New York Invasive Species Awareness Week

Monday, June 3 – Sunday, June 9, 2024

WNY PRISM is celebrating New York Invasive Species Awareness Week (NYISAW) with several events and opportunities to learn about invasive species and steps all of us can take to protect our local aquatic and terrestrial resources. Check them out below! We hope you can join us!

NYISAW is an annual event that promotes opportunities for community members to learn about invasive species, how they threaten our environment, economy, and health, and ways to manage these species through education, prevention and removal.

Saturday, June 1

Walk and Talk

9:30 AM – 12:00 PM; Bergen Swamp

Leading up to NYISAW, WNY PRISM & Bergen Swamp Preservation Society staff will be guiding folks on a lovely walk along the trails at Bergen Swamp. During the walk, WNY PRISM staff will discuss and answer questions about invasive species, management, and habitat restoration as it relates to the work of preserving an area of existing high biodiversity. Representatives from the Society will be available to identify and describe the native species, discuss the long history of the wetland, and the sources of the biodiversity.

Register here: WNY PRISM Walk and Talks

Monday, June 3

Storytelling and The Language of Invasive Species Outreach Virtual Workshop

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

In this workshop we’ll explore the art of storytelling and how to frame invasive species’ language in a way that reduces cultural biases, racism, and exclusionary concepts. Interactive ad-lib style activities will be incorporated to engage the audience and have fun with this concept! Hosted by: LIISMA, Lower Hudson, SLELO, and WNY PRISMs. 

Register here: Storytelling and The Language of Invasive Species Outreach Virtual Workshop

Invasive Plant Species ID and iMapInvasives Training

5:30 PM – 7:30 PM; Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve

This training hosted by WNY PRISM in partnership with Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve and the Friends of Reinstein Woods will cover how to identify some of western New York’s common and priority invasive plant species and how to report observations.

Register here: Invasive Plant Species ID and iMapInvasives Training

Tuesday, June 4 through Friday, June 7

Wild Chervil Mapping Challenge

Help us fill a data gap in our region, by submitting wild chervil observations using the iMapInvasives app! 

Saturday, June 8

Letchworth Stewardship Day

9:00 AM – 11:30 AM; Letchworth State Park

Join WNY PRISM and the Friends of Letchworth State Park for the 7th Annual Letchworth Stewardship Day! We’ll work together to remove slender false brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum), from the Inspiration Point area of the park.

Register here: WNY PRISM Volunteer Workdays

Sunday, June 9

Meet a Boat Steward!

7 AM – 5:30 PM; Various locations (see list below)

Visit one of your local boat launches to meet one of WNY PRISM’s Boat Stewards! Learn about what they do and how you can help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species through practices like Clean Drain Dry.

• • Amherst Veterans Canal Park (Buffalo)
  • Ohio Street (Buffalo)
  • Isle View County Park (Town of Tonawanda)
  • Niawanda Park (City of Tonawanda)
  • Sturgeon Point (Derby)
  • Botanical Gardens Park (North Tonawanda)
  • Gratwick-Riverside Park (North Tonawanda)
  • Griffon Park (Niagara Falls)
  • Olcott Harbor (Olcott)
  • Hanover Town Launch (Irving)
  • Onoville Marina (Steamburg)
  • Cuba Lake (Cuba)

To see the full line-up of events across the state, including the statewide webinar series, check out the 2024 NYISAW Statewide Website and Calendar.

After attending an event, please fill out the NYISAW survey!