© Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Wildflower bloom in the Pinacate region of northwestern Sonora.
© Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Sahara mustard is an African spring annual that is presently invading the heart of the Sonoran Desert in the Lower Colorado River Valley in Arizona, California, and Sonora, threatening spectacular shows of native wildflowers.

Schedule of Events

Posters

7:00-8:00 am Breakfast and registration
8:00-8:40 Welcome: Dr. Pedro Ortega-Romero (Rector, Universidad de Sonora), Dr. Gina Ramos, FICMNEW (US), Dr. Ken Allison (Canada), Dr. Christine Conte, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Dr. Luis Miguel Tamayo-E. (ASOMECIMA, Mexico)

8:40-9:10 am a. The need of a national weed management strategy in Mexico, Francisco Espinosa-García, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán
9:10-9:40 am b. Canadian weed issues and initiatives, Shafeek Ali, Rural Programs Branch, Edmonton, Alberta
9:40-10:10 am c. National status of invasive species in the United States, Richard Mack, Washington State University, Pullman
10:10-10:30 am Break

10:30-10:50 am a. Exotic and invasive weeds on Federal lands in British Columbia, Raj Prasad, Pacific Forestry Centre, Victoria
10:50-11:10 am b. Detection of invasive weeds in Durango, Mexico, Socorro González-Elizondo, CDIIR, Durango
11:10-11:30 am c. Non-native plants in the Arizona-Sonora borderland, Richard S. Felger, Drylands Institute, Tucson, Arizona
11:30-11:50 pm d. Impacts of natural disasters on invasive species spread, John D. Byrd, Mississippi State University, Mississippi
11:50-12:10 pm e. Rivers as conduits for weeds: Russian olive, Cheryl M. Pearce, University of Western Ontario, London
12:10-12:30 pm f. Drought and saltcedar seed production, Derald G. Smith, University of Calgary, Alberta
12:30-2:00 pm Lunch

2:00-2:20 a. Early Detection and Rapid Response - how we are doing so far? Randy Westbrooks, U.S. Geological Survey, North Carolina
2:20-2:40 pm b. International border crossings. Things have changed, Alan V. Tasker, USDA-APHIS, Maryland
2:40-3:00 pm c. Combining weed eradication programs with local weed management areas for early detection and rapid response of invasive weeds in California, Gina Skurka, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento
3:00-3:20 pm d. Categorizing Plants that Threaten Wildlands. Dana Backer, Arizona
3:20-3-40 pm e. Invasive species information management and exchange in the Americas: I3N. Randy Westbrooks and Andrea Grosse, U.S. Geological Survey, Virginia
3:40-4:00 pm f. Marine transport of weed seeds, Stephan Darbyshire, Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada, Ontario
4:00-4:25 pm g. "Dangerous Travelers" DVD, Jenny Ericson and Michael R. Mitchell, U. S. Forest Service.
4:25-6:00 pm Poster Session
7:00 pm Banquet. Keynote Address -"No son malezas, son hierbas" - What makes Mexican weeds different? Heike Vibrans, Colegio de Postgraduados, Estado de México.Yaqui Indian deer dance by Román Ador of Tradición Mestiza.

7:30 am Leave Holiday Inn
8:00 am Stop at El Eden to discuss cultural differences toward non-native species
9:00 am Cañón La Pintada in the Sierra Libre. Discussion of buffelgrass by Francisco Molina, Richard Felger, Marilyn Hanson, and Tom Van Devender. Hike to view Indian paintings in palm canyon.
11:30 am Lunch of traditional foods and fresh fruit at Rancho La Pintada.
1:00 pm Leave La Pintada
1:40 pm Empalme bypass on MEX 15. Discuss Tamarix. Tom Van Devender, José Luis León de la Luz, Derald Smith, and Tom Dudley.
3:00 pm Microwave tower hill. View of Guaymas bay. Discuss Gulf of California conservation. Luis Brito. Discussion of trinational efforts and what we can do next. Bonnie Harper-Lore.
5:30 pm San Carlos. Sunset margarita cruise in Gulf of California.
7:30 pm Leave for Hermosillo; arrive at 9:00 pm.

8:00-8:20 pm a. The invasive species problem in Mexico: Current policy responses, Laura Arriaga, CIBNOR, La Paz
8:20-8:40 am b. Invasive alien plants. Current developments in Canada, Ken Allison, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa
8:40-9:00 am c. Nitrogen dynamics in buffel (Pennisetum ciliare) grasslands in Sonora, Alejandro Castellanos, Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo
9:00-9:20 am d. Community and ecosystem impacts of buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) in the Sonoran Desert, Sonora, Mexico, Kelly G. Lyons, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas
9:20-9:40 am e. Litter decomposition in buffelgrass pastures versus natural vegetation in Sonora, Mexico, Angelina Martinez-Yrizar, Instituto de Ecología-UNAM, Hermosillo, Sonora
9:40-10:00 am f. Sahara mustard (Brassica tournefortii): a serious threat to the Sonoran and Mohave Deserts, Mark A. Dimmitt, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona
10:00-10:20 am Break

10:20-10:40 am a. Integrated invasive plant management in the Adirondack State Park, New York, USA, Hilary Oles, The Nature Conservancy, New York
10:40-11:00 am b. Engaging volunteers in invasive species management, Jenny Ericson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Virginia
11:00-11:20 am c. Weed management across the Canada-U. S. border, Sheilah Kennedy, Okanogan County, Washington
11:20-11:40 am d. Combining formal integrated vegetation management for roadsides, Cathy Ford, Idaho Transportation Department, Boise

11:40-12:00 am e. The Arizona Invasive Species Advisory Council (AISAC) and the U.S. - Mexico Border, Charles Barclay, Arizona Department of Transportation, Tucson
12:00-12:40 pm f. North American Weed Management Association invasive plant mapping standards, Sheilah Kennedy, Okanogan County, Washington
12:40-1:40 pm Lunch

1:40-2:00 pm a. Biological control on weeds in USA, Peter Egan and Al Cofrancesco, Armed Forces Pest Management Board, Washington, DC. and U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, Mississippi
2:00-2:20 pm b. Buffelgrass invasions in the Sonoran Desert: risks and implications, Travis Bean, University of Arizona, Arizona
2:20-2:40 am c. Invasive grasses in Coahuila, México, Jesús Valdés-Reyna, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Narro Buenavista, Coahuila
2:40-3:00 am d. Starthistle Initiative - stopping the spread of one invasive species, Rita Beard, National Park Service, Ft. Collins, Colorado
3:05-3:25 am e. Buffelgrass eradication techniques in Saguaro National Park, Todd Esque, U.S. Geological Survey, Henderson, Nevada
3:25-3:40 Break

3:40-4:00 pm a. Invasives and wetland restoration values, Bonnie Harper-Lore, U.S. Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.
4:00-4:20 pm b. Conservation in the U.S. and beyond, Gina Ramos, Bureau of Land Management, Washington, D.C., and Peggy Olwell, Plant Conservation Alliance and IUCN, North American Plant Specialist Group
4:20-4:40 pm c. South Texas invasives, Chris Best, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alamo
4:40-5:00 pm d. Agricultural weeds in Sonora, Mexico, Gerardo Martínez-Díaz, INIFAP, Hermosillo