RJ
02-02-2007, 06:11 PM
Conference to be Held in Albany, NY on February 7 & 8
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that the Invasive Plant Council of New York State (IPC) will be holding its first statewide conference titled, “Invasive Plants on the Horizon and More.” The gathering will be held at the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road in Albany on February 7 and 8, 2007. The conference will bring together partners from around the state to exchange information and further efforts to combat the threat of invasive species. DEC, along with New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and New York State Department of Transportation, are sponsors of the conference.
The Invasive Plant Council is a not-for-profit organization that grew out of an ad hoc group of agencies and organizations incorporated in 1999 to provide education about invasive plant issues and to coordinate and guide management of invasive plants in New York State. Today, the Invasive Plant Council provides an information clearinghouse for invasive plant identification, research and management, and has planned and organized the conference.
The New York State Invasive Species Task Force, co-chaired by DEC and New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, was created to assesses the nature, scope and magnitude of the environmental, ecological, agricultural, economic, recreational, and social impacts caused by invasive species in the state. The Task Force includes representatives of a number of state agencies, as well as the state’s land grant college Cornell University, New York Sea Grant, and representatives of other organizations concerned with the impact of invasive species, such as The Nature Conservancy, the New York State Farm Bureau, and the Empire State Marine Trades Association.
The Task Force Report found that conferences such as this provide a critical forum for maintaining the interest and attention of the many New York stakeholders who are concerned about invasive species. The conference emphasizes early detection and rapid response, which are essential components for keeping our natural resources safe from the threat of new invasive plants, as well as pests and diseases. For more information on the Invasive Species Task Force, please go to http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/habitat/istf/istf.html on the DEC website.
The conference will include sessions on: public perceptions and education; volunteers and partnerships; monitoring and early detection; surveys and inventories; nuisance aquatic plants; invasive animals and food chain relationships; regulation; control successes and tools available to weed managers, including biological control and pesticides. On the first morning of the conference, existing and newly-forming regional partnerships will meet to coordinate their efforts. The featured dinner speaker on February 7, 2007 will be Dr. Don Leopold, author of Native Plants of the Northeast and Distinguished Teaching Professor at SUNY - College of Environmental Science and Forestry. A book signing will be co-hosted by Dr. Leopold and Dr. Steven Clemants, Invasive Plants Council Chair as well as Director of Science at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and author of Wildflowers in the Field and Forest. Faith Campbell, Senior Policy Representative for the Forest Health Program of The Nature Conservancy’s Worldwide Office, will close out the plenary session on February 8, 2007.
Registration information and a conference agenda are available at: http://www.ipcnys.org . Space is limited. The members of the press are invited to attend the conference and should check in at the registration desk for free passes.
###
07-12
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that the Invasive Plant Council of New York State (IPC) will be holding its first statewide conference titled, “Invasive Plants on the Horizon and More.” The gathering will be held at the Holiday Inn on Wolf Road in Albany on February 7 and 8, 2007. The conference will bring together partners from around the state to exchange information and further efforts to combat the threat of invasive species. DEC, along with New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and New York State Department of Transportation, are sponsors of the conference.
The Invasive Plant Council is a not-for-profit organization that grew out of an ad hoc group of agencies and organizations incorporated in 1999 to provide education about invasive plant issues and to coordinate and guide management of invasive plants in New York State. Today, the Invasive Plant Council provides an information clearinghouse for invasive plant identification, research and management, and has planned and organized the conference.
The New York State Invasive Species Task Force, co-chaired by DEC and New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, was created to assesses the nature, scope and magnitude of the environmental, ecological, agricultural, economic, recreational, and social impacts caused by invasive species in the state. The Task Force includes representatives of a number of state agencies, as well as the state’s land grant college Cornell University, New York Sea Grant, and representatives of other organizations concerned with the impact of invasive species, such as The Nature Conservancy, the New York State Farm Bureau, and the Empire State Marine Trades Association.
The Task Force Report found that conferences such as this provide a critical forum for maintaining the interest and attention of the many New York stakeholders who are concerned about invasive species. The conference emphasizes early detection and rapid response, which are essential components for keeping our natural resources safe from the threat of new invasive plants, as well as pests and diseases. For more information on the Invasive Species Task Force, please go to http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/habitat/istf/istf.html on the DEC website.
The conference will include sessions on: public perceptions and education; volunteers and partnerships; monitoring and early detection; surveys and inventories; nuisance aquatic plants; invasive animals and food chain relationships; regulation; control successes and tools available to weed managers, including biological control and pesticides. On the first morning of the conference, existing and newly-forming regional partnerships will meet to coordinate their efforts. The featured dinner speaker on February 7, 2007 will be Dr. Don Leopold, author of Native Plants of the Northeast and Distinguished Teaching Professor at SUNY - College of Environmental Science and Forestry. A book signing will be co-hosted by Dr. Leopold and Dr. Steven Clemants, Invasive Plants Council Chair as well as Director of Science at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and author of Wildflowers in the Field and Forest. Faith Campbell, Senior Policy Representative for the Forest Health Program of The Nature Conservancy’s Worldwide Office, will close out the plenary session on February 8, 2007.
Registration information and a conference agenda are available at: http://www.ipcnys.org . Space is limited. The members of the press are invited to attend the conference and should check in at the registration desk for free passes.
###
07-12