Join the Adirondack park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) at Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake, for the “Invasive Species at Our Door” summit. This free, day-long event will focus on the threat and the opportunity to manage two invasive species that have the potential to dramatically impact Adirondack forests and freshwater ecosystems—hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) and hydrilla.

The summit will feature some of the region’s experts on HWA, a forest pest that is taking hold in the Lake George region. HWA panelists include David Orwig, Senior Ecologist and Forest Ecologist from Harvard Forest; Gary Lovett, Senior Scientist for the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies; and Mark Whitmore, Director of the New York State Hemlock Initiative for Cornell University. The featured speakers will talk about the impact HWA may have on Adirondack forest ecosystems and the carbon sequestration potential of our forests, as well as how to manage hemlock to reduce these impacts. Speakers will also address the potential for biocontrols to help in the fight against HWA. Following the presentations, participants will have a chance to discuss the implications for the Adirondacks if HWA is here to stay.

The summit is also a chance to learn more about hydrilla, an aquatic invasive species that is present in other regions of New York. Meg Modley, Aquatic Invasive Species Management Coordinator for the Lake Champlain Basin Program, will provide an introduction to hydrilla, and cover the plant’s current infestation locations and how its presence could impact the Adirondacks. Dr. Susan Wilde, Associate Professor with the University of Georgia, who recently discovered a link between a bacteria connected with hydrilla and the death of eagles in the Southeast, will discuss her groundbreaking research. The Army Corps of Engineers will share the latest best management practices for managing hydrilla and Bill Brosseau, Stewardship Director for the Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute, will discuss Adirondack hydrilla prevention programs. Following the presentations, participants will have a chance to discuss what we can do to prevent or prepare for infestations of hydrilla in the Adirondacks.