Dear Partners,

Spring equinox is almost here. As the season changes, the APIPP team will bid a sad farewell to Becca Bernacki, our amazing Terrestrial Invasive Species Coordinator, on March 15. If you have had the good fortune to interact with Becca, you know she “knows her stuff” and is always willing to share her knowledge with others.

In the four years that Becca has been at the helm of APIPP’s terrestrial program, she has grown our Forest Pest Hunter program, built strong relationships with our partners, mentored seasonal staff, and overseen the monitoring and management of more than 1,500 invasive species infestations. Thank you, Becca, for all you have done to help protect Adirondack lands, waters, and communities from the impacts of invasive species.

Looking ahead to April, the APIPP 2024 Spring Partner Meeting will be held on April 25. Read all about it below and click here to register. And, if you missed our March 6 Adirondack Lake Ecology webinar, you can watch the recording on YouTube here.

Forest Pest Hunter Update—Still Time to Survey

Forest Pest Hunters have been busy! Many thanks to those who have braved some icy trails to get out there to survey. So far 42 trails have been adopted. Over 800 observations have been added to iMap, including 97 positive findings. Thank you! If you have not yet gotten started, there are a few more weeks to go. Find all the information you need here on APIPP’s website.

April 25: APIPP’s 2024 Spring Partner Meeting, 10:00am-2:00pm at the Whallonsburg Grange

(There is an optional field trip to Essex Quarry Preserve at 2:00pm, and a virtual meeting option available for the 10:00am-12:00pm presentations.)

The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) is pleased to partner with the Adirondack Garden Club and Champlain Area Trails (CATS) for its 2024 Spring Partner Meeting at the Whallonsburg Grange. The April 25 meeting is a great opportunity to find out the latest news about invasive species in the Adirondacks, connect with partners from across the region, and get out in the field.

The 2024 Spring Partner meeting will begin with an overview of APIPP’s 2024 workplan and the species APIPP is focusing on this year. APIPP’s Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator, Brian Greene, will share the results from last summer’s aquatic invasive species eDNA sampling. APIPP’s Director, Tammara Van Ryn, will showcase the 2023 Partner Accomplishments Dashboard.

Our featured speaker is Nancy Budd from the Adirondack Garden Club. Nancy will talk about the Garden Club’s project to restore native habitat at the CATS Essex Quarry Preserve. The unique limestone woodland of the preserve was overgrown with invasive bittersweet, honeysuckle, and buckthorn. The Garden Club has started removing these invasive plants and will start planting native species this spring. Come learn about this inspiring project!

The formal presentations will be followed by a partner roundtable where everyone at the in-person meeting can share their plans for summer 2024. As an added treat, there will be an optional field trip to the Essex Quarry Preserve following the roundtable to see the Garden Club’s work in action.

The 2024 APIPP Spring Partner Meeting will be held at Whallonsburg Grange, located at 1610 NY-22 in Essex, NY. For the field trip, the Essex Quarry Preserve is just a short drive from the Grange. There is a Zoom option for those who wish to attend the morning session virtually. If you are joining us in person, please come a little early to say hello, grab some coffee, and take a seat—also please bring your own lunch if you stay for the roundtable and field trip.

APIPP 2024 Spring Partner Meeting

• 9:30 am   Coffee and Networking (in-person attendees)
• 10:00am Presentations (in-person and Zoom)
• 12:00pm  Brown-Bag Lunch and Partner Roundtable (in-person)
• 2:00pm    Field Trip (in-person)

Please register to join us.

Regards,

Tammara