B. 18. NORTH DAKOTA AQUATIC NUISANCE SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN 
B.18.1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF NORTH DAKOTA’S PLAN 
North Dakota’s Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Management Plan was written by the 
North Dakota Game and Fish Department (available at http://gf.nd.gov/fishing/docs/nd-ans-plan- 
fnl-drft.pdf ). The goal of the Management Plan is to prevent ANS impacts through seven 
supporting objectives. The objectives are to (1) coordinate ANS activities, (2) prevent 
introductions, (3) detect new ANS and monitor existing populations, (4) educate the public to 
prevent ANS spread, (5) control and eradicate established ANS, (6) inform policy makers about 
ANS risks and impacts, and (7) increase ANS knowledge base. North Dakota’s Management 
Plan includes a budget and time frame, regulatory needs, and prioritized Strategic Actions. 
B.18.2. CLIMATE CHANGE AND AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES IN NORTH 
DAKOTA 
Temperatures in the Great Plains region are projected to rise as much as 3°F (1.5°C) in 
the summer and 4°F (2°C) in the winter by 2030. However, even these relatively small changes 
in temperature or precipitation (5 to 10% decline) could have significant effects on water quality, 
particularly salinity, and groundwater availability (Covich et al., 1997). With higher 
temperatures and evaporation rates, water levels may be lower in the summer, particularly in 
prairie pothole lakes and wetlands. The warmer climate also could cause earlier snowmelt, 
resulting in higher stream flows in the winter and spring and lower ones in the summer and fall. 
Increases in water temperatures, lower water levels, or increases in salinity may impact native 
fish (Covich et al., 1997). 
The potentially significant changes in hydrology associated with rising temperatures 
could make North Dakota’s native species and habitats more vulnerable to invasive species. For 
example, salt cedar, an aquatic invasive species of concern already established in North Dakota, 
is tolerant of dry conditions and could become a larger problem under climate change conditions 
as it out-competes native plants for water. Additionally, North Dakota’s Management Plan 
includes Whirling disease (Myxobolus cerebralis) as a significant invasive threat, which may 
become more prevalent as a result of climate change, impacting salmon populations. 
B.18.3. THE NORTH DAKOTA PLAN’S CURRENT INTEGRATION OF CLIMATE 
CHANGE 
Table B-17 summarizes how the North Dakota ANS Management Plan addresses and 
incorporates the projected effects of climate change. The Management Plan does not specifically 
address climate change in its objectives, but does describe management actions that are intended 
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