The following is the introduction to a letter to the editor I submitted. Since The Ledger (Lakeland, FL) published it, I will not re-publish the entire article. Please click the link to visit The Ledger's website and read the article! 
The Ledger has been, and continues to be, very supportive of outreach-themed "Letters to the Editor" and I highly encourage you to consider writing one. The opinion section of the paper in this day and age tends to be filled with complaints and anger. Why not inject some inspirational messaging into that section? 
See my article, below, and if you are inspired to write a Letter to the Editor, let me know in the comments!

Please Join the National Campaign to Combat Invasive Species in U.S.
Published: Tuesday, March 3, 2015 at 12:01 a.m.
National Invasive Species Awareness Week was developed to help slow the spread of invasive species across our landscape. Non-native plants, animals and pathogens can harm humans and the environment and impact our nation's economy. The damage done by invasive plants alone costs the U.S. an estimated $34.7 billion a year. Through NISAW, we hope to elevate the level of awareness regarding invasive exotic species and their impacts.

To read the rest of my article, which includes easy ways for every resident to get involved in #NISAW, click here.

Did you know it is National Invasive Species Awareness Week? Better yet, do you know what an Invasive Species is and why they are a problem? If not, don't worry. It's a fairly easy concept. 

There are three major categories applied to plants:

1. Native: A plant that was growing in a given place at the time of first written botanical record or has since been established to have been growing during that time period
2. Naturalized exotic: A species that has been introduced intentionally, or not, and has succeeded in growing and reproducing in an area
3. Invasive exotic: A species that has not only succeeded in growing and reproducing but is doing it to the point where it is displacing native species, throwing native ecosystems off balance, or has become so aggressive in it's growth habit that it has been legally deemed a pest. 

You may be asking yourself, "A pest? How can a plant be such a bad thing? Aren't they just growing where our native haven't been successful?" The answer is, yea - sort of. Invasive exotics may not seem like a big deal; a plant is a plant after all. Who cares if it is this plant or that plant? You should!

 Oh, and did I mention the title of Invasive Exotic isn't limited to plants? Wildlife can earn this prestigious honor as well (please note the sarcasm...). An influx of invasive exotic species can lead to huge economic implications when flood control is impaired, parks become overrun with a vine shading out and killing all of the trees, or when wildlife populations are damaged due to predation. 

According to a Florida Department of Environmental Protection study in 2001, the value of nature-based tourism was $7.8 billion dollars and the largest threat to that industry is exotic invasive species. In addition to the state's economy, which I imagine we would all like to improve, invasive species can wreck havoc in your yard, too. Invasive species can throw entire ecosystems and regional plant communities out of whack.

National Invasive Species Awareness Week is meant to spread the word regarding this fascinating and complex issue regarding exotic plants and animals. There's a rulle of tens associated with exotic species. It says,
10% of all introduced species will be able to reproduce and survive, and of those, 10% will become invasive. 
This is a huge problem for Florida! With four major airports and at least three major seaports; we see hundreds, if not thousands, of new species every month. Those species will have an easy time avoiding detection for many years if we use history as an example. We need to improve public awareness of the issue.  For instance, I'd venture to say that most of the population in Florida is familiar with the exotic species Burmese python, and those in north Florida with Kudzu vine but how many are familiar with ... 

• African land snail 
• Black and white tegu
  
• Coral ardisia
• Torpedo grass
• West Indian marsh grass

I would wager very few are familiar with these species which have been causing issue for decades in some cases!

Thanks for reading about National Invasive Species Awareness Week! Did you learn something? Let me know in the comments below. Have a great #NISAW!

Below is an excerpt from a Letter to the Editor I wrote, published in The Lakeland Ledger at the end of January. Because it is posted in its entirety on The Ledger's website, I won't report the entire letter here. If you're interested, please click on the title to be taken to the Ledger's publication of this Letter. 

A Solution to Air Potatoes
Published: Friday, January 30, 2015 at 12:01 a.m.
For those of you not familiar, air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) is an exotic invasive vine with large, heart-shaped, shiny leaves. It quickly grows into and over trees, shrubs, fences and anything left in your backyard too long...To reduce the population of air potato in your yard or neighborhood park, collect the potatoes and throw them away. They should not be put in compost piles or vegetation piles to be mulched or left in the garage. They are aggressive growers and will sprout and grow even in a dark room without water or soil. Trust me on that one. 

To read the rest of the article, which includes information on residential air potato control, please click here. 

If you are an educator looking for a new way to enhance your outreach efforts, consider submitting a Letter to the Editor to your local paper. The opinion section, often filled with anger, could use some uplifting information to engage the community! Letters to the Editor may be a great avenue for Extension faculty to engage a new audience in their program areas. 

If this post has inspired you to write a letter to the editor, about natural resources or otherwise, let me know in the comments. I would love to read your letter! 

Carnevale, S. “A Solution to Air Potatoes” The Lakeland Ledger 30 Jan. 2015: A12. Print.

This month, I've been teaching a community workshop on "Snakes in Polk County." To my great surprise, my class has sold out or resulted in a full classroom at both locations! Why am I surprised? I didn't think so many people were interested in snakes. Clearly, I was wrong.

For that reason, I thought it might be helpful to post some of the information I discussed at my class here. Snakes are a fascinating group of critters but tend to evoke all levels of fear and trepidation in the average resident or tourist. Let me assure you... you scare them as well! Below, I've listed some of the information we cover in the class.

• There are 36 species of native snakes in Central Florida; of those, only four are venomous. In all of Florida, there are 46 species of snakes. Of those, only six are venomous.
  
• The four venomous snakes in Central Florida are: pygmy rattle snake, diamond back rattlesnake, coral snake, and cottonmouth (aka water moccasin). 
  
• All of Florida's venomous snakes, including the two not found in Central Florida, are in the pit-viper family except the small coralsnake. The coralsnake is in the Elapidae family. Snakes in the pit-viper family produce a hematoxin while snakes in the Elapidae family produce a neurotoxin.
  
• Most water snakes people encounter in Central Florida are not actually the cottonmouth but are one of our many native non-venomous water snakes like the Florida banded water snake or the green water snake. The non-venomous snakes are thought to mimic the cottonmouth as a defensive strategy.
  
• There are no snake repellents on the market that are scientifically proved to be effective. Don't waste your money.
  
• This statement includes the use of mothballs as a snake repellant. Mothballs contain potent insecticides and are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As such, placing them in your home or yard is both illegal and illogical. Using mothballs in your yard and home as a snake repellent doesn't work, can be dangerous for children and pets, and contaminate soil and water. 
  
• The best defense for snake encounters in your yard or home is good maintenance and landscape design. Details on this strategy can be found in this University of Florida document: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw260
  
• Snakes play a critical role in pest control in agricultural, urban, and suburban communities. Without snakes, our rodent and insect populations would be much higher.
  

In addition to the great turnout for the classes, the media was interested too! I am so thrilled to say that I was contacted to do an on-air interview with Tampa's 88.5 WMNF about snakes in Central Florida. The radio station is a local National Public Radio affiliate and the show I appeared on is called "Radioactivity with Rob Lorei" The recording of the show is posted online, in their archives, if you're interested in listening. It was so exciting!

If you're interested in some books for further study, the ones I use in my office are:

• Peterson's "A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America" 
  
• Ashton's "Handbook of Reptiles and Amphibians of Florida: Part 1 The Snakes"
  

Like what you see? In the interest of full disclosure, I may earn a small commission when you purchase items through the links provided here. There is no increase in cost, to you or anyone else, associated with these links.
Both snake photos on this page were used under thecreative commons license 2.0 in an unaltered form. Clicking on either photo will take you to the source's Flickr page.