Achievement

Prioritizing management efforts for invasive species can be a controversial endeavor and is currently important because of limited government budgets. Recognizing that, Trainee Leah Sharpe has developed a method through which diverse stakeholders can reach agreement on prioritization. The organizers of an invasive species workshop in Bemidji, Minnesota invited Leah to present her decision-making tool to an audience of 75 natural resource managers. Leah presented her talk, Using Decision Support Tools for Improved Management of Invasive Species, at the Landscapes Lost: Unraveling Invasibility Workshop at Bemidji State University, in Bemidji, Minnesota February 19, 2009. Her decision-tool approach was well-received by managers, and Leah established herself as an authority on decision-support tools. In fact, she was invited by attendees to conduct a prioritization exercise at a future agency meeting.