Community News

The Nature Conservancy's SLELO PRISM, in partnership with the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust, invites you to take part in an exciting learning series dedicated to safeguarding one of our region's most treasured species—the hemlock tree.

These trees are vital to forest health and biodiversity, but they face a serious threat from the invasive Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). This tiny insect forms distinctive white woolly masses during winter, making detection easier.

Why It Matters:

Hemlocks provide critical habitat, stabilize soils, and maintain cool stream temperatures for aquatic life. Protecting them is essential—and you can help! Early detection of HWA is key to stopping its spread, and this learning series will empower you to make a real difference.

What to Expect:

Participants will learn how to identify HWA, survey for infestations, and report observations using the free NYiMapInvasives mobile app. The series runs from December 2025 through March 2026 and includes an informative webinar, a field trip to view HWA, and opportunities to join survey hikes across the region. To get the most out of this experience, it's recommended to attend the webinar and field trip before participating in the survey hikes.

Registration is required to attend. See below for a detailed schedule of the learning series. To register, please visit rebrand.ly/HikeToProtectHemlocks or contact the SLELO PRISM E/O Coordinator at  315-522-1258.

Learning Series Schedule:

Session 1: Webinar

📅 December 5, 2025 | 1:00–2:30 PM

💻 HWA & iMapInvasives Overview

• Learn about HWA impacts and distribution
• Get a tutorial on iMapInvasives
• Adopt a trail for HWA surveys

Session 2: Field Trip

📅 December 18, 2025 | 12:45–2:00 PM

🌳 Independence Park, Oswego, NY

• See HWA in person
• Practice reporting with iMapInvasives
• Learn about biocontrol efforts

Session 3: Survey Hikes

Held January-March 2026. Join one or more hikes from 10 AM to 12 PM on the following dates:

• January 22nd: Salmon River Falls, Richland, NY
• February 5th: Trenton Greenbelt Trail, Holland Patent, NY
• March 5th: Forest Park, Camden, NY

About the hosts: The St. Lawrence Eastern Lake Ontario Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (SLELO PRISM), one of eight PRISMs throughout New York, is funded by the NYS Environmental Protection Fund in coordination with the NYSDEC and various partners, and hosted by The Nature Conservancy, with a mission to protect native habitats, biodiversity, natural areas, and freshwater resources, emphasizing prevention, early detection, rapid response, education, and outreach. They provide region-wide coordination for invasive species monitoring and management across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and Oswego Counties (outside of the Adirondack Park), as well as portions of the Lake Ontario and northern Oneida Lake watersheds. For more information, visit www.sleloinvasives.org.

Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust (THTLT) is a non-profit regional organization that works with private landowners on a voluntary basis to protect the working forest, farm, recreation, and wildlands in the 2,100 square-mile Tug Hill region, encompassing parts of Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida, and Oswego Counties. To date, THTLT has protected over 20,000 acres of Tug Hill's working forests, farms, and wildlife habitat. For more information, visit www.tughilltomorrowlandtrust.org.