New York is celebrating its fifth Invasive Species Awareness Week (ISAW) July 8-14, 2018.
The mission of New York’s ISAW is to promote knowledge and understanding of invasive species and the harm they can cause by engaging citizens in a wide range of activities across the state, and empowering them to take action to stop the invasion! This year’s theme is “What YOU can do to stop the spread!” focusing on the positive actions we can all take to prevent the spread of invasive species.
There will be numerous invasive species-related public events held during ISAW 2018, join in by attending an event or hosting your own. As planning continues, be sure to check out the Calendar of events to learn about what is happening in your area.
10 Ways for Citizens to Take Action during NY Invasive Species Awareness Week
- Conduct research to learn more about NY’s regulated and prohibited invasive species
- Attend a training to learn how to identify or manage invasive species
- Check your property for signs and symptoms of invasive species
- Manage invasive species if they’ve become established on your property
- Help to track and map invasive species on public lands using iMapInvasives
- Participate in an invasive species control or post-control restoration project
- Tell a friend or neighbor about invasive species and the importance of gardening/landscaping with native plants
- Write a letter or talk to your elected officials about invasive species solutions and funding
- Survey neighborhood trees for damage inflicted by oak wilt, emerald ash borer, hemlock woolly adelgid or other forest pests
- Visit the web calendar at Calendar of Events to find events taking place in your region during ISAW
If you’re interested in hosting an event, be sure to check the Call for Events and the Scheduling an Event pages to gather the resources and information you need to host a successful event.
Don’t forget to sign up for your PRISM listserve to get involved with other ISAW activities.