Origin.
Why form a CISMA?
What We Do.
Formed in 2007, the Anchorage Cooperative Weed Management Area (ANC-CWMA) is a joint effort of government agencies, non-profit groups, and private citizens who have come together to fight the spread of non-native invasive weeds in the Anchorage area. Charter members, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June 2008 to share information and resources, are:
Alaska Division of Forestry
Anchorage Fire Department
Citizens Against Noxious Weeds Invading the North (CANWIN)
Bureau of Land Management
Municipality of Anchorage
National Park Service
University of Alaska Fairbanks
US Fish and Wildlife Service
US Forest Service
In 2020, recognizing that non-native invasive weeds are part of the larger problem of invasive species in Alaska, the organization members voted to change the name of the organization to reflect this: Anchorage Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (ANC-CISMA). ANC-CISMA continues to focus on preventing the spread of non-native invasive weeds, but as part of a larger picture of invasive species affecting Alaska.
Since 2022, the ANC-CISMA has been coordinated by the Anchorage Soil & Water Conservation District.
Invasive species don't recognize land ownership boundaries. A CISMA enables all interested parties to come together across those boundaries. Under a CISMA, local citizens and land managers work together to identify common needs, priorities, and goals and to pool information and resources. CISMAs have cropped up all over the United States and are generally more successful in stopping the spread of invasive species than individual stakeholders working alone.
Members meet quarterly to share information about invasive species, plan invasive species-related education events, discuss grant opportunities, plan and execute weed pulls, and build membership.