Bolton Landing, NY – The public is invited to attend a hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) field survey training on Saturday, March 11, from 10 am to noon, at Hearthstone Point Campground in Lake George.
Program leaders will give an overview of winter outing safety skills, while teaching how to identify hemlock trees, survey for hemlock woolly adelgid, and report findings using iMapInvasives.
ADIRONDACKS – Forest Pest Hunter volunteer Bill Widrig has reported more than 300 forest pest survey observations, and he isn’t done yet. Widrig was among the first to join the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program’s Forest Pest Hunters effort when it began in 2021.
“Our property on the lake has old growth hemlock, some over 200 years old, that are very special to us,” Widrig said. “As hemlock woolly adelgid is a threat to these trees and all other hemlocks in the Northeast, I felt that I could not in good conscience just stand by and do nothing to help stop the spread of this pest.”
Did you know that winter is the best time to check for hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA)? We need your help monitoring this invasive species, particularly along the “leading edge” of the distribution that runs across the state.
Now through March 12, NY iMapInvasives and the NYS Hemlock Initiative are hosting NY’s first statewide Winter Mapping Challenge. Join the challenge to help monitor this invasive species and compete to win a prize!
To participate: Get outside, find some hemlock trees, check for white “fuzz balls” on the undersides of twigs, and report your findings to NY iMapInvasives – earning the coveted champion title could be that easy! The top reporter of presence and not-detected records for HWA from February 12 through March 12 will win the challenge.
Visit iMap’s website to learn more about the challenge and connect with HWA mapping efforts in your area.
Photo submitted to iMapInvasives by Observer #22202
The Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) unveiled its 2021 Annual Report showcasing major advances in reducing the threats invasive species pose to the Adirondack region. Last year, more than 30 organizations and 100 volunteers shared their ideas, time, and resources to advance the mission of APIPP. Through an interdisciplinary and highly collaborative approach, APIPP examines invasive species impacts, evaluates resources, and takes action to protect natural resources in the Adirondacks.
“For well over two decades, the APIPP team has worked tirelessly to protect the Adirondacks from the negative impacts of invasive species. Last year we brought new partnerships and scientific innovation to bear in the fight against terrestrial and aquatic invasive species. We are grateful to our expansive network of partners and to our community volunteers for working alongside us to safeguard our unique Adirondack lands and waters,” said Tammara Van Ryn, APIPP Program Manager.
Online Training: Adirondack Forest Pest Hunters – Surveying for HWA (Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program – Wednesday, February 16 from 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
You can help protect the Adirondacks by surveying for invasive hemlock woolly adelgid. This training will cover basic identification, survey techniques, and how to sign up for a trail to survey.
More information and a link to register can be found on APIPP’s website.
Calling all hikers, xc skiiers, and snowshoers in the Saint Lawrence/Eastern Lake Ontario (SLELO) Region! Our friends at SLELO PRISM invite you to take a hike to protect the region’s hemlocks (and win cool prizes) this winter through their Virtual Hike Challenge. The challenge is running now through March 1st, and you can participate any time you get outside. All you need to do is take a hike, check a hemlock for signs of invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, and take a photo. Share a photo of your experience on Facebook with the hashtag #VirtualHikeChallenge for a chance to win prizes!
You can find more information about the challenge, including featured trails, on the SLELO PRISM website. Brush up on hemlock ID, and take a quiz to test your knowledge on the New York State Hemlock Initiative website. Happy trails!
Photo: White woolly egg masses of invasive HWA on a hemlock branch
I’ve had bugs on the brain the last couple of weeks.
That’s because the New York State Hemlock Initiative invited me out to the Huyck Preserve in Rensselaerville to see the release of a predator fly that eats the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid — a forest pest that has afflicted the Lake George area of the Adirondacks. I went. About a week later, the Adirondack Park Invasive Plan Program held its annual partner meeting and guess what was a major highlight? Hemlock woolly adelgid. Check out adirondackexplorer.org for our coverage.
Of course, it was snowing when I went out to see these predator bugs released, so we missed the excitement of unscrewing a jar lid and sending them off. I confess that upon seeing these HWA predators in a jar, I was a bit underwhelmed by their size. They look more like fruit flies, hardly what one thinks when you hear the word “predator.” In my imagination, I whipped them up to look more like the size of house flies. I thought they’d be swarming in jars, thick and dense, so when they were let out, “release the flies!” would be a good thing to yell.
Biological Control Release Underway Bolsters Second Round of Treatment to Limit Spread of Invasive, Tree-Killing Pest
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and partners announced that additional efforts to limit the spread of the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA) on Forest Preserve lands in Washington County are underway. DEC forestry staff are treating 29 acres of infested hemlock stands near Shelving Rock and additional infested hemlocks near Paradise Bay. DEC is partnering with the New York State Hemlock Initiative and Cornell University to release Leucopis silver flies, a biological control for HWA, near Paradise Bay. These efforts are part of an ongoing, multi-year initiative to control the HWA infestation along the shores of Lake George that was discovered last August. Additional partners in these treatment efforts include the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) and Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC).
Upcoming Learning OpportunitiesEach of the following presentations will take place online.
Take Action Against Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Part 2) (Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program) – Wednesday, March 3 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Participants will learn how to adopt a trailhead, carry out self-guided HWA field surveys, and collect environmental data using iMapInvasives, a free, easy-to-use, mobile mapping tool. Register in advance online. Part 1 of this webinar will occur on 2/25 from 3-4:30 pm.
Do you live within the Saint Lawrence/Eastern Lake Ontario Region? Or do you like to get outdoors there? If so, NYS DEC friends SLELO PRISM are hosting their Virtual Hiking Challenge this winter, encouraging and challenging hikers to hike for the protection of the region’s hemlocks (and for cool prizes.)
The challenge will last through March, and you may participate anytime you choose to get outside. In order to participate, all you need to do is go for a hike, and check the hemlock trees for signs of invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, and share a photo.
To find out more information about the challenge, including featured trails, check out the SLELO PRISM website!
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and its partners have successfully completed this year’s Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) spread prevention and control treatment on the Washington County Forest Preserve Lands.
This treatment is part of an ongoing effort spanning multiple years. The HWA infestation was confirmed by the DEA in August- the affected hemlock trees located within the Glen Island Campground on the shore of Lake George.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation DEC Announced that they, along with Cornell University’s NYS Hemlock Initiative, The Adirondack Invasive Plant Program, Lake George Land Conservancy, and The Fund for Lake George, are developing a plan to mitigate the spread of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid HWA on Forest Preserve Lands in the towns of Dresden and Fort Ann, in Washington County. The DEC confirmed the HWA infestation August of 2020, in infected hemlock trees at the Glen Island Campground on the shore of Lake George. This marks the second infestation of HWA in the Adirondacks.
Scientists have found a large swath of trees with hemlock woolly adelgid in the Lake George watershed, including a 1.5-mile stretch along the eastern shoreline. This is in addition to some that was found in August on Glen Island.
This is considered especially troubling for the Lake George region because hemlocks are so prevalent there, and they play a key role in the ecosystem, providing habitat for trout and other wildlife.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced the confirmation of an infestation of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Adelges tsugae) on Forest Preserve lands in the town of Dresden in Washington County.
The affected hemlock trees were located near a campsite within Glen Island Campground on the shore of Lake George. This is the second known infestation of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) in the Adirondacks.
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Bug battle on Lake George
We are getting to that time of year where you can more easily check hemlock trees for invasive woolly adelgids. The insects sprout white wool to keep them warm in the winter, which is easier to see than the black specks they tend to look like in the spring. Remember to flip the branches over to look.
It’s strange talking about aphids bundling up for the cold weather, though, when it has been such a warm start to November. Some of our local lilac bushes have budded, and my small vegetable garden rebounded with a few grape tomatoes–a tasty surprise, but unsettling. But back to the bugs.
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