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Washington Invasive Species Council

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Washington Invasive Species Council

We respect different opinions and intend for our social media platforms to foster thoughtful and respectful conversations. They are considered public records.

The Washington Invasive Species Council’s mission is to provide policy direction, planning, and coordination to empower those entities engaged in the prevention, detection, and eradication of invasive species. About Washington Invasive Species Council

Our goal is to sustain Washington's human, plant, and animal communities and our thriving economy by preventing the introduction and spread of harm

ful invasive species. The Washington Invasive Species Council (WISC) uses social media platforms to inform the public about council meetings, to tell stories about the work of WISC and its partners, connect with our audiences, and provide more opportunities for civic engagement. This means that while WISC does not discriminate against any views, we reserve the right to remove comments if they violate this policy. Comments are not screened and will be immediately posted. Comments should not contain private information. WISC may remove a comment for any of the following reasons:

- It’s not topically related to the content of the original post

- It expresses support or opposition to political parties, campaigns, or ballot measures

- It includes profane, obscene, vulgar, offensive, threatening, harassing, or personal attacking language or images

- It promotes commercial products or businesses

- It expresses discrimination based on legally protected status such as race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, disability, or sexual orientation

- It promotes illegal activity or an activity that may be illegal based on a viewer’s status (such as age)

- It compromises the safety or security of the public or public systems

- It transmits protected or private information

- It violates a legal ownership interest of any party including copyright and trademark, including, but not limited to, links or hashtags to sites that violate these restrictions and hyperlinks to material not directly related to WISC's original post

- It contains symbols, numbers, and letters to circumvent any of the above

Posts to WISC's social media accounts, including but not limited to comments, are not the proper forum for providing WISC with legal notice, submitting petitions or other forms, submitting public comments for official comment periods, or for submitting public records requests under the Public Records Act, Revised Code of Washington 42.56. Please see Washington Administrative Code 220-120 for proper submission of public records requests.

08/27/2026

While you are basking in the sun and enjoying the spectacular views this summer, keep an eye out for anything strange and unusual. Ok, maybe not our favorite goth teen from the 80s, but you never know what you might see.

Your reports on invasive plants, insects, and animals help us identify new emerging threats and track populations and their spread.

Don’t know what you’re looking at? Don’t worry! Take a photo and make a report using the “unknown” option. Our state experts will handle identification and determine any necessary response.

No need to report goth teens, just species that can cause actual harm. Your reports help protect Washington’s beauty and natural resources from negative impacts caused by invasive species.

Don’t let our state become one Big. Dark. Room.

Report a sighting: https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/report-a-sighting/

08/26/2026

As the school year begins across Washington, there is one “first-year” that should be sent straight to the principal’s office—the Emerald ash borer.

This invasive insect has bounced around districts all across the nation, killing millions of ash trees and solidifying its troublemaker reputation.

It likes to hide in firewood to avoid detection and get a fresh start at a new location when people move the infested firewood from one place to another.

Unfortunately, the first Emerald ash borer sighting in Washington was recently confirmed.

YOU can help stop this pest from becoming a forest bully by buying or gathering wood in the same place you will burn it and checking your outdoor gear for any invasive hitchhikers.

Learn more about the emerald ash borer and report any sightings to help stop the spread: https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/priorityspecies/emerald-ash-borer/

Credit: David Cappaert

08/25/2026

If our Washington wetlands could write reviews, you can bet they’d give zero stars to purple loosestrife.

This noxious w**d outcompetes native plants for resources, alters wetland structure and function, clogs waterways and irrigation systems, affects agricultural production, and reduces the pasture quality for livestock grazing.

It’s a total buzzkill!

This plant is on Washington’s Noxious W**d Seed and Plant Quarantine list, meaning it’s prohibited to transport, buy, sell, offer for sale, or distribute leafy spurge plants, plant parts, or seeds.

You can help prevent the spread by removing any plants from gardens and not planting them to begin with.

Learn more: https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/priorityspecies/purple-loosestrife/

Photo courtesy of Steve Dewey/Utah State University

08/20/2026

The only thing larger than an invasive nutria’s toothy grin is their appetite. They destroy about ten times more plant matter than they eat too, damaging vegetation in fragile shorelines and marshes. They also create burrows that may contribute to erosion.

Nutria are listed as a Prohibited Aquatic Animal Species, which means it’s unlawful to transport nutria anywhere within the state without a permit to do so. Landowners should review all state regulations before proceeding with plans for trapping and euthanasia.

Learn more: https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/priorityspecies/nutria/

Image courtesy of Timo Sack/Wikimedia

08/19/2026

An emerald ash borer was discovered in Washington— the first detection of this invasive insect in our state.

Two vigilant citizens spotted the live insect on their car window, collected it, and made a report.

As a result of their efforts, the Washington State Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed their report of emerald ash borer in Vancouver, WA.

The arrival of emerald ash borer means ash trees in our forests, parks, and backyards are at risk. This invasive pest has wiped out more than 100 million ash trees throughout the country.

YOU can help protect our trees:

- Never move firewood more than 10 miles to avoid accidentally transporting forest pests

- Consider planting alternatives to ash trees

- Scan existing ash trees for signs of damage (thinning canopy, small D-shaped holes) or emerging adults (metallic green insect about a half inch in length).

Learn more: https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/priorityspecies/emerald-ash-borer/

Images courtesy of David Cappaert

08/18/2026

Washington’s exterior firewood quarantine law goes into effect today! Only heat-treated firewood labeled “approved pest free” is allowed from outside of the state.

Our lands are at risk from invasive insects like spongy moth, emerald ash borer, and Asian longhorned beetle, all known to spread to new areas in firewood.

You can help protect our forests and prevent the spread of harmful insects by:

- Telling your friends, neighbors, and family about Washington’s firewood quarantine and the dangers of moving firewood.

- When recreating, buying firewood locally (ten miles or less from your destination)

- Burning all your firewood before leaving your campsite

Learn more using the link in our bio.

Photos courtesy of David Cappaert

08/17/2026

Ash. Birch. Elm. Maple. Willow. No, we’re not channeling Julie Andrews and listing some of our favorite things (though they are). It’s a list of trees that are at risk from pests like the invasive Asian longhorned beetle.

While our native longhorned beetles typically feed on dying trees, invasive longhorned beetles can attack and kill more than forty species of live trees. The beetle larvae eat into the heartwood and are impossible to treat or remove.

They’ve been found in plant nursery stock before but are not yet established in Washington and we want to keep it that way.

Invasive beetles and other tree pests like spongy moth and emerald ash borer would devastate trees in our forests, parks, and yards.

You can help keep our trees safe by taking just ten minutes during August Tree Check Month to check your trees for invasive pests and any signs of damage like dead branches, sawdust-like material, and tiny exit holes where adults emerge.

If you see an invasive beetle, take a photo, report your sighting, and save the specimen.

Additionally, if you see tree damage, but no insect, you can still submit a report, just submit it under the “unknown insect” category.

Learn more: https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/priorityspecies/citrus-asian-and-red-necked-longhorned-beetles/

Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources

08/13/2026

Invasive crayfish think they're serving main character energy but are more like background villains.

Northern, rusty, and red swamp crayfish are invasive in Washington. They reproduce quickly and “tough-guy” our native crayfish out of their food and habitat.

They can get rowdy with native fish too—competing for their resources, preying on them, and changing aquatic habitat.

Prevention is the best method for keeping these “wiseguys” out of the spotlight. If you use crayfish as bait, never release them into the water and always follow Washington's bait regulations.

Learn more: https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/priorityspecies/non-native-crayfish/

Images courtesy of Paige Kuczmarski and USGS

08/12/2026

Okay, besties! Your favorite invasive lily leaf beetle here. Get Ready With Me while I get ready to garden.

People say I'm not a ladybug. Um . . . rude. Bright red shell? Got it. Black accessories? Got those too. (I just can’t seem to get those gorgeous spots figured out though.)

Ladybugs help your gardens and so do I. Well . . . I help myself to your gardens. Have you tried lilies? They’re scrumptious!!!

When I’m not trying to look cute and attack your native lilies, I leave my larvae around, covered in . . . let’s call it “natural skincare.”

I’m totally giving ladybug vibes, but I’m actually an ecological menace. Find out why: https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/priorityspecies/scarlet-lily-beetle/

Photos courtesy of Brian Scott and Karly Fifarek

08/11/2026

Remember those group projects in school where one person did absolutely nothing but still expected full credit?

In our ecosystem, that group project member would be the bullfrog.

Instead of helping the group, this amphibian does whatever it wants, doesn’t share resources with native wildlife, and makes a huge mess of things—they’ve been linked to native species declines across much of North America.

This teammate isn’t just slacking off; it’s dragging everyone else down.

That's why bullfrogs are a Prohibited Aquatic Animal Species in Washington. That means you can’t have, purchase, sell, breed, transport, or release them into state waters. Don't buy or share bullfrogs at any life stage (from eggs to adults) and never release unwanted pet frogs into the wild.

Learn more: https://invasivespecies.wa.gov/priorityspecies/bullfrog/

Photo courtesy of Russ Ottens/University of Georgia

Address

1111 Washington Street SE
Olympia, WA
98501

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Telephone

+13605433485

Website

https://www.invasivespecies.wa.gov/

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