Invasive species are nonnative plants and animals that can spread quickly and cause environmental or economic harm. In Oregon, they harm agriculture, aquaculture and forests, damage infrastructure, habitats, outcompete native species for food, water and space and disrupt how ecosystems function and impacts human health and tourism by increasing wildfire risks.
Invasive species prevention is a high-return investment. Legislative appropriations supported a coordinated statewide approach that strengthened readiness, leveraged local projects and helped protect Oregon waterways, infrastructure and natural resources.
The costs can be steep. Aquatic invasive mussels, including zebra and quagga mussels, can clog irrigation and hydropower systems, degrade water quality and limit recreation such as fishing and boating. They can also disrupt food webs by filtering large amounts of plankton that young fish depend on, affecting sport and commercial fisheries.
Oregon entered 2024 at a heightened risk with limited capacity to respond. The Oregon Invasive Species Council’s emergency response account was nearly depleted. The council lacked a coordinator and key response tools relied on aging 2008-era technology.
At the same time, invasive zebra mussels detected about 50 miles from Oregon’s border have cost Idaho over $9 million in control costs and increased concerns about an introduction to Oregon waterways. Oregon is one of only two states without established invasive mussel populations.
Invasive species expert engaged with policymakers
In 2024, 2025 and 2026, Sam Chan, Oregon Sea Grant Extension specialist in watersheds and aquatic invasive species and professor in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences in Oregon State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, led sustained engagement with elected officials and state leadership as chair of the Oregon Invasive Species Council.
Chan is Oregon Sea Grant’s expert in aquatic invasive species and watershed and aquatic ecosystem health. He conducts applied research and provides public education and engagement to help Oregonians understand, identify, control and manage the spread of invasive species.
In his council leadership role, Chan provided written and verbal testimony requested from legislators and coordinated council input on invasive species legislation during the 2025 Oregon legislative session.
Chan also built the council’s first competitive process for education and outreach grants (a legislative mandate since 2002 but unfunded until 2024), including an application, review criteria and award process. With $170,000 available, the program drew 36 applications requesting more than $700,000, documenting statewide demand for prevention and outreach.
To improve decision-making and readiness, Chan led:
- Five Decision Makers Field Tours, including two tours that reached more than 100 local leaders.
- A revision and re-release of Invasive Species Threats and Opportunities: A Primer for Oregon Policy Makers.
- Task groups to modernize the Invasive Species Reporting Hotline.
- A bi-state Oregon-Washington Invasive Mussel Near-term Action Report outlining four shared priorities.
- A rapid response to an invasive snail infestation affecting critical data center infrastructure in The Dalles, Oregon, coordinating species identification and treatment recommendations with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Chan’s leadership also supported broader participation in invasive species planning and requests for technical support, including tribal nations and communities with fewer resources to address prevention and response needs.
In February 2026, Chan was asked by an Oregon House committee to prepare an informational brief for committee work sessions on House Bill 4134, a proposal to increase the state lodging tax by 1.25% to fund wildlife and invasive species management.
The brief, titled “Invasive Species Consequences, Tourism, and Funding Needs in Oregon,” addressed lawmakers’ questions about impacts on natural assets, potential effects on tourism and funding priorities for the Oregon Invasive Species Council.
The document was used and cited by policymakers and interested groups — including representatives from the nursery and seed industries and conservation organizations — during legislative deliberations and testimony.
New funding, expanded capacity and prevention
Chan’s leadership helped secure a $1.3 million allocation in the 2024 special legislative session to replenish the emergency response account and establish Oregon’s first invasive species education and outreach grant program.
The allocation also funded a part-time contracted council coordinator position, improving day-to-day operations and speeding responses to public inquiries. Interest in expanding the investment continued, including legislation sponsored by Sen. Brock Smith and Rep. Ken Helm to provide an additional $1.3 million in the 2025 session.
Results include:
- Ten grant-funded projects launched across Oregon, with the application cycle providing a clear needs assessment for future policy decisions.
- A bi-state mussel action report that informed Oregon House Bill 2891, which strengthened coordinated rapid response to aquatic invasive species.
- Oregon maintained its status as one of only two states without established invasive freshwater mussel populations, helping avoid long-term economic and infrastructure costs.
House Bill 4134 passed the Legislature in February. The measure is projected to provide the Oregon Invasive Species Council with about $1 million per biennium to help replenish the emergency response account, support the reporting hotline, expand the education grant program and maintain core council operations.
Public value
Invasive species prevention is a high-return investment. Legislative appropriations supported a coordinated statewide approach that strengthened readiness, leveraged local projects and helped protect Oregon waterways, infrastructure and natural resources.
By preventing establishment of destructive aquatic mussels and improving rapid response capacity, Oregon reduced the likelihood of damages that can cost communities and industries millions of dollars over time.
