Interstate Early Detection and Rapid Response

About Interstate Early Detection and Rapid Response

The Great Lakes are continually threatened by the potential introduction, establishment and spread of new aquatic invasive species (AIS). Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Action Plans have repeatedly called for a a comprehensive program for detection and tracking of newly identified invasive species that provides critical information needed by decision-makers for evaluating potential rapid response actions.

In response, the Great Lakes states and Indigenous Nations have developed a comprehensive approach to regional early detection and response planning that helps agencies determine where to sample for AIS, which species to prioritize for identification, how to work together as a region to respond to new introductions of AIS, and how to communicate findings with partners.

This website is a repository for the many resources emerging from this collaborative effort. Additional work is ongoing to expand site prioritization modeling to Canadian waterways, as well as understand the pathways for aquatic plant introduction to waterways and effective sampling methods in those waterways.