U.S. Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary

Stephanie Hanna (202)208-6416


For Release: November 28, 1995

Interior Department expands partnership with states, commodity groups, academics, federal agencies and environmental organizations in effort to head off spread of invasive non-native and tropical weeds in Eastern states and Hawaii.

Deputy Secretary of the Interior John Garamendi and Deputy Agriculture Secretary Richard Rominger today announced the first non-native weeds conference in the East to forge a new federal, state and private partnership against the spread of invasive weeds.

"We are pleased that Florida will be our host conference site this time because there is a constant battle being waged there against the spread of tropical and noxious non-native weeds," Garamendi explained. "At this session we will concentrate on building partnerships to fight weed infestations in eastern and mid-western states and Hawaii, but this is truly a national problem. We began by focusing on western problems in Denver in September, and we look forward to a national weeds conference next March in Albuquerque."

"Invasive non-native weeds are an increasing ecological and economic threat in the United States," Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Richard Rominger said. "The Department of Agriculture stands in a unique position to provide leadership in controlling weeds on both public and private lands because of its diverse responsibilities in land management, research, extension and education."

The eastern conference, to be held November 30 and December 1 in Florida, will include representatives from state government, federal agencies, commodity groups, academia and conservation experts, environmental organizations and representatives from state resource councils. This group will meet in Fort Lauderdale at the Sheraton Yankee Trader Hotel, 321 North Atlantic Blvd.

"More than 105 million acres nationwide and hundreds of miles of our coastal and inland wetlands have been invaded by non-native pest plants," said Faith Campbell of the Exotic Plant Pest Council. "I hope we can use the opportunity to work together to find effective ways to combat these silent invaders." United States Senator Dan Akaka (D-Hawaii), who has introduced legislation to combat noxious weeds, said, "Invading weeds are spreading like wildfire across America. No state or region is immune from this threat. It's a problem that should concern everyone because alien weeds do more than just compete with native plants. They change the rules by which native plants live, and they undermine the economic and environmental health of the areas they infest."

"One of the greatest threats to lands and waterways in Florida and the eastern United States is the spread of noxious weeds. Invasive plants, such as hydrilla, Australian pine, melaleuca, kudzu and purple loosestrife kill off surrounding vegetation, trigger soil erosion, clog waterways, decrease available water, and cost agriculture and taxpayers millions of dollars each year," said Florida's Lieutenant Governor Buddy MacKay, who will open the conference on November 30.

The conference will begin at 8:15 a.m. on Thursday with McKay's welcoming remarks and a keynote address by Interior's Deputy Chief of Staff B.J. Thornberry. Their opening remarks will be followed by an overview of serious problems: heading off a looming biological disaster posed by invasive, non-native weeds in the eastern and tropical areas of the United States. After the opening session, there will be technical presentations on effects to coastal and aquatic environments.

In the afternoon there will be a field trip to illustrate some of Florida's invasive weed problems, scheduled to leave from the hotel at 2:15 p.m. Media are invited to attend the opening sessions and the field trip, which is expected to conclude at about 6:00 p.m.

A press conference discussing the goals and specifics of state involvement in the conference will be scheduled during the morning session on Thursday.

The meeting has been organized by a Planning Group consisting of members from: Exotic Plant Pest Council, (EPPC), State of Florida, Eastern Land & Recources Council, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Department of the Interior.