Alaska Region Exotic Plant Management Team (EPMT), National Park Service

Alaska Region, NPS; NPS EPMT, Biological Resources Managment Division

Invasive species are recognized as one of the major factors contributing to ecosystem change and instability throughout the world. The National Park Service (NPS) protects some of the most iconic and ecologically important areas in the United States. Invasive species are altering the native and cultural landscapes in virtually every NPS unit. The Exotic Plant Management Team (EPMT) Program was created and serves as a critical resource to strategically manage invasive plant populations that are threatening these treasured landscapes. The program was first established in 2000 with four teams serving 99 parks. The program reached its current size in 2003 with 16 teams that now serve more than 230 parks. The Alaska EPMT was founded in 2003 and has become a model early detection and rapid response program in Alaska.Each season, Alaska EPMT employees work across Alaska NPS park units, mapping thousands of invasive plant infestations, eradicating small patches, and organizing volunteer events to control larger ones. The EPMT program provides many benefits to Alaska beyond parklands by working successfully with landowners near each park to foster local invasive plant management. The EPMT program contributed to the first examinations of the wildfire-invasive plant connection in Alaska. In cooperation with the US Forest Service and the Alaska Natural Heritage Program (AKNHP), over 100 species were systematically ranked for their invasiveness threat and workshops were provided for their identification. Altogether, the Alaska EPMT makes the most of its support through an integrated, collaborative approach to maintain Alaska's unique position: ahead of the invasive species curve. The Alaska EPMT provides invasive plant management assistance to each of the national parks in Alaska.

Alaska Region Exotic Plant Management Team (EPMT), National Park Service

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