1. North American Invasive Species Management Association
Thank you and good afternoon. My name is Belle Bergner and I am the Executive Director of the North American Invasive Species Management Association. I’ve been with the organization since September of last year.
Belle Bergner
Executive Director
NAISN Forum - Savannah, GA - May 8-11, 2017

2. Who We Are Membership 150+ and growing Land managers
Federal, state and local agencies
Non profit organizations
Extension agents and academics
Board of Directors
Representatives from
United States
Canada
NAISMA’s membership is currently around 150 individuals, counties, state, federal, and provincial organizations, and companies across the US and Canada. Historically, our membership has been a lot higher, but At the moment, the membership heavily leans toward the West and Midwest, but we are actively working to bring members into the organization from all 50 states and Canadian Provinces and hope to recruit Mexican representatives in the process as well.
Our Board of Directors, pictured here at our Annual Meeting last year, are 11 members strong.
NAISN Forum - Savannah, GA - May 8-11, 2017

3. All Taxa Focus Formerly only terrestrial focus
Changed name in 2013 From NAWMA to NAISMA to include aquatic invasive species concerns
Prior to 2014, NAISMA was NAWMA - the North American Weed Management Association. In 2014, the organization decided to be all-taxa to be all-inclusive.
NAISN Forum - Savannah, GA - May 8-11, 2017

4. Programs Mapping and App Standards
Weed Free Forage and Gravel Certification
Play Clean Go ®
Professional Development
Certified Manager of Invasive Species
Online Courses
Annual Meeting
NAISMA continues to be the leader in creating standards for Mapping and Apps.
We are the only organization in the world that has a Certified Weed Free Forage and Gravel program. An our annual meeting each year, we train Weed Free Forage and Gravel inspectors to be able to identify species in their area.
Play Clean Go is our newest program. We are currently in the first phase of a multi-phase agreement with MN DNR to raise funds and manage this highly successful education and awareness campaign. Our goal is to have Play Clean Go be the recognized brand among all outdoor recreationalists that reminds everyone to clean their gear before leaving a recreational area – whether it’s a wilderness trail, city park, boat landing, or river.
Our Professional Development program seeks to give invasive species managers all of the tools they need
Of course our annual meeting is the highlight of the year for most of us – a chance to network, learn about the latest tools and resources, and find new partnership opportunity to make invasive species management for effective and efficient.
NAISN Forum - Savannah, GA - May 8-11, 2017

5. Practitioner Focus
Land managers need the best tools available for effective invasive species management and control
Communication is Key!
Quarterly newsletter
Social Media
Member Network
Annual Meeting
NAISN Forum - Savannah, GA - May 8-11, 2017

6. Strategic Plan Executive Director replacement Grow financial support
Improve membership engagement; use social media for better communication
Enhance Certified Manager of Invasive Plants program 
Establish NAISMA as the Voice for Invasive Species management
In 2016, NAISMA completed a strategic plan and these are the top goals that emerged from that. The result of the first goal is standing here in front of you. We are growing our financial support by diversifying our income streams, adding programs, and recruiting more higher-level sustaining members; we are improving our communications to facilitate more timely sharing of information through social media and direct communications, we have started offering online courses to support our Certified Invasive Species Manager program; and through all of these goals, especially by recruiting better membership representation from more states and provinces, we will be able to say that NAISMA is the voice for invasive species management in North America.
NAISN Forum - Savannah, GA - May 8-11, 2017

7. Membership Expansion Grow participation in NAISMA programs
Standardize invasive species management across North America
At least one state and provincial-level terrestrial and aquatic organization represented in the membership in 2017
By 2019, at least 500 members across the continent
As I mentioned, we want NAISMA’s membership to grow at least 3-fold over the next 2 years. We would like all state-level weed management or control associations and aquatic invasive management associations to join at a sustaining level so that at least one member of these state organizations can attend our Annual Meeting and bring back information to their state.
NAISN Forum - Savannah, GA - May 8-11, 2017

8. Annual Meeting October 23-26, 2017 Reno, Nevada
Nugget Hotel and Casino
Adjacent to Reno, NV, Ten minutes from the airport
Highlights:
Tour featuring invasive species management in Lake Tahoe and surrounding wildlands and crops
Play Clean Go Convention
Workshops and Trainings
Networking
Aquatic, Terrestrial, and Forest Health Invasive Species Concerns
Sessions on New Techniques, Biocontrol, Ecology and Biology of Invasives and more
If you were not already planning to join us for our Annual Meeting, I hope that after this slide, I will convince you to come out to Reno, Nevada this October to the Nugget Hotel and Casino. Lots of trainings and sessions are being planned for folks working at all scales and on a wide variety of invasive species concerns. At the very least, you should come for the tour around Lake Tahoe that will feature stops at invasive species management sites around the Lake and down into crop country. Lake Tahoe does have Eurasian Watermilfoil, but the Lake Tahoe Watershed does not allow any chemicals in the water, so they use scuba divers manually pulling it out.
NAISN Forum - Savannah, GA - May 8-11, 2017

9. NAISMA.org
Join us! Help us to connect and improve invasive species management efforts from coast to coast across North America
NAISN Forum - Savannah, GA - May 8-11, 2017

10. Thank You www.naisma.org Facebook: northamericaNAISMA
Twitter: #NAISMA_org
NAISN Forum - Savannah, GA - May 8-11, 2017