Invasive Species Community Seminar at Queen's

Want to learn all about Party Crashers – invasive species – and how to protect our biodiversity? Join the Invasive Species Community Seminar at the Elbow Lake Environmental Education Centre on August 29 from 9 am to 3:30 pm. The Frontenac Stewardship Foundation and Queen’s University Biological Station are hosting this active learning day. It is sponsored by the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area.

Nuts and Bolts:
·       Prevention of the spread of invasive species; Monitoring and reporting programs
·       Risk of invasive species to Ontario and current provincial policy initiatives
·       Using research to guide Policy and Best Practices. Highlight: zebra mussels, the bloody red shrimp, and the spiny water flea
·       Rapid Response Program: the European water chestnut on Wolfe Island
·       Invasive species strategy, monitoring and active control in the Frontenac Arch Natural Area. Highlight:  Elbow Lake case study.

A Field Tour of the Elbow Lake property will showcase the garlic mustard, dog-strangling vine and European buckthorn management areas.  Learn how to identify local invasive plants at various stages, understand why these species are so invasive, and practise some recommended management strategies.  Find out how you can help monitor the spread of invasive plants at a broader scale using Citizen Science programs.

The Elbow Lake Environmental Education Centre is near Perth Road Village. (See elbowlakecentre.ca/contact.php). Admission is free, but space is limited, so registration by Friday, August 21 is recommended. Overnight accommodation is available on-site for a nominal fee. To register or for more information, contact carolyn.bonta@queensu.ca or phone 613-353-7968.

photo credit: Elbow Lake staff

photo credit: A. Kirkpatrick, OFAH