Partnering to Fight Invasive Species
The Nature Conservancy's Indiana Chapter has been instrumental in the development of two groups dedicated to stemming the spread of invasive species in Indiana and the Midwest.
Midwest Invasive Plant Network (MIPN) 
A few years ago, representatives of each Conservancy chapter in the Midwest gathered to discuss the threat of invasive species to our mission and come up with suggestions on how we could better fight the threat. One theme was repeated over and over by staff; there was a great need for a regional organization that would link together the Midwestern states on this issue, facilitating the sharing of both lessons learned at the local level and the potential for regional level collaboration on projects. Other Midwest agencies and organizations were seeing this same need, and through cooperation of many partners the Midwest Invasive Plant Network (MIPN) was born. MIPN's mission is to reduce the impact of invasive plant species in the Midwest.
Invasive Plant Species Assessment Working Group (IPSAWG)
Six years ago a group of Indiana land managers started talking to nursery owners and landscape architects. Out of these conversations came the Invasive Plant Species Assessment Working Group (IPSAWG), a collaborative effort by many organizations to better define which horticultural species are invasive in Indiana and to develop recommendations for the use of these species. About 25 species have been assessed and recommendations developed. IPSAWG is a partnership between many agencies and organizations in Indiana to decrease the intentional introduction of invasive plant species into Indiana by assessing which plants in trade are, or have the potential to become, invasive. Their goal is to have all partner agencies and organizations utilizing their species assessment when recommending or selling plants.
Nature picture credits (left to right): Reed Canary Grass Invading a Wetland (Ellen Jacquart, TNC); Asian Bittersweet (Ellen Jacquart, TNC)
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