Paul Heimowitz
Paul is the terrestrial invasive species program manager within the Biological Threats and Invasive Species Program of the Ecosystems Mission Area. He coordinates research on prevention, detection, monitoring, control, and other management priorities addressing a wide range of terrestrial plants (e.g., cheatgrass and tamarisk) and animals (e.g., Burmese python and brown tree snake).
Paul has nearly 25 years of experience working on invasive species prevention, detection, control, and outreach at regional, national, and international levels. Paul began his conservation career working on oil spill response, damage assessment, and habitat restoration with the state of Washington. He then took a Sea Grant Extension position with Oregon State University that shifted his focus to biological invasions. He came to USGS in 2022 after nearly 20 years working as an invasive species specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Region. While with USFWS, Paul’s roles included leading development of a first-of-its-kind regional invasive species prevention policy, coordinating the creation of a rapid response plan and exercise program for invasive mussels in the Columbia River Basin, and co-founding the Northwest Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change network. He is a graduate of the USFWS Advance Leadership Development Program.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 15
Invasive Plants We Study: Melaleuca
Melaleuca, also known as a paperbark tree, is an invasive tree.
Invasive Plants We Study: Brazilian Waterweed
Brazilian waterweed is an invasive aquatic plant.
Invasive Plants We Study: Reed Canary Grass
Reed canary grass is an invasive plant species.
Invasive Species We Study: Buffelgrass
Buffelgrass is a perennial grass from Africa that is invasive to the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest United States, where it threatens desert ecosystems by out-competing native plants and altering fire regimes. It has the potential to transform the Sonoran Desert ecosystem from a diverse assemblage of plants to a grassland monoculture. Buffelgrass was brought to Arizona in the 1930s for erosion...
Invasive Plants We Study: Leafy Spurge
Leafy spurge is an invasive Eurasian perennial introduced into the United States as a contaminant of crop seed in the 1880s and 1890s. It is an invasive plant that is poisonous to cattle and infests more than 2.7 million acres in southern Canada and the northern Great Plains. It typically forms monocultures and because of the latex that occurs in all parts of the plant, it is not consumed by...
Invasive Plants We Study: Brome
Brome is an invasive plant.
Invasive Plants We Study: Siberian Elm
Siberian elm are an invasive tree.
Invasive Plants We Study: Saltcedar
For more than a decade, USGS scientists have been leaders in understanding saltcedar invasion on riparian ecosystems in the southwest including effects on plant communities, water loss, erosion, wildlife use and human recreational resources. Models have been developed that quantify the extent of saltcedar distribution and inform management actions. In addition, USGS is studying the effectiveness...
Invasive Plants We Study: Russian Olive
The abundance of Russian olive varies across the Western United States; these species can be dominant, codominant, or subdominant relative to native species.
Invasive Plants We Study: Phragmites
Invasive species are costly, disrupt natural ecosystems, and consequently threaten native species. Phragmites, a tall wetland grass, has been a part of U.S. wetlands for many years. However, a strain from Europe, introduced in the early 19th century, aggressively displaces the native strain and has spread across the U.S. and Canada. These aggressive invasive plants form highly dense stands that...
Invasive Plants We Study: Cheatgrass
Cheatgrass and other invasive annual grasses continue to expand into the sagebrush ecosystem in the West and are fueling larger and more frequent wildfires. The life cycle of cheatgrass differs from most native grasses in that it dries out early in the season while native grasses are still green and producing seeds. This fuels fires earlier in the season and cheatgrass spreads quickly following...
Invasive Species We Study: Feral Pigs
Feral pigs are invasive animals first introduced in the continental United States during the 1500s by European sailors. The animals are a problem across the Southeastern and the Western United States. Large numbers exist on Federal lands, including National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks, as a result of illegal releases and high reproductive rates. With adequate nutrition, breeding occurs...
Science and Products
- Science
Filter Total Items: 15
Invasive Plants We Study: Melaleuca
Melaleuca, also known as a paperbark tree, is an invasive tree.Invasive Plants We Study: Brazilian Waterweed
Brazilian waterweed is an invasive aquatic plant.Invasive Plants We Study: Reed Canary Grass
Reed canary grass is an invasive plant species.Invasive Species We Study: Buffelgrass
Buffelgrass is a perennial grass from Africa that is invasive to the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest United States, where it threatens desert ecosystems by out-competing native plants and altering fire regimes. It has the potential to transform the Sonoran Desert ecosystem from a diverse assemblage of plants to a grassland monoculture. Buffelgrass was brought to Arizona in the 1930s for erosion...Invasive Plants We Study: Leafy Spurge
Leafy spurge is an invasive Eurasian perennial introduced into the United States as a contaminant of crop seed in the 1880s and 1890s. It is an invasive plant that is poisonous to cattle and infests more than 2.7 million acres in southern Canada and the northern Great Plains. It typically forms monocultures and because of the latex that occurs in all parts of the plant, it is not consumed by...Invasive Plants We Study: Brome
Brome is an invasive plant.Invasive Plants We Study: Siberian Elm
Siberian elm are an invasive tree.Invasive Plants We Study: Saltcedar
For more than a decade, USGS scientists have been leaders in understanding saltcedar invasion on riparian ecosystems in the southwest including effects on plant communities, water loss, erosion, wildlife use and human recreational resources. Models have been developed that quantify the extent of saltcedar distribution and inform management actions. In addition, USGS is studying the effectiveness...Invasive Plants We Study: Russian Olive
The abundance of Russian olive varies across the Western United States; these species can be dominant, codominant, or subdominant relative to native species.Invasive Plants We Study: Phragmites
Invasive species are costly, disrupt natural ecosystems, and consequently threaten native species. Phragmites, a tall wetland grass, has been a part of U.S. wetlands for many years. However, a strain from Europe, introduced in the early 19th century, aggressively displaces the native strain and has spread across the U.S. and Canada. These aggressive invasive plants form highly dense stands that...Invasive Plants We Study: Cheatgrass
Cheatgrass and other invasive annual grasses continue to expand into the sagebrush ecosystem in the West and are fueling larger and more frequent wildfires. The life cycle of cheatgrass differs from most native grasses in that it dries out early in the season while native grasses are still green and producing seeds. This fuels fires earlier in the season and cheatgrass spreads quickly following...Invasive Species We Study: Feral Pigs
Feral pigs are invasive animals first introduced in the continental United States during the 1500s by European sailors. The animals are a problem across the Southeastern and the Western United States. Large numbers exist on Federal lands, including National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks, as a result of illegal releases and high reproductive rates. With adequate nutrition, breeding occurs... - Publications
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