In late 2017, Southern Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management (SICIM) and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) entered into a contribution agreement for the purpose of developing local Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas (CISMAs) throughout Indiana. Both SICIM and the NRCS have been working for many years to combat invasive plants and raise public awareness of the devastation being caused by these non-native pests, and both have come to the realization that we will not begin to make much headway until the problem is addressed at the local level by local people using local resources.
What Is a CISMA?
A CISMA is a Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area, also sometimes called a CWMA or Cooperative Weed Management Area. CISMAs/CWMAs are partnership organizations formed with the goal of managing invasive plants across jurisdictional and landownership boundaries. Partners can include county, state, and federal governmental agencies, non-profits, citizen groups, and others. By working together at the local level, CWMA/CISMA partners are able to pool resources and knowledge to address mutual invasive species problems. Through this project SICIM will be providing new CISMA resources and guidance. In the meantime, for more information on CISMAs go to https://www.mipn.org/cwma-resources/.
Plans and Outcomes
The five-year plan is to work with Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) and other conservation organizations to increase CISMA representation across the state, and help them find the resources they need to manage invasives in their areas. Regional Specialists will work around the state to help with this. The project also aims to provide technical assistance to landowners, including invasive species property surveys and management plans.
The initiative intends the following outcomes:
- An organizational template and resources to help new CISMAs
- Public invasive species education events
- Private landowner invasive plant assessments
- One-on-one technical assistance to small landowners
- Professional trainings for Conservation Partnership staff
Results So Far
As of Dec 31, 2019, the Regional Specialists and the Indiana Invasives Initiative Project Coordinator are working with ~ 65 counties to develop Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas (CISMAs) and educate Indiana citizens about the impacts of invasive plant species. Nineteen CISMAs have been created, thirteen are in organizational status. The 430 outreach/education events have reached about 51,000 people, and 125 landowner surveys have been conducted (~ 4200 acres surveyed).
