Meet the Great Lakes SmackDown! Terrestrial Terrors

By Alice Rossignol and Rachael Gleason

Welcome to the Great Lakes SmackDown! Terrestrial Terror.

Which terrestrial invasive species is the most ecologically destructive to the Great Lakes watershed?

We want you to tell us.

Last year, eight aquatic invasives fought it out for the title of “most destructive.” The quagga mussel, also known as the “The Quagmeister,” came out victorious against the sea lamprey by filter feeding at extreme velocities, hording toxins and being a general pain in the lake.

In a contest modeled after the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, we’re pitting 16 of the most formidable terrestrial invasive species against each other in “land brawls.”

We’ll ask biologists, resource managers, invasive species experts and Echo readers like you to weigh in on each battle. Fill out a bracket and find about the contenders, vote in polls and make sure you discuss and root for your favorite (or most disliked) contender.

Download everything you need here:

• Bracket (writable)
• Fighter profiles (to help make your choices read about the contenders in this document)

We’ll officially start the competition March 14 and make sure your brackets are in by Friday, March 18!

They may be exotic losers but that doesn’t mean they can’t be winners in the SmackDown!

Let’s brawl!