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Bio Control - Cont'd From Page 28 genus as P. curvatus, and therefore are evolutionarily adapted to withstand the kind of pressure that such parasites bring to bear. Finally, and most importantly, the single greatest threat to native fire ants is competitive pressure from imported fire ants. In invaded areas, one native fire ant species plummets in numbers, and the other disappears entirely. As a consequence, the researchers reasoned that anything that reduces the relative advantage of S. invicta is likely to have net positive benefits, even for those native ant species that would suffer some degree of parasitism by the biocontrol agent. So in the spring of 2000, P. curvatus was released in Alabama on a population of imported fire ants. The fly has since established and expanded its range to about ten miles from the point of release. A closely related fly is slated for introduction in spring 2003, and studies on nontarget impacts will begin in 2003 as well. Sanford Porter, one of the lead researchers on the project, is confident that even though the flies attack native species, the reduction in competitive pressure from the non-native fire ants will more than compensate for any incidental parasitism that the native species suffer. Even more important, Porter argues, are two factors that differentiate this case from that of the thistles: the flies are unlikely to survive if nothing but native hosts are present, and the native species that the flies attack are all very common and therefore able to absorb some parasitism without showing any negative population-level effects. The driving force of this biocontrol project was a desire to do more good Literature Cited 1. Arnett, A. and S.M. Louda. 2002. Re- test of Rhinocyllus conicus. Host specificity and the prediction of ecological risk in biological control. Biological Conservation 106:251-257. 2. Porter, S. 2000. Host specificity and risk assessment of releasing the decapitating fly Pseudacteon curvatus as a classical biocontrol agent for imported fire ants. Biological Control 19:35-47. Suggested Reading Arnett, A. and S.M. Louda. 2002. Re- test of Rhinocyllus conicus. Host specificity and the than harm. In an invaded world, sometimes that is the best you can hope for. Biocontrol is a delicate balancing act, for it demands that we identify the best course of action while avoiding collateral damage. Few decisions will be without cost. But in a rapidly changing world, inaction is a form of action—and sometimes doing something is better than doing nothing. April, 2012 Invasions are the reality of our age. Humans and the species that accompany them have become cosmopolitan, and there is no going back. In many places, we are hard- pressed even to define what or where "back" might be. It is entirely futile to long for a return to an ecosystem free of "invaders," for as far as a species is concerned, it belongs wherever it can survive. In this context, biological control is not a tool for restoring community composition per se but rather for restoring a sense of what one might call ecological fair play. When an invasive species abruptly and dramatically alters the rules of the game such that one or many other native species are put at a marked disadvantage, biocontrol may provide a vital counterbalance. One can define biological control as an effort to tilt the field such that native diversity and function are retained. But this is a difficult and dangerous business, requiring much caution and humility. There is no question about the power of biocontrol. The real issue is the wisdom and the insight that we bring to its application in an ever- more-muddled ecological context. Reprinted with permission from Conservation Magazine www.conservationmagazine.org. prediction of ecological risk in biological control. Biological Conservation 106:251-257. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 1997. Code of Conduct for the Import and Release of Exotic Biological Control Agents. Biocontrol News and Information 18(4):119N-24N. Louda, S.M. and C.W. O'Brien. 2002. Unexpected ecological effects of distributing the exotic weevil, Larinus planus (F.), for the biological control of Canada thistle. Conservation Biology 16(3):717-727. Louda, S.M. et al. 2003. Nontarget effects—The Achilles' heel of biological control? Retrospective analyses to reduce risk associated with biocontrol introductions. Annual Review of Entomology 48:365-396. Porter, S. 2000. Host specificity and risk assessment of releasing the decapitating fly Pseudacteon curvatus as a classical biocontrol agent for imported fire ants. Biological Control 19:35-47. Van Driesche, R.G. and T.S. Bellows, Jr. 1996. Biological Control. Chapman and Hall, New York. As many are well aware, over the past two years the Northwest Turfgrass Association has endured perhaps its most significant period of turmoil in its 65-year history. The tragic loss of Paul Backman deeply impacted all who knew him and left the association adrift. In addition, the dissolution of the joint membership agreement between the NTA and Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Association and the substantial burden of dealing with an IRS audit (still ongoing) added to our disarray. In the time since all three of these events unfolded, those who have served on the NTA Board have worked hard to re-establish the stability of the association and refocus on the purpose for which it was founded – supporting regional university turfgrass research for the benefit of all. As we now move forward into 2012, I am pleased to report that the NTA is nearing the point where we are back to business as usual. Our Board has established and been actively working toward many goals in order to return the association to where it needs to be. Our new executive director, Mr. Paul Ramsdell, has done a great job in the time since he was hired in March of 2011 and has made consistent progress identifying and meeting the association's needs. Perhaps the most important recent accomplishment has been in re- establishing the focus of our Research Committee. John Anderson asked to lead this effort and deserves tremendous thanks for the work he and his committee have completed. This committee has spent considerable time working with the turfgrass professors at Washington State University, Oregon State University and Walla Walla Community College to determine how the NTA can best support their research programs. In addition, the committee now includes Peter Sorokovsky, the Research Committee chair of the Western Canada Turfgrass Association. With more than $275,000 in current assets, the NTA is on solid financial ground and is eager to provide support to research and education, the need for which has likely never been greater. Through the steady erosion of state funding for all university programs, the importance for our industry to support regional turfgrass research and education has and will continue to grow. The generous financial support received from most of you and our allied golf associations, corporate sponsors and private golf clubs to help fund our Turfgrass Universities Research Fund program is greatly appreciated. I would like to thank everyone who helped support our conference last year in Pullman. The event was highlighted by the presentation by Dr. Roy Goss. Still sharp as a whip at 86 years of age, Dr. Goss led us through the founding of the NTA in 1947 and presented a slide show detailing the first 50 conferences. Listening to him discuss the names of those who were involved, the topics that were important through the years and where the conferences had been held –– the first 17 in Pullman and then spread throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia –- was very entertaining. The minutes-long standing ovation he received at the conclusion of his presentation must have been one of the best moments enjoyed at an NTA conference in a very long time. With that, I would like to extend an invitation for all to join us this year when the conference returns to Bandon Dunes on Oct. 28-30. In response to feedback received from our membership, the conference has been moved back a month and every effort has been made to keep the cost of attendance affordable. We are working toward a price point of $550 that will include lodging at the resort. The resort has helped us keep our costs down by generously extended industry pricing for lodging in their package, but do ask that all attendees stay at the resort. By comparison, in 2007, the cost of the conference alone was set at $700 and did not include lodging. I hope that many of you will make plans to join us in the fall. Mike Conklin, NTA President 2012 For more about the NTA visit http://www.nwturfgrass.net/