APHIS Headquarters located in Riverdale, Maryland

Contact Information

Hallie Zimmers

Interim State Liaison, APHIS

Legislative and Public Affairs

202-720-0378 (ph)

202-720-3982 (fax)

hallie.zimmers@aphis.usda.gov

This oil-coated duck was rescued by Wildlife Services and cleaned by Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education experts in Louisiana. After being rehabilitated, the duck was reintroduced into the wild.

The new CODA net launcher used by Wildlife Services.

Firewood confiscated during a recent “blitz” near Bristol Motor Speedway

Click icon above to
visit new Spanish Site.

Welcome to the September edition of APHIS News for States. Some of you may be wondering what happened to the August edition. From now on, the newsletter will be issued at the beginning of the month instead of at the end of the month. To make the switch, the August issue was delayed so that it could be rolled into the September edition. The next issue will be emailed to everyone the first week in October. If you have any suggestions to for future issues, please let me know.

Hallie Zimmers

APHIS’ Interim State Liaison

APHIS News for States

(Click on headline to view article or scroll down.)

APHIS Wildlife Biologists Rescue Wildlife from Louisiana Oil Spill
eAuthentication Support for States
APHIS Teams with NASCAR to Spread the Word About Firewood and the Emerald Ash Borer
APHIS Launches Biosecurity For Birds Web Site in Spanish
Concerned Citizens Help Detect Asian Longhorned Beetle and Emerald Ash Borer
Oral Raccoon Rabies Vaccination Program Kicks Off Annual Baiting Effort
APHIS Feature: Innovation at the Beltsville, MD Center for Plant Health Science and Technology Laboratory
Vacancies in APHIS

APHIS Wildlife Biologists Rescue Wildlife from Louisiana Oil Spill

When more than 400,000 gallons of tar-like oil spilled into the Mississippi River on July 23, APHIS’ Wildlife Services (WS) program was called in to rescue any and all manner of wildlife including birds, snakes and alligators. The spill, which was the result of a tanker collision with an oil-filled barge along the New Orleans shore, had WS’ biologists using all the tools of their trade to capture oil-encrusted wildlife and prevent healthy wildlife from entering the spill zone.

WS was asked to provide assistance based on their unique expertise in dealing with wildlife issues. In total, WS rescued 31 oiled animals, including 23 birds, 5 alligators and 3 snakes so that they could be cleaned by rehabilitation specialists and released back into the wild. While some of the animals they rescued were only partially coated in the thick oil, others were entirely covered. WS also used pyrotechnics and other noise devices to prevent birds from entering the oil-spill zone. In an effort to study whether mammals learn to avoid oil spills, WS captured more than 50 animals, including 27 raccoons and 12 opossums, to visually inspect them for oil. None of the animals were harmed by the oil spill, and they were immediately released.

WS’ three, two-man teams on the ground used the latest technology developed

by the Agency’s National Wildlife Research Center to assist with the rescue efforts. Even coated in oil, birds and reptiles move quickly and capturing them was no easy feat. In addition to traditional handled nets, throw nets, and catch poles, WS used soft-catch leg-hold traps designed especially to capture wading shore birds and an innovative new net launcher called the CODA. Most net launchers are rocket propelled and require the use of explosives to fire a net over the targeted animal. The CODA net launcher, however, is propelled by .308 blanks, making the process safer and saving time with set up. WS performed all capture activities without any injuries to the wildlife. The successful use of these tools in New Orleans will lead to their expanded use in other locations.

Although the clean up effort on the Mississippi River continues, the majority of WS’ rescue work concluded on Aug. 22. WS continues to have a team on stand-by should additional assistance be necessary.

eAuthentication Support for States

In response to feedback from States, APHIS has created a new support team to provide assistance with eAuthentication password problems. Beginning Monday, Sept. 22, State employees who are having problems accessing their eAuthentication accounts can call 1-866-794-2827 for customer support. Previously this assistance was only available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s eAuthentication Help Desk.

APHIS will have staff dedicated to providing support to States and other members of the public who experience eAuthentication password problems while trying to access APHIS-related systems. APHIS support will include:

· Assistance with forgotten user IDs

· Password resets

· Re-enabling accounts that have been locked out

· Re-enabling expired accounts

· Preliminary trouble shooting

· Assistance with how to create an eAuthentication account

The hope is that this additional support will make it easier and faster for State partners to access APHIS systems. Once the team is up and running, APHIS will determine whether the need for additional support exists. Users experiencing eAuthentication problems that involve more than password and user ID issues must still work through USDA’s Help Desk. That number is 1-800-457-3642. For more information on eAuthentication, please visit http://www.eauth.egov.usda.gov/index.html

APHIS Teams with NASCAR to Spread the Word About Firewood and the Emerald Ash Borer

Many NASCAR fans are camping enthusiasts, and campers are a major target of APHIS’ efforts to create awareness about the emerald ash borer and the dangers posed by transporting firewood. So what better way to spread the word than by working with motor speedways around the country.

APHIS’ Legislative and Public Affairs office will be contacting each major raceway and asking them to post information about EAB on their Web sites. The information includes a Don’t Move Firewood Icon. Visitors who click on the icon will be taken to APHIS’ Good Camper Web site, which provides information about EAB and how to prevent its spread. The site also encourages campers to buy firewood at their final destination and to read Federal and State regulations regarding the movement of firewood. The hope is that NASCAR enthusiasts will click on this information and become informed about a pest they may not otherwise know about.

Lowes Motor Speedway in North Carolina already has the firewood icon posted on its Web site (http://www.lowesmotorspeedway.com/tickets/camping/). Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee has also agreed to post the information, and the icon should soon be available on its Web site. With two major speedways already committed to sharing information, APHIS hopes to have similar success as we reach out to other racing venues.

To support outreach efforts, APHIS is also conducting firewood operations near speedways to prevent the illegal movement of firewood. The most recent “blitz” took place around Bristol Speedway Aug. 21-23. A team of 16 volunteers from 7 States scoured the campgrounds surrounding the track and made 29 seizures of firewood during the course of the operation. Violations were written for each seizure, and the confiscated firewood was burned at the State Forestry Station nearby.

APHIS Launches Biosecurity For Birds Web Site in Spanish

APHIS’ Biosecurity For Birds Web site is now available in Spanish. The site was launched in late August in recognition of the fact that a significant number of backyard poultry and pet bird owners are native Spanish speakers. The site is also expected to be a resource for Spanish speakers in other countries, many of whom are interested in Biosecurity For Birds information.

The new site marks the first time that APHIS has created a Web site in a foreign language. Most Biosecurity For Birds outreach materials, however, have long been available in Spanish as well as other languages including Vietnamese, Hmong, traditional Chinese and Tagalog. Both the English and the Spanish versions of the Biosecurity For Birds Web site have an order form where you can either download or automatically request copies of available outreach materials.

In addition to ordering materials on-line, the site also provides information about infectious diseases, such as avian influenza and exotic Newcastle disease, as

well as important information on backyard biosecurity. By visiting the site, bird owners can get practical advice on steps they can take to keep their birds healthy.

To access the Spanish version of the Biosecurity For Birds Web site, go to http://healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov. The English site appears, but if you click on

En Espanol at the top the page, you will be transferred to the identical Spanish version of the site. States are welcome to link to the English and Spanish versions of the Web site.

Concerned Citizens Help Detect Asian Longhorned Beetle and Emerald Ash Borer

When the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) was identified in Worcester, MA on

Aug. 1, it wasn’t found as a result of State or Federal surveys. The distinctive black and white bug was found by a concerned citizen who had recently moved into a new house. As spring turned to summer, the woman began noticing an insect she had never seen before. A search of the Internet identified the pest as the ALB and using her cell phone, the woman sent a picture of the bug to APHIS.

Similarly, the first confirmed case of emerald ash borer (EAB) in Wisconsin, also in early August, was the result of a citizen report of dying ash trees in a private woodlot. Forest health specialists investigating the report discovered the pest. While Federal and State surveys continue to play an important role in pest and disease detection, citizens are also an important resource.

Once a new pest or disease is confirmed in an area, the public plays an even more critical role, helping to report possible infestations that can then be investigated by plant health officials. APHIS has developed numerous outreach materials for both ALB and EAB to educate the public. For more information on available ALB publications, please visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/hot_issues/alb/alb.shtml. And for more information about EAB materials, go to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/plant_health/index_ph_e.shtml.

Oral Raccoon Rabies Vaccination Program Kicks Off Annual Baiting Effort

On Aug. 25, APHIS’ Wildlife Services (WS) program began its annual cooperative effort with States to stop the spread of raccoon rabies. Since 1997, WS has worked with States along the Eastern Seaboard to orally vaccinate raccoons against rabies with the goal of eventually eliminating the disease altogether. This year, baiting began in Plattsburgh, NY and over the next two months, the program will drop approximately 7.3 million baits in portions of New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

While late summer/early fall is the primary baiting season, several States, including Massachusetts and Florida participate in the program during other times of the year. A total of 16 States are involved in the cooperative effort to vaccinate raccoons against rabies.

The oral rabies vaccines are distributed by air in forested areas and by ground personnel in urban and suburban areas. To make the baits attractive, sachets containing the vaccine are sprinkled with fishmeal coating or encased inside hard fishmeal polymer. When an animal finds a bait and bites into it, the sachet ruptures, allowing the animal to swallow the vaccine. Animals that swallow an adequate dose of the vaccine, develop an immunity to rabies. As the number of vaccinated animals in the population increases, they act as a buffer to stop the spread of the disease to other wildlife, domestic animals, and people.

In fiscal year 2007, the program distributed a total of 11.7 million baits targeting raccoons in the 16 States involved in the program. Due to the success of the program, the bait zone is shifting this year as raccoon rabies is being pushed back closer to the Atlantic Ocean. The biggest change is occurring in West Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia where the vaccination zone is shifting five miles to the East.

WS has developed a number of outreach materials to support the raccoon rabies program. To request copies of these materials, please contact Brie German at
301-734-7253 or for more information about the program, visit http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/oral_rabies/.

APHIS Feature: Innovation at the Beltsville, MD Center for Plant Health Science and Technology Laboratory

Since 1996, scientists at the Centers for Plant Health Science and Technology (CPHST) Laboratory in Beltsville, MD have been using molecular diagnostic tools to confirm or identify suspect plant pathogens. The laboratory uses the latest molecular and biochemical technology, much of which was developed, or adapted and validated by scientists at the Beltsville facility, to screen pathogens from the field.

The Beltsville laboratory is the Agency point of reference for laboratory procedures used to screen for plant pathogens in samples from the field, and in samples submitted for confirmation testing. Scientists at the CPHST lab share validated testing protocols with State Departments of Agriculture and the National Plant Diagnostic Network. In some cases, the testing procedures can be quite complicated, so the laboratory develops detailed work instructions that are easy-to-follow and provide clear protocols for all diagnostics.

The laboratory also provides hands on training for the Agency’s Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) scientists, State partners and other diagnosticians. For example, the laboratory recently held two training sessions on potato cyst nematode diagnostics and three more trainings are scheduled. In the last 8 months, the lab has conducted 12 training sessions on 5 different plant pathogens for 73 trainees. This technology transfer ensures that the methods validated by scientists at the CPHST laboratory can be implemented by other laboratories around the country. For more information on training opportunities contact the Beltsville laboratory’s director, Dr. Laurene Levy (laurene.levy@aphis.usda.gov)

The number of samples that the Beltsville laboratory receives for confirmatory testing has grown dramatically over the past 10 years. In order to allow the CPHST scientists there to continue to develop, adapt, and validate diagnostics for plant pathogens and increase training efforts, PPQ recently created a Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory (MDL) within the National Identification Service. Co-located at the same facility in Beltsville, the MDL now provides confirmatory testing for plant pathogens. MDL scientists currently conduct confirmatory testing for sudden oak death and citrus canker, and once the transition from the CPHST lab to the MDL is complete, the MDL will provide confirmatory testing for citrus greening, potato cyst nematode, plum pox virus, and Ralstonia solanacearum R3B2.

Scientists at the CPHST lab in Beltsville, and at CPHST Headquarters in Raleigh, NC, are always looking for innovative diagnostic methods and they’re looking beyond the traditional tools that are currently used in plant pathology and even agriculture. Diagnostics used to identify biowarfare agents and human health pathogens could hold great promise in the world of plant pathology. The laboratory’s ultimate goal is to provide rapid and simple detection methods that could one day be used at ports of entry and off-shore locations to identify potentially harmful plant diseases before they enter the United States.

Vacancies in APHIS

All Agency vacancies are posted on the APHIS Web site. To view the entire list of APHIS vacancies go to www.aphis.usda.gov. Under Related Topics click on Find a Job in APHIS. The positions highlighted below are for relevant positions that are at the GS-13 level and above. Please note that APHIS is also seeking to fill a number

of Veterinary Medical Officer positions across the United States. These positions are being advertised at the GS-11/12 level. More information on these vacancies is available on the APHIS Web site.

Position: Agricultural Science Officer

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Pay Plan: GS-0401-13/14

Who May Apply: All U.S. Citizens

Position Closes: Sept. 8, 2008

Position: Veterinary Medical Officer

Location: Raleigh, NC

Pay Plan: GS-0701-13

Who May Apply: All U.S. Citizens

Position Closes: Sept. 8, 2008

Position: Supervisory Veterinary Medical Officer

Location: Gainesville, FL