Addressing the North American and Pacific Rim Invasive Insect and Arthropod Species Challenge
The Entomological Society of America (ESA), the Entomological Society of Canada (ESC), and the Entomological Society of British Columbia (ESBC) hosted an invasive arthropod species summit in Vancouver, BC, on 9-10 November, 2018, immediately prior to the tri-society Joint Annual Meeting of ESA, ESC, and ESBC, which ran from 11-14 November in Vancouver. Each of the three Societies named a summit co-chair to help organize and run the event. They were:

• ESBC – Ms. Tracy Hueppelsheuser, British Columbia Plant Protection Advisory Council
• ESC – Dr. Sandy M. Smith, University of Toronto
• ESA – Dr. Frank G. Zalom, University of California – Davis
• Additionally, Dr. Helen Spafford, a well-known expert on invasive arthropod species, is serving on the organizing committee. She is also a member of ESA.

There was no fee for attendees to participate in the summit, which was financed by ESA and the sponsors: Corteva Agriscience, the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont; Bayer CropScience; and Syngenta:

Important information and links:

• Why did we hold the summit? Read the Statement of the Problem report prepared for this summit (summary available here). In short, the summit sought to explore key aspects of the invasive arthropod species crisis, learn what existing initiatives and funding organizations are already active in this area, and identify the best opportunities for the entomological community to make a meaningful and lasting contribution.
• Who was been invited? Known opinion and thought leaders of the invasive arthropod species challenge were invited. All entomological societies, related federal agencies, and corporate interests were encouraged to send a representative to the summit. The summit was invitation only and space was limited. Check out the photos from the event.
• Where was the summit held? The summit was entirely hosted within the Fairmont Waterfront hotel in downtown Vancouver, BC. The location of the summit in Vancouver, BC, underscored the importance of the port city in the invasive insect species challenge. Vancouver is one of the busiest ports in the Americas and is among the top 30 busiest ports in the world. It is also connected to the world as a major hub for international flights to and from North America.
• What did the summit include? The summit showcased a mix of round tables, plenary sessions, breakout conversations, scientific posters, and other methods of scientific presentation, in addition to plenty of networking opportunities. The agenda remains online here, and included techniques to develop new ways to talk about the invasive species challenge. As preparation, registered attendees were encouraged to watch this 5- minute video before attending. An outcome report (or white paper) from the summit is still being drafted, but this blog post provides an initial report-out. Further ESA announced a challenge grant research funding opportunity during the summit.

If you have questions, email Chris Stelzig.