LAKE GEORGE – Hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) has been confirmed throughout the southeastern Adirondacks, and invasive species professionals are asking for the public’s help documenting its presence. 

HWA is an invasive insect that, once established, can kill a mature hemlock tree in 10 years. It was first documented in the Adirondacks in 2020. 

To better understand where HWA is and how it’s spreading, the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program teamed up with the Lake George Association and Lake George Land Conservancy to organize Lake George Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Monitoring Weekend.  

The weekend is an effort to recruit community scientists to survey a trail for HWA in the Lake George region between Friday, March 7 and Sunday, March 9. There’s an educational component, too—the weekend will include a guided HWA walk on the Buck Mountain Trail from 10:00am-noon on Saturday, March 8. 

Participants of the guided walk will learn basic plant identification, how to identify hemlock trees, how to identify hemlock woolly adelgid, and how to report invasive species like HWA using the iMapInvasives app. 

The walk will begin at the Buck Mountain trailhead in Fort Ann and continue up the trail, with the group learning plant identification and seeing examples of HWA along the way. There will be an optional hike to Stewart’s Ledge overlook for those interested in continuing farther.  

Those who can't attend the Guided HWA Walk can still participate in Lake George Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Monitoring Weekend.  

The event organizers recommend watching an HWA training video, “Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Background, Identification, and Reporting,” which is available on APIPP’s YouTube channel. 

Participants are then encouraged to adopt a trail through APIPP's Forest Pest Hunters program. Learn more about the Forest Pest Hunters program here.  

Lastly, participants are asked to fill out an online form to document which trail they intend to monitor. 

To learn more, visit www.adkinvasives.com/events. 

Lake George Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Monitoring Weekend is a collaborative effort between APIPP, LGA, and LGLC to train and encourage people to identify and report HWA in the Adirondacks. By reporting HWA and other invasive species, community scientists are helping scientists better understand how to manage and prevent the spread of invasive species. For more information, visit www.adkinvasives.com. 

APIPP’s mission is to work in partnership to minimize the impact of invasive species on the Adirondack region’s communities, lands, and waters. Learn more at www.adkinvasives.com. 

### 

The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) serves as the Adirondack Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISM), one of eight partnerships across New York. APIPP is hosted by The Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy and receives financial support from the Environmental Protection Fund administered by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.