Budget request for nutria management $1.5 million; nutria research $. 9 million; public education $60,000; and wetland restoration $. 4 million = total of $2.9 million.

In-kind contributions include: direct dollars; boats/ motors; equipment; vehicles; staff time has not risen to nearly $1.5 million.

A grant for $300,000 has been obtained from the US Department of Agriculture for capacity building. This makes the project a $4.7 million undertaking the largest furbearer research project ever in the United States.

An Executive Order was signed by President Clinton on February 3, 1999. Its purpose: Control of invasive species; to minimize the economic, ecological and human health impacts of invasive species.

An Invasive Species Council, co-chaired by the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce was established to coordinate federal agency activities in invasive species to document, evaluate and monitor impacts from invasive species.

A national survey was completed to establish the status, distribution and management of nutria in the United States.

22 of the 50 states have confirmed nutria introductions. All national wildlife refuges and state wildlife agencies were surveyed. 15 states reported viable and expanding populations of nutria.

A Do you have nutria? questionnaire was sent to all states and federal wildlife refuges; the first nutria release was in the 1890s in California.

Distribution of nutria: Washington, Oregon, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky.

In the 15 states with nutria 1,046,425 acres (423,482 hectors) of land-managed by the National Wildlife Refuge System have nutria. In Louisiana alone, 100,000 acres of marsh were severely damaged in 1998.