A.49. SUMMARY OF AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT IN 
WEST VIRGINIA 
A.49.1. AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN 
No plan available. 
A.49.2. AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES 
• Monitoring and Control, West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA). The 
department surveys and maps hydrilla in selected locations and monitors a beetle released 
to combat the hemlock wooly adelgid. 
• Control, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, WVDA, and The 
Nature Conservancy (with grant funds from West Virginia Advisory Board). The 
program focuses on control of non-native, invasive species. 
• Appalachian Highlands Invasive Species Project, The Mountain Institute (with 
grant funds from West Virginia Advisory Board). The project includes research, 
education, and a demonstration site to develop control methods that may then be used to 
grow native plants and restore the area. 
• Monitoring, Control, and Eradication, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), 
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, West Virginia Department of 
Forestry, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, West Virginia 
Division of Natural Resources (WV DNR), as well as county and city councils, local 
garden clubs, and volunteers. The program identifies and monitors species, educates 
volunteers, and manages and eradicates purple loosestrife by spraying chemical 
herbicides. 
• Control and Monitoring, WV DNR, USDA, and various states. The program breeds 
and releases Garacella Beetles, which act as a biocontrol for purple loosestrife. Data on 
breeding, release, plant counts, and spread is collected bi-annually. 
• Monitoring, WV DNR (with grants from the USDA Cooperative Annual Pest 
Survey). The program includes general monitoring and weed surveys of pest plants 
across the state. Field scouts are trained to search for the invasive species, which are then 
mapped. 
• Monitoring, USFWS and WV DNR. The program conducts quantitative monitoring for 
zebra mussels and sampling to estimate biomass and populations. 
• Monitoring and Research, WV DNR. The program maps the distribution of invasive 
crawfish in state rivers. 
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