Dear Colleague,

Spring is here and people are eager to get into their gardens. What do you do when a neighbor happily shows you the burning bush plant he just bought? Do you say, “that’s great” or do you share information about the plant’s invasiveness and the New York State Prohibited and Regulated Plant List? This is a great time of year to do outreach. This story has a happy ending, my neighbor returned the plant to the nursery once I provided some information about it. The “ADK Hunt for HWA” project was also a happy-ending story. Read on for more details and for information on APIPP’s trainings and webinar recordings.

APIPP Spring Partner Meeting and eDNA Presentation Recordings

Thank you to everyone who joined our Spring Partner Meeting at the end of April. Notes and the recording of the meeting can be found on APIPP’s website. The feature presentation on eDNA was outstanding. Paul Simonin, a conservation biologist with Cornell University, provided an overview of eDNA and its use detecting aquatic invasive species. Mark Whitmore, the principal investigator at the NYS Hemlock Initiative, shared emerging research about eDNA as a tool for hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) detection.

• APIPP presentation: https://youtu.be/aM-XpG3cf7E 
• eDNA presentation: https://youtu.be/d5LzPG3kCQM 

ADK Hunt for HWA a Success

Emily-Bell Dinan, APIPP Education and Outreach Coordinator, shared the final results from the new “ADK Hunt for HWA” volunteer program at the April 29 meeting: 26 volunteers adopted 102 trails and entered 167 observations into iMap. Fortunately, no new occurrences of HWA were found.

Carolyn Cyr, an “ADK Hunt for HWA” volunteer, shared her experience with the project on the call. She mentioned that she had concerns about the technology at the beginning, but with help from Emily-Bell, she was able to easily use iMap. She enjoyed doing the surveys and it allowed her to get outdoors with friends during the pandemic. Carolyn closed with, “hope comes from action.” This activity gave her hope, and she gave the APIPP audience hope too! APIPP will resume the HWA survey program again in the fall.

Pesticide Training Coming Up May 25: 10:00am via Zoom

Best Management Practices for Roadside Invasive Species; A “How-To” Workshop for Transportation Professionals will be held on May 25 at 10:00am. Learn roadside specific prevention techniques and best management practices. This virtual workshop will also discuss identification and management methods for roadside invasive species. The webinar will offer 1.5 pesticide credits in categories 3a, 6a and 9. A quiz will be required for those receiving credits.

To register click here.

Happy Spring!

Tammara