Hello community members on the Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway,

The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) has partnered with The Adirondack Chapter of the Nature Conservancy on two byway grant projects to protect the natural resources that draw visitors to our region and that make our area a great place to live. We would like to make you aware of a great opportunity in August for you to learn more about how to stop the spread of invasive species.  We are sharing the press release below for your information and encourage you to attend the upcoming Forum on Invasive Species.

Sharon O’Brien, Program Coordinator,

ANCA, 67 Main Street  Suite 210, Saranac Lake, NY  12983

518-891-6200 ext 15

www.adirondack.org

www.adirondackscenicbyways.org

______________________________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release

Contact: Hilary Smith, Director

Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program c/o Adirondack Chapter of The Nature Conservancy

Phone: 518-576-2082 x 131

hsmith@tnc.org

Adirondack Forum Will Take Aim at Invasive Species

Registration is now open for a free Adirondack Forum on Invasive Species.  The Forum, a one-and-a-half day event, will be held August 10-11 at Paul Smith’s College.  You will learn how you and your community can be prepared for harmful invasive species invading Adirondack lands and waters.

Partners of the Adirondack Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management have organized the Forum to give citizens, community groups, members of governmental and nongovernmental organizations, resource managers, and elected officials from across the region an opportunity to discuss invasive species. The Forum will highlight initiatives underway in the region; showcase local successes and challenges as told by community members; feature up-to-date information about new invasive species; and identify important next steps that groups must collectively take to have a real and lasting impact on this challenging environmental and economic issue.

The Forum’s theme centers on the need to consider all types of invasive species – plants and animals in both aquatic and terrestrial settings – and on ways in which communities can be prepared to address them. Invasive species are a top threat to lands and waters, to favorite outdoor pastimes and cherished traditions, and to forestry, fisheries, and agriculture upon which local economies rely. Some species, like purple loosestrife, have been in New York for hundreds of years, but others, like emerald ash borer, arrived only recently. The explosion in the expansion of species and the rate of new arrivals is alarming and cause for concern.

Each year a greater number of communities are faced with tough decisions about invasive species. In response, groups in the Adirondack region banded together over a decade ago to take aim at this pressing problem. They work together to halt the invasion by focusing on prevention and management. A great deal has been accomplished, but much more has yet to be done.

The Forum is free, and participants may register for all or part of the event. Information about registration, lodging and meals and a draft program are available online at http://adkinvasives.com/Forum.html. The deadline to register is July 28. For more information, contact Hilary Smith at the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program, 518-576-2082 or hsmith@tnc.org.

Hilary Smith, Director, Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program

The Nature Conservancy – Adirondack Chapter

PO Box 65, Keene Valley, New York 12943

518-576-2082 x 131 (tel), 518-576-4203 (fax)

hsmith@tnc.org,  www.adkinvasives.com

Adirondack Invasive Species Awareness Week, July 11 – 17, 2010, Regionwide

Adirondack Forum on Invasive Species, August 10 – 11, 2010, Paul Smiths, NY