Report an Invasive Species
wnyprism@buffalostate.edu
(716) 878.4708
WNY PRISM has officially begun training our 2026 Seasonal Crew! Please join us in welcoming our Invasive Species Management Assistants – Isabelle Mahar, Whitney Pierrot, and Charlotte Way – along with our Education and Outreach Assistant, Nandini Agarwal.
Izzy, Whitney and Charlotte will primarily work in the field, surveying for invasive species, managing infestations and assisting with habitat restoration projects throughout western New York. Nandini will occasionally join them in the field, but most of her work will center on supporting WNY PRISM’s education and outreach initiatives, including assisting with events, managing social media and engaging with the community.
Learn more about each of our new team members below!
Isabelle Mahar, Invasive Species Management Assistant
Isabelle graduated from Barnard College in 2023 with a degree in Environmental Science and Sustainability. Following graduation, she worked at USDA APHIS as a Plant Protection and Quarantine Technician, serving western and central New York, coordinating invasive insect surveys, collecting field data and observations, and responding to emergency outbreaks of newly detected species. In the future, she is eager to continue her environmental stewardship by creating strong native habitats and making the environment safe and accessible for everyone. Izzy is excited to join the WNY PRISM team this season to strengthen her plant identification skills and learn best management practices in a wide variety of habitats. In her free time, she enjoys crossing birds off her life list, fishing, reading and crocheting!
Whitney Pierrot, Invasive Species Management Assistant
Whitney works in conservation and environmental education, with a focus on aquatic invasive species management and ecological monitoring in western New York. Her experience includes work as a Boat Steward with the Adirondack Watershed Institute, an Aquatic Invasive Species Field Technician with the NYS Water Resource Institute, and a Preserve Ranger at Tifft Nature Preserve. She has especially enjoyed her time working in habitat restoration, doing aquatic plant surveys, and with public outreach.
Whitney earned an associate degree in Environmental Science and is currently completing her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science with a focus in conservation through Oregon State University. Outside of work, she enjoys kayaking, birding, making art and creek walking.
Charlotte Way, Invasive Species Management Assistant
Charlotte graduated from Northland College in Wisconsin in 2024 with a B.S. in biology, focusing on botany. She worked on a variety of restoration and invasive species management projects during her studies, in addition to surveying wild rice populations on lakes in the Northwoods. Since moving to Buffalo, Charlotte has worked to grow and educate on native plants with CW Native Plant Farm and Wild Ones WNY. She’s excited to get out into the field this summer with WNY PRISM and help to remove threats to our native flora. She spends her free time cooking, foraging, container gardening on her porch, and finding rare plants across the region.
Nandini Agarwal, Education and Outreach Assistant
Nandini graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Environmental Sciences in May 2025. She has a variety of experiences – from writing reports about forest management policy in Bhutan to analyzing methane emissions from dairy farms and making art about her favorite plants. She is very excited to be the Education and Outreach Assistant for WNY PRISM because she loves meeting new people and making new guides and pamphlets to make information accessible. At any given time, Nandini loves to stay busy and creative on projects using different mediums – ceramics, crochet, scrapbooking and woodworking!