Dr. Brian Heise has been appointed Chairman of the Invasive Species Council of BC (ISCBC), further solidifying TRU as a hub for research in invasive species.

Heise, associate professor in Natural Resource Sciences, has been invited to participate in the National Workshop on Invasive Alien Species organized by the Invasive Alien Species Task Force for Canada. The workshop, which takes place in Ottawa on Feb. 25, unites various levels of government, Aboriginal organizations, industry representatives, provincial and territorial invasive species councils and other non-governmental organizations to share perspectives on priorities and potential actions to improve invasive alien species prevention and management in Canada.

He is excited to play a role in the development of national, research-based policy, and says that while the ISCBC has long played a key role in educating the public about invasive species, he hopes to expand the council’s mandate to focus more heavily on research.

“The ISCBC has a tremendous track record of working on prevention and education,” said Heise, who noted that campaigns encouraging boaters to drain and dry their boats, or urging campers to burn their firewood where they buy it, have been key to preventing the spread of invasive species.

“We want to support more research and have more information going out about the research we do available on our website. We also want to raise funds for researchers in the province,” he said. While plans are still tentative, the goal is to have the ISCBC host an invasive species conference at TRU in 2017, bringing hundreds of experts to campus.

“We have identified TRU as a research hub for invasive species.”

Watch: Experts team up to figure out how to battle invasive species in BC Global News, Feb. 3, 2016

Read: Battling invasive species? Release the hounds (and drones) Vancouver Sun, Feb. 2, 2016

Invasive species research currently taking place at TRU:

• Dr. Brian Heise, associate professor in Natural Resource Sciences, is an expert in the control and ecology of invasive fish in British Columbia. Invasive species, including the northern pike and walleye, pose a threat to juvenile salmon. Perch and bass are also spreading throughout the province, competing with native species for food. In April, he will present a paper, “Ecology and Control of invasive Northern Pike in the Columbia River, Canada,” at the International Conference on Aquatic Invasive Species in Winnipeg.
• Dr. Rob Higgins, assistant professor in Biological Sciences, is a leading expert in identifying and finding control methods for the invasive European Fire Ant. The ant is an aggressive and prolific breeder, and colonies of this devastating insect have been popping up throughout the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. Dr. Higgins is supported by a grant from the BC Inter-Ministry Invasive Species Working Group.
• Dr. Naowarat (Ann) Cheeptham, associate professor in Biological Sciences, along with adjunct faculty and Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada biologist Dr. Cori Lausen, are advancing the search for effective biological control options against the invasive fungus that causes White Nose Syndrome (WNS) in North American bats. The goal of their research project, which is funded by the United States Fish & Wildlife Services, is to identify new microbes and viruses that inhibit the growth of the fungus. The little brown bat and tri-coloured bat have become functionally extinct by white-nose syndrome in some areas of Eastern North America. The disease is caused by a fungus that grows over the bats’ faces while they hibernate in winter.
• Dr. Catherine Tarasoff, adjunct faculty in Natural Resource Sciences, is working to mitigate the spread of the invasive yellow flag iris, an ornamental water plant that is spreading rapidly and altering aquatic ecosystems across North America. Tarasoff, working with TRU researchers Drs. John Church and David Hill, is using drones to map the location of the infestations. Drones are proving to be an ideal tool for observing large, previously inaccessible areas.
• Dr. Tom Pypker, assistant professor in Natural Resource Sciences, leads an international research team based at Michigan Tech University that explores the impact of the invasive emerald ash borer in northern Michigan. The research project, funded by the US Forest Service, will determine whether the impacted ecosystems can be manually replanted, and if not, what type of forests to expect in future. The emerald ash borer is a beetle native to eastern Asia that has killed tens of millions of ash trees in North America, and continues to spread.
• Dr. Karl Larsen, professor in Natural Resource Sciences, is a wildlife researcher who began investigating the invasive Eastern Grey Squirrel when it arrived in Kelowna in 2009. Two years ago, Larsen received a grant from the Invasive Species Council of BC allowing undergraduate students to work with grey squirrels at the BC Wildlife Park to determine their preferences for a wide array of fruits that represented the crops of the Okanagan Valley.

More information
Dr. Brian Heise
250-371-5530
bheise@tru.ca