Tackling the Challenge of Invasive Species to Reduce Impacts to Agriculture

Sponsored by the Agricultural and Food Law Consortium

Topic:ottspic

Invasive species negatively impact agricultural operations across the country. Invasive plants reduce crop and livestock production. Invasive animals damage farmland and spread diseases. The webinar will discuss some of the major pathways for invasive species introduction and spread, the roles of federal agencies and state departments of agriculture in invasive species management, and legal challenges in the prevention and control of invasive species. The webinar will also provide an overview of the recent D.C. Circuit Court decision in U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers v. Zinke. The D.C. Circuit held that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not have authority under the federal Lacey Act to restrict the movement of injurious species across state lines, dealing a significant blow the Service’s invasive species program.

Participation:

This webinar was recorded on September 20, 2017.  To listen to a recording of the webinar, please click here.

 

Presenters:

Stephanie Showalter Otts
Director, National Sea Grant Law Center

Stephanie is the Director of the National Sea Grant Law Center and the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Legal Program at the University of Mississippi School of Law. Stephanie received a B.A. in History from Penn State University and a joint J.D./Masters of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School. She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania and Mississippi. As Director, Stephanie oversees a variety of legal education, research, and outreach activities, including providing legal research services to Sea Grant constituents on ocean and coastal law issues. Stephanie also teaches a foundational course on ocean and coastal law at the University of Mississippi School of Law. Stephanie has conducted extensive research on marine aquaculture.

Research & Materials:

Powerpoint

U.S. Assoc. of Reptile Keepers v. Zinke, No. 15-5199 (D.C. Cir. 2017)

Federal Invasive Species Prevention Efforts Suffer Significant Litigation Defeat (The SandBar, July 2017)