Caterpillars are Munching and Worms are Jumping – Learn More!

Caterpillars are Munching and Worms are Jumping – Learn More!

Dear Colleague,

Happy July! APIPP’s field season is off to a busy start. Our seasonal staff, Adellia Baker and Megan Grega, are busy surveying and managing invasives at state campgrounds and recreational sites across the Adirondacks. Our professional crews from Invasive Plant Control and Adirondack Research are busy surveying for invasives on our lands and in our waters.

The invasive species are busy too, summer is their time to thrive. Many of you have experienced the severe gypsy moth outbreak, and we had a recent report of invasive jumping worms in the region. Read more about these species below.

You will also find information below about a new volunteer opportunity to assist students at the Rochester Institute of Technology and about a great instructional “Story Map” created by the Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District. Check it out!

Also, don’t forget to place your order for new “Protect Your Waters,” “Protect Your Forests,” and “Don’t Move Firewood” outreach materials. Thanks!

Spread-Prevention Outreach Materials Available for Free!

APIPP has new outreach materials to help Adirondack organizations and businesses spread the word about preventing the spread of invasive species. There are new posters and brochures for “Protect Your Forests,” “Protect Your Waters,” and “Don’t Move Firewood.” These materials are available for free if you can help raise awareness about preventing the spread of invasive species.

You can order these materials for free here.

You can preview the materials with these links.

Gypsy Moth Invasion

APIPP has received many reports about the severe gypsy moth infestation in the northern Adirondacks and in the Lake George region. Have hope! Reports are also coming in that caterpillars are now pupating, and the trees are starting to re-leaf. Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District held a great gypsy month webinar earlier this month. Click here to watch it.

Jumping Worms are On the Move

The NY Jumping Worm Working Group has a new homeowner’s guide. The two-page guide offers some great information about Jumping Worms, their impact, and what you can do about them. If you see Jumping Worms, please enter your findings into iMapInvasives.

Join APIPP’s “Lake Protector” Volunteer Network

APIPP launched its summer aquatic citizen-science program yesterday. You can watch the orientation webinars online and sign up to survey an Adirondack lake this summer. For more information about how to participate, email APIPP’s Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator Brian Greene.

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Looking for Volunteers

A team from RIT is using artificial intelligence and roadside imagery to predict locations of invasive plants, and needs help verifying the presence of plants in the field. Interested volunteers are responsible for surveying a set of 5 to 25 locations for Japanese Knotweed and Phragmites (common reed grass) by the end of July. If interested, please sign up with this form by July 9 to indicate which area you would like to survey. If you would like to help but are not near any of the verification regions, or have any additional questions, please email Liam Megraw at ltm4654@rit.edu.

Watershed Story Map Now Available

How do you tell a great story with words and maps? Check out Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District’s new Watershed Story Map!

Have a wonderful July 4th weekend,

Tammara