SICIM, formally known as the Southern Indiana Cooperative Weed Management Area (SICWMA), was officially incorporated on August 12, 2008. Several non-profit groups saw a need to create a CWMA for Southern Indiana. A number of public meetings across the area were held to gauge interest and set direction. The consensus of these meetings was that a CWMA for Southern Indiana would be valuable and important – and that we should continue efforts to formalize a coalition.
Since then, many CWMAs have transitioned to the newer term CISMAs, or Cooperative Invasive Species Management Areas, and began expanding to focus on a variety of invasive plant and animal species. These groups are being formed across the U.S. as landowners, private groups and government agencies look for more effective ways to limit the growing economic and environmental damage caused by Invasive Species. Most CISMAs are coalitions of private and public organizations – sharing knowledge, people and other resources in an effort to improve public education, prevention and eradication/containment programs across a given geographic area.
In recent years, SICIM’s goal has been to support the formation of local CISMAs within our 35 county region, most covering a single county (see our CISMAs & Funding section). Starting in 2018, this effort also led to the development of our Indiana Invasives Initiative, where we are working with USDA-NRCS to create CISMAs across all of Indiana.
