It's Invasive Species Awareness Week

From Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office:

New York’s third annual Invasive Species Awareness Week is being held now -- from July 10 to July 16.

State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos and state Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball said observance of the week urges all New Yorkers to exercise environmental stewardship to protect lands and waters from infestations that can be devastating to habitats, agriculture, tourism and human health.

Invasive species cause harm because of their ability to reproduce quickly, outcompete native species and adapt to new environments. 

Because invasive species did not evolve with the other species in their new location, they often do not have natural predators and diseases that would normally control their population within their native habitat. Economists estimate that invasive species cost the United States more than $120 billion in damages every year.

During Invasive Species week, the Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management, iMap Invasives, Cornell Cooperative Extension, DEC and additional state and local partners will host activities to inform citizens how to identify, survey, map, report or manage invasive species. 

Those attending will be able to help remove invasive species from public lands, join experts on the trails or on the water to see invasive species firsthand, attend presentations to learn more about what can be done to help fight these threats, and more. 

In addition, all citizens are asked to consider how their everyday activities may affect the spread of invasive species and use the following best management practices: clean, drain and dry watercraft and gear after boating and fishing; use non-invasive plants in gardens and landscaping; use local firewood; and learn about, look for and report invasive species.

New York is working persistently to fight invasives such as emerald ash borer, which has spread across the state on wood packaging and firewood, threatening to kill millions of ash and cause a negative impact on the timber industry in the millions of dollars. This includes baseball bat manufacturers and bats used in Major League Baseball.  

Hemlock wooly adelgid is another threat, killing thousands of acres of hemlock in the lower Hudson Valley and Catskills. Shade provided by hemlock is important for maintaining cool water temperatures for New York’s many trout streams. 

        Oak wilt, first discovered in 2008, has cost New York state about $500,000 to control. Some midwest states spend over $1 million a year to control it but New York has kept costs down by aggressively surveying and eradicating infestations quickly while they are small. Oak is an important species because of the wildlife (deer and turkey among others, big for hunting) that depend on the acorns.

Cuomo Announces Invasive Species Awareness Week

Wild parsnip looks like yellow Queen Anne's lace. Its sap can burn your skin.

New York state’s second annual Invasive Species Awareness Week is July 18 through 26.

Not every organism that comes from abroad is a problem, but a few have become invasive, causing serious financial and environmental damage.

Because nearly half of all new invasive species infestations are found by concerned citizens, the public is asked to be “eyes and ears on the ground” by learning about a few key invasive species threats to our region. With invasive species, the best offense is a good defense—an ounce of prevention is worth megatons of control efforts.

Asian longhorn beetle, emerald ash borer and hemlock woolly adelgid are the most destructive forest insect pests, and Japanese knotweed and wild parsnip are two of the more difficult invasive plants to control. 

Learn how to identify these and others at http://nyis.info/  or contact your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office or state Department of Environmental Conservation office.

For a list of fun and informative invasive species events coming up next week in the North Country, including many kid-friendly programs, go to http://stlawrence.cce.cornell.edu/

New Efforts Announced to Fight Emerald Ash Borer

From state Ag and Markets:

   

The state of New York on Thursday announced new efforts to combat and slow the spread of the emerald ash borer (EAB), an invasive beetle that damages and kills ash trees in forested and urban settings.   The state Department of Agriculture and Markets and state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) have revised the state’s EAB management regulations, providing greater protection for un-infested communities and forests, allowing municipalities opportunity to prepare and better plan for future infestation, and easing restrictions on the forest products industry. After conducting extensive outreach to the industry, New York state has revised its regulations and will create 14 restricted zones — which include a buffer area of five miles — that allow the free movement of infested materials within the new boundaries without compliance agreements or permits. This will make it easier for municipalities, homeowners and the forest products industry to remove, treat and dispose of infested materials in these areas. The revised regulations will help slow the spread of EAB, providing opportunity for un-infested communities to better plan for the management of the insect. Since the initial discovery of EAB in New York, the invasive species has been detected in portions of 23 counties. Although the county-by-county quarantine along with enhanced firewood regulations has been highly effective in slowing the spread of EAB, it has also regulated significant portions of the state that are not currently infested with EAB.   In some instances, the quarantine and associated regulations have made EAB management more challenging.  The new approach to EAB management also will ease regulations on the forest products industry by eliminating bark, mulch and wood chips from the definition of a regulated article (except for the 30 days encompassing April 15-May 15, just prior to EAB emergence), and relaxing the chip size specification.  The DEC will continue to survey for EAB statewide and coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Markets to update the restricted zones as necessary. New York state and Cornell Cooperative Extension are available to assist municipalities with development of EAB management plans.    In addition, the DEC will also be replacing its current EAB quarantine order with a parallel quarantine regulation. In coordination with these changes in state EAB regulations, the USDA has expanded its federal EAB quarantine to include all of New York state, and will continue to oversee the movement of ash regulated articles in interstate and international commerce.  State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “One of the best lines of defense we have against EAB is to continue to update our management strategy and be proactive in our planning. Giving our municipalities the opportunity to plan for future infestation will not only save them time and money, but will also go a long way in limiting the spread of this destructive insect.” DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said, “DEC continues to work closely with the Department of Agriculture and Markets and other state agencies, federal departments and regional partners to identify, contain and effectively manage the EAB.  By adopting regulations to tighten quarantine boundaries to include only areas with known infestation, we can isolate and better control the EAB, which will protect trees and forests and help mitigate environmental and economic impacts.”