage is also referred to as rapid response. Rapid response plans for AIS in general, and quagga/zebra mussels in particular, are being developed and updated in California (pg 1).”

For more information about these invasive species, check out the California Department of Fish and Game website at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/invasives/quaggamussel/.  Anyone interested in monitoring a water body is encouraged to contact your local Fish and Game authorities to coordinate efforts.

The Early Detection Monitoring Manual for Quagga and Zebra Mussels is available for viewing in the Ventura UCCE office (please call first to make sure) and for purchase online at http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/. Use promo code PRVEN56 at checkout to receive a 10% discount. For orders of five or more, please contact our office for bulk discount rates.

Dr. Sabrina Drill, our cross-county (LA & Ventura) Natural Resources Advisor has developed guidelines for creating and maintaining fire-safe, environmentally-friendly landscapes in the wildland-urban interface that minimize the use and spread of invasive plants.

The information available on the UCCE Los Angeles County website has the potential to reduce the chances your home will be damaged or destroyed by wildfire. By clicking on the “CLICK HERE to get a copy of the 2009 Ventura County SAFE Landscapes Calendar and Guidebook.” You will find great tips and practical measures to implement around your home that are parsed into small tasks to tackle on a monthly basis. Further links for additional information are available at the bottom of the page.

The Ventura County UCCE office has some copies left of the 2009 fire safe landscaping calendars if you would like a hard copy version. While the year is almost over, the calendar was designed to remove the part that will soon be outdated leaving the great suggestions and tips behind for future reference. Please contact our office if you would like a copy.

Below you will find a summary of what we did last month. By no means does this summary capture all that we accomplished or began, but it gives a nice glimpse of what we do.

1. Research Activities

This is a sampling of the research activity conducted in June.

• Established an experiment testing an herbicide for management of yellow nutsedge, a major weed in production agriculture costing Ventura County growers thousands of dollars annually to control.  For more information on nutsedge and its impact, please read previous blog posts.
• Established an experiment testing an organic method of soil disinfestations by creating anaerobic conditions in strawberry beds and monitoring effects on plant pathogen Verticillium dahliae.  This research makes direct contributions by addressing the issue of seeking alternatives to fumigants such as methyl bromide.
• Finished four field trials that evaluate management options for four pests detrimental to the strawberry industry. Management strategies included physical, thermal and chemical control measures.
• Initiated a project with CA Dept. of Food and Agriculture and local strawberry growers to introduce a biocontrol agent for Lygus bug, the #1 insect pest for strawberries and significant for other row crops.
• We are continuing research on minimizing irrigation needs for strawberries, which addresses both economic and environmental issues.

2. Educational Activities

This is a sampling of the educational activities conducted in June.

A. Grower/Clientele Education

• Jim Downer presented sessions at a regional meeting on nutrition of palms and diseases of shade trees. 100 in attendance.
• Ben Faber participated in a program at UC Riverside on Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), which poses a significant threat to the citrus industry.  It was clear that fruit from affected areas coming into Ventura County packing houses could be a host for the psyllid.   Ben spoke to Henry Gonzales about this and as a result the import of lemons from Imperial County (quarantine area) to Ventura for repacking has been restricted to reduce the likelihood of introducing the pest here.   Both Faber and Rose Hayden-Smith participated in a meeting that brought packers together with the Ag Commissioner, where they hammered out a solution/agreement.
• Ben Faber delivered two grower workshops, one on avocado irrigation and the other on techniques to reduce surface water contamination.
• Rose Hayden-Smith presented her research on gardening and community development at a City of Minneapolis/IATP event attended by more than 100 people.  She also presented a two-hour workshop on Victory Gardens, past and present, to a sold-out audience in Minneapolis.  She offered a talk on gardening trends and public policy in Oxnard to an audience of 75.  Earlier in the month, she facilitated an Urban Agriculture Symposium for 175 people in Chicago, which generated public policy recommendations for the USDA.
• Monique Myers presented the Ventura County RESTOR Project at the National Marine Educators conference in Monterey.
• Monique Myers organized a focus group for Ventura City/County Planners and city storm water experts addressing low impact development and emergency safety issues.
• 4-H staff trained staff at Pt. Mugu and Port Hueneme Naval Bases in the basics of 4-H program management.  Also trained new 4-H club leaders.

B. Youth Education

• Monique Myers directed/facilitated the last of 8 RESTOR teacher/student field trips to Ormond Beach (~70 students per trip).  RESTOR is a grant-funded wetlands/ecological restoration program linking teachers and youth with science education and community service opportunities.
• Monique Myers led a RESTOR Project field trip with 28 student essay contest winners and their teachers on the NOAA research vessel Shearwater.
• 4-H held a Science, Engineering and Technology Day at the military base.
• 4-H held events at both military bases kicking off the new 4-H programs there.

3. Publications

• UCCE staff. Launched a UCCE/Farm Advisor blog  http://ucanr.org/blogs/venturacountyucce/
• UCCE staff.  Produced a new UCCE/Farm Advisor educational brochure.
• Daugovish, Oleg and Maren Mochizuki submitted a paper to HortTechnology detailing the potential for carbon dioxide to be taken up by raspberry plants to boost productivity instead of being released to the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas.   We hope this method will gain attention as one of the ways to tackle a global issue on a local scale.
• Downer, James and Maren Mochizuki. 
  • Two manuscripts accepted to HortTechnology.
    • Pruning landscape palms
    • Diseases of palms.
• Downer, James.  Landscape Notes – Landscaping Trees.  Available at http://ceventura.ucdavis.edu/newsletterfiles/Landscape_Notes17660.pdf
• Downer, James: Article on mulches in Western Arborist Magazine.
• Downer, James,   Article on a new pest, the Date Bug, in Southwest Trees and Turf Magazine.
• Faber, Ben and Newman, Julie, et al.  2009.  Re-evaluation of the roles of honeybees and wind on pollination in avocado.  J. of Hort Science and Biotech (84)3:255-260.
• Faber, Ben and Newman, Julie, et al. 2009. Farm Water Quality Planning Project – From Education to Implementation.  Statewide Conf., Sacramento April 27-30.
• Faber, Ben. 2009. Cherry Vinegar Fly in Ventura County.  VC Farm Bureau Newsletter 41(7): 2-3.
• Hayden-Smith, Rose, et al.  Proceedings of the Chicago Urban Agriculture Symposium.  Includes policy recommendations for the USDA and other cities relating to urban agriculture. http://www.chicagobotanic.org/wed/index.php
• Myers, Monique, et al. Differences in benthic cover inside and outside marine protected areas on the Great Barrier Reef: influence of protection or disturbance history? was published on-line (in advance of printing) this week in Aquatic Conservation. (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/84503925/issue)
• Newman, Julie.  Wrote an article for Greenhouse Management & Production, a national grower magazine
• Monique Myers and Sabrina Drill won an Award of Merit from the 2009 Ecology Awards for their Quagga Mussel manual.

Dr. Sabrina Drill, of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), is a Natural Resources Advisor covering both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. One of the issues she is currently studying is the New Zealand mudsnail (NZMS), Potamopyrgus antipodarum.

NZMS is an aquatic invasive species that was first found in the United States in Idaho in 1987. It has since spread to every Western state except New Mexico. They were found in California’s Owens River in the late 1990’s. In 2006 it was found in the Santa Clara Watershed, which straddles the two counties Dr. Drill covers in her UCCE work.

New Zealand mudsnails are tiny, with adults only reaching 3-5 mm and juveniles even smaller, about the size of a grain of sand. They are usually light to dark brown, and may appear black when wet. They have conical shells that have five or sometimes six whorls.

New Zealand mudsnails reproduce clonally and bear live young. A single female and her offspring are capable of yielding 40 million individuals in a year! As is typical with invasive species, they compete with native invertebrates for food and habitat, and as they provide little in the way of food value, may have detrimental effects on fish and wildlife. They have a wide ranging temperature and salinity tolerance, and can survive for several days out of water under moist conditions.

Taken together, their small size, dark coloration, and ability to stick to things makes them excellent at invading new systems. They can hitch a ride on fishing gear, sampling equipment, shoes (hiding in the treads and under the laces), and clothes, as well as on the fur of dogs and horses. We know of no way to get rid of them once they invade a river system, other than drastic dewatering or poisoning. Researchers are investigating options for biological control.

The best way to manage New Zealand mudsnails and other invasive species is to try and prevent them from spreading.

Please help contain the spread of NZMS by doing the following:

• Stay out of infected streams and do NOT go from one stream to another in wet gear.
• If you need to go into an infected stream, consider having dedicated clothes and gear that you don’t wear anywhere else.
• Scrub all gear with a stiff brush before you leave an infected site; mudsnails are experts at hiding, so you can’t trust a visual inspection.
• Let all gear dry completely between visits, or freeze for a minimum of six hours between uses.

As Dr. Drill continues to monitor the distribution and impacts of NZMS in the Santa Clara River she will be adding her findings to the NZMS website. You can find the site at http://groups.ucanr.org/NZMS/. She will also be doing outreach for fisherfolk in the fall. Check back for dates and locations!