The Rare and Endangered Species and Invasive Species Threats (RESIST) program for invasive species management in sensitive species habitats

Rare and Endangered Species and Invasive Species Threats (RESIST) is a program designed to provide BLM land managers with an updated and centralized information resource for:

1. Documenting and assessing the risks of fire, habitat degradation, competitive exclusion, and other threats caused by invasive weed infestations within Bureau Sensitive Species habitats,
2. Describing and/or developing methods for safely reducing these weed threats in ways that are compatible with BLM District policies for sensitive species populations, and
3. Identifying invasive weed species common among agency districts and sensitive species habitat.

We used literature surveys and personal interviews to assess the information that was available on rare and non-native species interactions and methods that were used to reduce the impacts of invasive plants. We identified several issues that contributed to a paucity of documented information, including (1) an effective system to encourage documentation of weed control treatments (including within rare species habitats) currently does not exist, and (2) a tendency to not update habitat data when revisiting sites associated with a Sensitive Species Sighting report. A lack of time, funding, and available personnel were contributors to both of these issues.

To facilitate documentation of interactions between rare and invasive species, we developed a standardized reporting form for BLM employees or contractors to use to monitor weed infestations in listed species habitat and identify high priority locations for weed management. This form was tested using field visits to several Bureau Sensitive Species sites in the Roseburg District in 2009.

We utilized the information that we gathered to develop a website to communicate known interactions of rare and invasive species and the control methods that had been used to manage invasive species in the presence of rare plants. This website,

http://resist.appliedeco.org/wiki/Main_Page
is intended to be a user-driven site. It was developed using a wiki format, which will allow users to contribute and edit information. This website will be publicly advertised following approval by the Roseburg District BLM.