Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program

10/15/2026

Do you have invasive species on your property that you’d like to manage? Do you need NYS pesticide credits in 3a, 6a, and 9 for the work you do? Then you should attend next week’s Best Management Practices for Roadside Invasive Species webinar! To register, visit https://adkinvasives.com/event/roadside-invasives-2026/

Invasive species can wreak havoc along roadways by blocking signage, damaging infrastructure, and increasing the need for roadside maintenance, all of which cost time and money. “Best Management Practices for Roadside Invasive Species” will review how to identify invasive plants that are commonly found along roadsides, how to help prevent spreading those species to new locations, and the best management practices for controlling roadside invasives. We will also discuss common and emerging Adirondack invasive plant species and forest pests: identification, look-a-likes, species-specific spread mechanisms, and best management practices.

This webinar is designed for highway right-of-way professionals, including maintenance and operations staff from state, county, and local governments, and offers 1.5 NYS pesticide credits in categories 3a, 6a, and 9. Live participation in the webinar and successful completion of an online quiz are required to receive credits. While designed for highway department personnel and pesticide applicators, “Best Management Practices for Roadside Invasive Species” will also provide important information for land managers and homeowners.

10/08/2026

A nice, crackling fire is the perfect remedy for the nip that's in the autumn air. That makes this the perfect time to remind everyone that firewood can harbor unwanted hitchhikers, particularly invasive forest pests that would love to find a new home in your neck of the woods. The best way to prevent this is to source firewood as close to possible to where you intend to burn it. Forest pests rely on people to move great distances—don't give them a ride!

10/05/2026

Invasive species are problematic to the ecosystems they inhabit, and that's largely due to their adaptations—special characteristics that make a species well-suited to live in its environment.

During the Why They're Good at Being Bad talk, attendees will meet invasive species that can use chemicals to alter their environment, reproduce in multiple ways, and wait for years to begin growing. Join us for a fun evening of troubling attributes!

To learn more or to register for this free event, visit https://adkinvasives.com/event/why-theyre-good-at-being-bad/

09/30/2026

Autumn is a bittersweet time for APIPP; we catch our breath from the busy summer but have to say goodbye to our three amazing seasonal staff—Alexis, Liv, and Rhoda—and to our seasonal Invasive Plant Control crew. You may have seen our seasonal staff out and about, pulling invasives from a campground, monitoring yellow pan traps, surveying a lake, or managing roadside invasives. The support they provide is as varied as it is invaluable, and it’s fair to say the Adirondacks would not look the same without their hard work and dedication.

Please join us in thanking all of our seasonals! 👏👏👏

09/04/2026

Bill Widrig, a volunteer with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program’s Forest Pest Hunters program, was on his way to climb a rock wall on Goodman Mountain, just south of Tupper Lake, when he noticed an all-too-familiar site: the telltale leaf banding of beech leaf disease. The discovery is significant because the next closest confirmed BLD location is along the Boreas River south of Newcomb, about 45 miles from Goodman Mountain.

Monitoring for invasive species is important because it helps scientists better understand how these species move around the landscape and it informs any future management or spread prevention strategies. All it takes is keeping your eyes open while out on your favorite trail or waterbody, then reporting what you find using the NY iMapInvasives app.

“It gives me more of a connection to the forest,” Widrig said of volunteering with APIPP. “The connection was there before, but now I feel like I’m out there trying to protect my best friends. I feel like it’s all a part of my extended family, the animals, plants, and trees.”

An Adirondack rock climber has found beech leaf disease on Goodman Mountain, near Tupper Lake 45 miles from the next closest infestation.

09/03/2026

APIPP Program Director Brian Greene was recently in Lake George to receive a Rowan Award from Lake George Land Conservancy on behalf of the APIPP Team.

Brian Greene said, “This award is a great recognition of all that the APIPP team, both past and present, has done. The challenges with invasive species are tough but by working together we can make progress. Lake George Land Conservancy has been a great partner for decades and we look forward to continuing the progress we have made.”

08/31/2026

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Adirondack Invasive Species Summit 2026. We had a great turnout for both events, and it was great to see so many engaged people. Thanks to Hamilton County NY Soil and Water Conservation District for the Plant Camp photo.

08/25/2026

Last call to register for Lake Management Role Playing, the first day of the Adirondack Invasive Species Summit 2026!

During this engaging, hands-on event, participants will get to role play working with others to develop an adaptive management plan to deal with invasive species in Fake Lake. This day-long exercise will be a fun way to explore the many variables—some foreseen and some not—that arise as people work together to achieve a common goal.

Lake Management Role Playing is happening from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. this Thursday at The Lodge at Schroon Lake. Lunch will be provided, just bring your creativity!
There is a cap of 50 people for this event, but a few seats are still open. To learn more or register, visit https://adkinvasives.com/events-news/events/

08/24/2026

Managing invasive species in a lake is a difficult task that involves a lot of decision making and adapting to changing circumstances. During the first day of the Adirondack Invasive Species 2026, participants will get to role play working with others to develop an adaptive management plan to deal with invasive species in Fake Lake. This day-long exercise will be a fun way to explore the many variables--some foreseen and some not--that arise as people work together to achieve a common goal.

There is a cap of 50 people for this event, but a few seats are still open. To learn more or register, visit https://adkinvasives.com/events-news/events/

08/21/2026

We have a little over a month left in our volunteer Forest Pest Hunters beech leaf disease survey season, and this map shows all of the work and reporting these community scientists have done so far.

To date, there have been 19 trails adopted (green diamonds), and 36 non-detect reports (tan circles) and 48 beech leaf disease observations (yellow circles).
If you're interested in learning more about our Forest Pest Hunters program, join our Forest Health Walk: Spotting Beech Leaf Disease hike, which is 5-7 p.m. next Tuesday at Twin Valleys Outdoor Education Center in Lewis, NY. This event is a collaboration with Champlain Area Trails. To learn more or to register, visit https://adkinvasives.com/event/forest-health-walk-spotting-beech-leaf-disease/