Strike Team Mission
Our Strike Team, created in 2008, works to prevent the spread of invasive species across New Jersey. We do this by harnessing the stewardship potential of public and private land stewards to search for invasive species, map locations where populations are detected and control the invasive species that we find. We administer a data clearinghouse, prepare an annual catalog of invasive species present in and around our state, prioritize problem species, provide training for land stewards and property owners, coordinate detection and control programs and share our experience with the public.
We specialize in reducing the spread of newly emerging invasive species because there is only a small window of opportunity to stop the spread of new invasive species once they arrive in the Garden State. We utilize a methodology known as Early Detection and Rapid Response (ED/RR). ED/RR, which is recognized worldwide as the most effective strategy to reduce future ecological damage, requires a centralized organizing entity to coordinate the activities of public and private land stewards and other stakeholders. Our Strike Team provides this service and is the only entity solely working to protect our state’s natural heritage and economy from the threats posed by invasive species.
Our Methods
Mapping, Data Analysis & Reporting: All data we gather is uploaded into our comprehensive database where it is mapped, analyzed, and shared through our web site. We continually assess distribution & densities of target species, identify sources and trends of emerging infestations in order to preempt their spread, and provide alerts about species found in the mid‐Atlantic and New England in order to prevent their proliferation into New Jersey.
How We List a Species as Invasive: The Strike Team has a Technical Advisory Committee that communicates throughout the year and meets annually to review current and potential new species listings. We utilize reports from within New Jersey as well as regional reports from the Mid-Atlantic and New England. We consider species attributes including their potential threat to natural lands, its current distribution, and possible limiting factors to its spread. Climate change impacts are also considered (e.g., southern species moving northward). One key point is whether to consider the species as “Emerging/Target” (likely to become invasive) and recommended for control action or “Watch” (uncertain invasive potential) and control is currently not recommended.
Outreach: Activities occur on many fronts and we tailor our message to each audience. Volunteer Ambassadors represent the Strike Team with a table‐top display at community events, we have hosted invasive plant buy‐backs where citizens trade an invasive plant they dug from their garden for a coupon from a local nursery to replace it with a non‐invasive plant, and we present programs to groups such as property managers, elected officials, garden clubs and civic associations. We encourage voluntary restrictions on the use of invasive plants and hope that by addressing both the supply and demand for them, we will make significant progress in reducing their presence in cultivated landscapes. Our work with property managers and elected officials is designed to encourage and facilitate invasive species management. Public programs focus more on personal responsibility ‐‐ for example, we promote the use of native plants, encourage boaters & anglers to clean their equipment to stop the spread of aquatic hitchhikers and help trail enthusiasts understand how their boots can transport invasive plant seeds.
Training: We conduct both classroom and field sessions to teach participants to identify targeted species, properly record data about populations they detect and safely initiate control efforts.
Searching (Early Detection) & Eradication (Rapid Response): We use the method of Early Detection & Rapid Response (ED/RR) to find and eliminate new populations of invasive plants, animals and pathogens before they become widespread and cause significant ecological damage to our forests thereby preventing their negative impacts. Once a site has been searched, control activities are planned, taking into consideration the best management practices in place for each invasive species being targeted. When complete elimination is not fully possible, we work to contain the populations of each target species so that they will not spread.
The Stages of Invasion
The Strike Team assigns a code to each species based on the number of populations that have been documented in our state. Our stages go from Stage 0 to Stage 3 – once a species has been found in more than 1,000 places, we consider it to be widespread.
Stages 0 & 1
Species quite rare and elimination from the state is feasible. Stage 0 species are either detected less than 10 times or have not been detected in New Jersey, but they have been reported near our borders, so we need to be on the lookout for them. At Stage 1 species are detected in 10-100 locations. We consider species beyond Stage 1 as permanent parts of flora that can no longer be completely eliminated.
Stages 2 & 3
Species have significantly spread and elimination is no longer feasible. A Stage 2 species is uncommon but detected in 101-500 locations. A Stage 3 species is becoming common at 501-1,000 locations, and is likely to become widespread. Slowing the spread and preventing species from particular natural areas is the key stewardship strategy.
Collaboration is Key
To achieve our long‐term goal of controlling emerging invasive species, we must recruit and support a permanent, robust and diverse group of public and private partners. The collaborations embodied by our Strike Team, including our alliances with funders, spur effective stewardship within New Jersey’s conservation community and beyond its borders.
The Strike Team serves as the organizing entity to focus cooperative efforts among over 100 partners representing all levels of government, non‐profit conservation groups, consulting foresters and related businesses, as well as private individuals. Under the guidance of and with support from Strike Team leaders, partners search open space, report detections of invasive species and initiate control efforts on the land they are responsible for managing. Our shared‐services model, which incorporates Strike Team staff, partners, private landowners and volunteers, provides leverage to achieve far more than any one group could accomplish on its own.
We are particularly excited by volunteer stewards that ‘adopt-a-park’, referring to these groups as “Volunteer Stewardship Teams”. These coordinated and enduring stewardship efforts are models for improving ecological health.
The problem continues to expand through the introduction of new invasive species and continuous changes to our climate and landscape. We all know the serious impacts created by Garlic Mustard, Spongy moth, hemlock wooly adelgid, and nearly 100 other widespread invasive species. If left unchecked, these new invasives will assure that their already-significant impacts will become considerably worse in the future. Through cooperative efforts, we can thwart nearly 150 newly emerging invasive species that threaten our state’s forests, grasslands, ponds & streams. A list of all widespread and emerging species can be found here, along with individual species fact sheets here.