The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary by launching a new public awareness campaign focused on the simple steps Adirondack residents and visitors can take to prevent invasive species from spreading into the places they love.

The “Keep Invasive Species Out” campaign is centered around a new logo and a website, KeepInvasiveSpeciesOut.com that provides an overview of the problem and offers simple, preventive solutions for limiting the likelihood of unintentionally spreading an invasive. Tips are given for specific outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, horseback riding, gardening/landscaping, and farming. The site is designed to provide information quickly and easily, and serves as a complement to APIPP’s longstanding website, adkinvasives.com.

To help promote best prevention practices, APIPP is encouraging organizations, businesses and municipalities to use the new logo on any materials related to invasive species awareness. Additional components of the campaign will be introduced over the summer, including imprinted promotional items, advertising, and signage at locations throughout the Adirondacks.

Invasive species are plants, insects, animals and other organisms that are non-native to the ecosystem and cause significant economic or environmental harm, or harm to human health. Among the lengthy and diverse list of potential impacts: invasive species can reduce native species biodiversity, hamper recreational use, reduce property values, and spread diseases.

Established in 1998, APIPP leads a variety of partner organizations in a comprehensive effort to address invasive species impacts throughout the Adirondack region.