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 region? We want you to tell us. We’ll follow the NCAA tournament and pit 16 of the most formidable terrestrial invasive species against each other in “land brawls.” We also threw in a few aquatic wildcard species.
We’ll ask biologists, resource managers, invasive species experts and Echo readers to weigh in on each battle. Fill out a bracket, vote in polls and make sure you discuss and root for your favorite (or most disliked) contender.
They may be exotic losers but that doesn’t mean they can’t be winners in the SmackDown!
Let’s brawl!
Week of March 1
March 1 – Brackets and fighter profiles made available.
Download everything you need here:
- Bracket (writable)
- Fighter profiles (to help make your choices read about the contenders in this document)
Week of March 14 — March 18
March 14 – Official Introduction
March 14 – Round 1: Bird Battles
March 15 – Round 1: Insect wars
March 16 – Round 1: Plant peril
March 17 – Round 1: Miscellaneous mayhem
Week of March 21 — March 25
March 22 – Round 1, Part 1: Results of bird battles and insect wars
March 23 – Round 1, Part 2: Results of plant peril and misc. mayhem
March 24 – Terrestrial Terror Round 2: Mute swan vs. emerald ash borer
March 24 – Terrestrial Terror Round 2: European starling vs. gypsy moth
March 25 – Terrestrial Terror Round 2: Garlic mustard vs. feral swine
March 25 – Terrestrial Terror Round 2: Beech scale vs. mystery snails
Week of March 28 – April 1
March 29 – Terrestrial Terror Round 2 results: Garlic mustard vs. feral swine
March 29 – Terrestrial Terror Round 2 results: Beech scale vs. mystery snails
March 30 – Terrestrial Terror Round 2 results: European starling vs. gypsy moth
March 30 – Terrestrial Terror Round 2 results: Mute swan vs. emerald ash borer
Week of April 4 – April 8
April 5 – Terrestrial Terror Final Four results: European starling vs. beech scale
April 5 – Terrestrial Terror Final Four results: Emerald ash borer vs. Feral Swine
April 6 – Terrestrial Terror: Final land brawl
Week of April 11 – April 14
April 14 – VIDEO: Great Lakes SmackDown! Terrestrial Terror Finale