Adirondack Mountain Club Calls for Members and Volunteers to Help Combat Invasive Species in the Adirondack Park
Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to the Adirondack Park’s waters and forests. The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) is calling upon you as the most important defense to stop the invasion! Volunteers like you are needed to monitor for invasive species in the Adirondack Park. ADK and its partners, including the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) and the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), are hosting two upcoming events to provide you an opportunity to get out and survey backcountry areas for invasive species as a skilled citizen scientist.
On September 8-9 there is an overnight backpacking outing in the Sleeping Beauty Mountain area of the Lake George Wild Forest. ADK staff and participant volunteers will hike into the area and use packrafts to survey backcountry ponds for aquatic invasive species (AIS).
On September 17, there will also be a workshop and outing to train volunteers to identify forest pests such as Hemlock Woolly Adelgid; an invasive insect that is 99% lethal to hemlocks and is already causing tree declines in the Catskill Park. The September 17th event will be held from 10am-4pm at the Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) office in Bolton Landing, with a field portion held in Amy’s Park. You can learn more and RSVP for these events at adk.org (Advocacy-Action Alerts).
These workshops and outings to recruit and train citizen scientists are part of a proven invasive species spread prevention strategy known as early detection and rapid response (EDRR). Since it facilitates management of invasive species infestations at an early stage, usually before they become widespread and established, EDRR is the most cost and resource effective method to stop the spread of invasive species. One of the keys to stopping invasive species is to have as many trained eyes in as many places as possible to spot and report invasives as soon as they appear. We can stop the invasion, but it will take the dedicated eyes of people who love, live, and recreate in these wild places to succeed.
RSVP for the September 8-9 outing and September 17 workshop at adk.org (Advocacy-Action Alerts), or contact Cathy Pedler 518-449-3870, cathy@adk.org
The Backcountry Monitor events are co-hosted by: The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP), Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK), the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), the Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC), Cornell University NYS Hemlock Initiative , NYS Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP), the NYS Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Invasive Species Coordination Unit.
Read more about citizen scientist projects to monitor for forest pests and aquatic invasive species in backcountry areas at www.adktrailhead.org
- Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) is a powerful voice protecting New York State’s wild lands and waters. ADK is a nonprofit organization with 30,000 members in 27 chapters and 36 year-round staff offering programs that help people discover, play in, and protect natural places.
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