The 2023 Sault Ste. Marie Himalayan balsam Community Project is a city-wide environmental stewardship campaign that focuses on the prevention and management of Himalayan balsam. The Invasive Species Centre is teaming up with local organizations to tackle the growing Himalayan balsam population by educating the public on identification, prevention, reporting and management. The goal of this project is to inspire and encourage the community to get involved in protecting their local environment.

The focus of this workshop is the spotted lanternfly, an invasive pest spreading in nearby U.S. states, with populations as close to Canada as Buffalo, New York. Although not currently established in Canada, if spotted lanternfly were to establish, it could cause immense damage to Ontario grapevines, tender fruit orchards, hops, parks, and forests. Presented by the Invasive Species Centre, this workshop will provide training on key information and tools to identify and report spotted lanternfly and its preferred plant host,…

Aquatic invasive species continue to be spread by boaters and anglers, primarily by those who travel between waterways without cleaning their equipment. Well, why aren’t people cleaning when we know the risks of spread? Carrie Meier from Daniel Hayes’ lab in the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife interviewed a thousand boaters and anglers to understand just that. Meier will share what was learned about motivations and barriers to equipment cleaning, perceptions of invasive species spread and other interesting results.