ILLINOIS: Invasive Species

Invasive Species: A Quick Look
Illinois has been invaded by a number of harmful exotic plants and animals. Click here to view a fact sheet listing some of the worst current and potential invaders.

View the website of the Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife--the Illinois Program.

View federal and state invasive species activities for Illinois from Invasivespecies.gov.

Click here for specific information on invasive species in Illinois. This link will take you to the Environmental Law Institute's state by state search tool. Select your state from the pull-down menu.

The Great Lakes Information Network offers a page of resources, including links to photo galleries featuring invasive species. View web page.

The Illinois Nature Preserves Commission developed a Vegetation Management Manual to provide volunteer groups, laypersons, natural area owners, wildland owners, and other interested individuals with easy-to-understand methods for controlling undesirable vegetation in natural areas. View the manual on line.

Halting the Invasion: State Tools for Invasive Species Management

In August 2002, the Environmental Law Institute released it’s report, Halting the Invasion: State Tools for Invasive Species Management. The report analyzes the legal tools available at the state level to combat invasive species. Only those laws and policies approved through state legislation or agency rulemaking were addressed. The report highlights 17 invasive species tools found in state statutes and regulations. These tools are divided into five main categories: prevention, regulation, control and management, enforcement and implementation, and coordination. The report recommends that states evaluate which of three standards (gold, silver, or bronze) their invasive species laws and regulations currently meet.

The appendix presents the state-specific data that was collected and analyzed for the report. The information contained in this appendix was obtained primarily through research on state statutes and regulations conducted from February 2001 through February 2002. For each state, the statutes and regulations affecting five general categories of invasive species were examined. These categories are invasive wildlife; invasive aquatic species; invasive plants; plant pests and diseases, including pathogens and microorganisms; and insects. (Excerpted from the Environmental Law Institute's website. Click here to view.)

If you know of current information, please email us at kkelly@defenders.org. To learn more about this state, see the other categories to the right.

Updated 1-19-06