{"id":17533,"date":"2025-02-24T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/?p=17533"},"modified":"2025-02-21T15:30:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T22:30:22","slug":"national-invasive-species-awareness-week-is-feb-24-28","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/2025\/02\/24\/national-invasive-species-awareness-week-is-feb-24-28\/","title":{"rendered":"National Invasive Species Awareness Week is Feb. 24-28"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>NEWS RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Feb. 21, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Help stop the spread of harmful invasive species<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Did you know that invasive quagga mussels cause millions of dollars in damage to boat motors, docks and water intake systems?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Or that unwanted turtles, tortoises, and other pets illegally released into the wild can hurt our native species by introducing disease or outcompeting them for habitat and food?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) is participating in National Invasive Species Awareness Week, which runs Feb. 24-28. The nationwide event aims to educate the public about the harmful impact of invasive animals, plants and other organisms. During the week, AZGFD will post information highlighting some of the invasive species in Arizona, and how people can help slow their spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTaking a few minutes to clean your gear, especially footwear, after use is one of the best ways to protect Arizona\u2019s waters and fisheries regardless if you are in an AIS-affected water or not,\u201d said Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Kate Dukette of AZGFD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Game and Fish and the North American Invasive Species Management Association encourage people to help in the following ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Learn about invasive species<\/strong>, especially those found in this region. AZGFD\u2019s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a><\/strong> and the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Invasive Species Information Center<\/a><\/strong> are both resources.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Boaters and anglers should remember to clean, drain and dry your boat<\/strong> (and leave the plug out) before moving to another water. This helps stop the spread of quagga mussels and other aquatic invasive species. It\u2019s not just a good practice, it\u2019s the law. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/fishing-2\/aquatic-invasive-species\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.azgfd.gov\/AIS<\/a><\/strong> (scroll to bottom).<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Anglers should clean and dry their gear.<\/strong> Don\u2019t forget to clean those wading boots. Never transport live fish from one body of water to another. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.azgfd.com\/fishing-2\/aquatic-invasive-species\/new-zealand-mudsnails\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AZGFD AIS Angler Recommendation<\/a><\/strong> &amp; <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stopais.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">StopAIS.org<\/a><\/strong>.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Don\u2019t release pets into the wild.<\/strong> It is illegal for pet owners who no longer wish to care for their exotic pets to release them into the wild, or dump their aquariums into bodies of water, potentially harming local ecosystems. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dontletitloose.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DontLetItLoose.com<\/a><\/strong>.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Land recreationists should clean their hiking boots, off-road vehicles and other gear<\/strong> to stop invasive species from hitching a ride to a new location. Learn more at <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/playcleango.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PlayCleanGo.org<\/a><\/strong>.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Campers should not move firewood.<\/strong> Instead, buy it where you\u2019ll burn it, or gather on site when permitted. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dontmovefirewood.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DontMoveFirewood.org<\/a><\/strong>.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Slow the spread of invasive pests by taking extra care when traveling, gardening, or moving recently killed plant material<\/strong>. Buy plants from a reputable source, and avoid using invasive plant species. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov\/plant-pests-diseases\/hungry-pests?utm_campaign=crosby-2017&amp;utm_source=hungrypests-com&amp;utm_medium=redirect&amp;utm_keyword=home\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HungryPests.com<\/a><\/strong>.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Buy forage, hay, mulch and soil that are certified as <strong>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/naisma.org\/programs\/purchase-weed-free-products\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">weed free<\/a>.\u201d<\/strong><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Be a Citizen Scientist<\/strong> and report observations of invasive species at <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/imapinvasives.natureserve.org\/imap\/services\/page\/map.html?x=-87.0000&amp;y=40.0000&amp;z=4&amp;dpnl=legend&amp;lgrp=ALL&amp;bm=topo-vector&amp;toc=mainDataTOC;0;0=1;40|confirmedPresenceTOC;0;0=1;20|confirmedApproximateTOC;0;0=0;40|aoiTOC;0;0=0;40|notDetectedSpecies;0;0=0;40|jurisdictionOutlinesTOC;0;0=0;0|jurisdictionPoliticalBoundariesTOC;0;0=0;0|countiesTOC;0;0=0;0|waterbodiesTOC;0;0=0;40|conservationLandsTOC;0;0=0;40|usgsTopoTOC;0;0=0;0|ismaTOC;0;0=0;0|hydrobasinTOC;0;0=0;0|countryTOC;0;0=0;0|municipalBoundariesTOC;0;0=0;0|mobiToc;0;0=0;0&amp;fobs=&amp;fhbtt=&amp;fst=&amp;fghab=&amp;fspec=&amp;fstyp=j&amp;fkdom=&amp;fgens=&amp;fbdte=&amp;fadte=&amp;fproj=&amp;forg=&amp;fjur=&amp;fcnfm=&amp;fspvb=&amp;fflup=&amp;fevtyp=&amp;fhasph=&amp;funtr=&amp;ftrtyp=&amp;fchem=&amp;fldctc=&amp;ftrgl=&amp;ftraft=&amp;ftrbef=&amp;felim=&amp;fcndt=&amp;frndt=&amp;fpids=&amp;fndids=&amp;ftids=&amp;fsaids=&amp;fnsids=&amp;fgrtp=&amp;fgsjur=&amp;fgjur=&amp;fcnty=&amp;fgwbdy=&amp;fgcvln=&amp;fgtopo=&amp;fgrmp=&amp;fghyd=&amp;fgmuni=&amp;fmcad=&amp;fmcbd=&amp;fmmad=&amp;fmbd=&amp;mcbl=&amp;mmbl=&amp;mdeml=&amp;mbid=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">imapinvasives.natureserve.org<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt is everyone&#8217;s responsibility to be stewards of the places that we love so we can protect Arizona\u2019s waters for future generations,\u201d Dukette said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about National Invasive Species Awareness Week, visit <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/naisma.org\/programs\/nisaw\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.nisaw.org<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The public is urged to be aware of the ways it can help avoid the spread of harmful invasive species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":17541,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main-site"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>National Invasive Species Awareness Week is Feb. 24-28 - Arizona Game &amp; 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