July 10, 2018 ARKVILLE, NY —  The Catskill Center for Conservation and Development through the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) is celebrating New York State Invasive Species Awareness Week (ISAW) “What YOU can do to help stop the spread!” to promote participation in combating invasive species by offering numerous opportunities to take action to help stop the spread of invasives. This year, the schedule is dense with a multitude of events, which will be held at locations in Ulster, Sullivan, Otsego, Schoharie and Greene Counties.

What are invasive species and what can I do?
Invasive species are species that are not native to an ecosystem and have the ability to cause significant harm to our environment, economy or human health. They affect us all and threaten our treasured waters, lands, crops, and even human health.

Invasive species are costly to our communities and our well-being. The events
offered by CRISP and its partners include many opportunities to participate in
invasive species surveys and removal, get help with invasive species identification, trainings for early detection and monitoring, a teach-in and many other activities.

Upcoming Events
On Wednesday 7/11, from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM, the New York State Hemlock Initiative is offering a Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Phenology Training at the Catskill Interpretive Center in Mt. Tremper. Volunteers are needed to observe the life cycle of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an invasive forest pest that is killing our Catskill’s hemlocks. The training will show participants how to report different life stages of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, to help identify the best timing of biological control releases to manage Hemlock Woolly Adelgid.

On Wednesday from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Otsego County Conservation Association (OCCA) is leading a Japanese Knotweed Removal at Mohican Farm in Springfield. Japanese knotweed is a highly invasive plant that is spreading rapidly across the region. Learn to recognize knotweed and help to control it at Mohican Farm. Bring hand pruners and hand tools useful for grubbing tough, persistent roots out of the ground. Meet at OCCA’s Mohican Farm office, 7207 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. Contact Jeff O’Handley for information or to register, at 607-282-4087 or programdirector@occainfo.org

Stop by the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership table at the Woodstock Farm Festival on Wednesday from 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM at 6 Maple Lane in Woodstock to learn the latest invasive species news and have invasive questions answered.

Visit the Thorn Preserve at 55 John Joy Road in Woodstock on Thursday from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, to learn how to identify Japanese knotweed and help to control it on the Catskill Center’s Thorn Preserve. An Invasive Species Overview is being offered on Thursday from 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties’, Agroforestry Resource Center, Route 23, Acra. This free program will provide information about the 2018 Early Detection invasive species coming into the region while providing the basics about common invasive species in our region and focusing on the recent expansion of Emerald ash borer and Hemlock woolly adelgid. Knowing how to deal with invasive species will help you manage their spread, and in some instances eradicate them, so being appropriately informed and updated is essential. Register online: https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/InvasiveOverview2018_210 or by calling 518-622- 9820 x100.

Many invasive species are transported by people who unintentionally move the seeds through recreational activities such as hiking, hunting or fishing. To minimize the movement of invasives, a boot-brush station has been established by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Join us for the Shavertown Trail Bootbrush Ribbon Cutting and Invasive Species Walk 10:30 AM on Friday 7/13 at the trailhead on County Route 1 in Andes, just north of its intersection with Route 30.

The late Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey once called To Be Forever Wild an "important and breathtaking film about one of the most beautiful places on earth—its sights, its wonders, its people. The film reminds us that the Catskill Mountains are a national treasure.” On Friday, July 13, at 7 p.m., the Catskill Interpretive Center is pleased to welcome Director David Becker, his film crew and surprise guests for a very special screening of “To Be Forever Wild.”

Four years ago, the Catskill Center planted four rows of young hemlocks to grow into a thick hedgerow which promotes easy recollection of the beetle Laricobius nigrinus, a target-specific predator of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. On Saturday from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM at the Thorn Preserve at 55 John Joy Road in Woodstock, we will be repairing the fence that has protected the hemlocks from deer herbivory, to keep the hemlocks healthy as they grow. The public is invited to help protect the trees, learn about the invasive pests that are plaguing hemlocks, and what actions can be taken to help keep hemlocks alive in the Catskills landscape.

Celebrate New York State's fifth Invasive Species Awareness Week with an Invasive Species Teach-In at the Wilber Park upper pavilion in Oneonta on Saturday between 11 AM and 3 PM. Experts from SUNY Oneonta will share their expertise about invasive plants with displays, activities for kids and adults, and a plant identification booth. See examples of common invasive plants, discover how to report new infestations, and learn what is being done to control them. Suspicious plants or weeds may be brought along for identification— either a good cell phone photo or a plant sample sealed in a gallon Ziploc bag. Unknown insects may also be dropped off for later identification. Insects must be sealed in a bag and frozen overnight, i.e. (they must be dead). This event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by OCCA, CRISP, and the City of Oneonta.

During Invasive Species Awareness Week, Cornell Cooperative Extension Schoharie and Otsego Counties is providing a service to identify invasive species and provide control recommendations. The service is free and offered in partnership with the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership. Samples may be dropped off from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m through Friday 7/13 at the Extension Center at 173 South Grand St. in Cobleskill. Some species of concern in the region are jumping worms, spotted lanternfly, hydrilla, slender false brome, Japanese angelica-tree, Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed. If anyone thinks they have giant hogweed on their property, avoid physical contact. Call CCE at (518) 234-4303 for more information. A clear photo along with contact information may also be emailed to schoharie@cornell.edu.

A Monitoring and Managing Ash (MaMA)Training is offered on Monday, 7/16 at 1 PM - 4 PM to fight against Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and save ash trees! The Ecological Research Institute presents this training to establish ash mortality monitoring plots for the MaMA Monitoring Plot Network extending throughout the Catskills and beyond. Data from the network are used to find areas ready to search for likely EAB-resistant lingering ash, which provide the best hope for ash conservation. The workshop covers how to recognize ash and detect EAB; how to report EAB via the MaMA Ash/EAB Surveys project; introductions to MaMA’s “Potential Lingering Ash Toolkit” to protect potential lingering ash; and MaMA’s other tools and integrated approach to EAB management and ash conservation. To see all the ISAW events coming up, visit: www.catskillinvasives.com , or to learn more about the statewide campaign, visit www.stoptheinvasionny.com.

The Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership is a collaborative of organizations working to promote education, prevention, early detection and control of invasive species to limit their impact on the ecosystems and economies of the Catskills.

For more information and/or questions, please contact John Thompson at 845-586-2611 or via email: jthompson@catskillcenter.org.

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