CIPWG Update for May 2003 1. Volunteers are needed to staff the CIPWG exhibit at BioBlitz
Donna Ellis
2003. This year's BioBlitz will be held at Bates Woods Park in New
London, CT on Saturday, June 7 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Several people are needed for the CIPWG exhibit to field questions
and give out information in the Education Tent. Lunch will be
provided. We need 1 or 2 people to work from 9:30 a.m. (setup)
until 12:30 and 1 or 2 people to work from 12:30 until 3:00 and take down
the display.
2. At the last CIPWG meeting on March 27th we compiled a list of
members who are willing to give presentations on invasive plant
topics. The list will be posted on our website and made available to
organizations who are looking for speakers. If you would like to add your
name to the list, please reply to this email with your name, email (or
phone number if you don't have email) and invasive plant topics (general,
aquatics, management, etc.) that you are willing to give presentations on.
3. The Connecticut Green Industries, representing the Nursery and
Landscape Association, Greenhouse Growers Association and
Florists Association featured a special report on the invasive plant issue
in their recent publications for all three organizations. Included in
each publication was a poster featuring 20 invasive non- native plants
that the Connecticut Green Industries will not grow or sell. Look for
this poster in your local nursery, garden center or florist.
4. Now that spring is finally here we are starting to get a number of
inquiries about giant hogweed. Last summer we had 30 CIPWG members who
assisted with fielding calls and emails and making site visits if giant
hogweed occurrences were suspected. If any of you are available again
this season to help out, please reply to this message with the areas in
Connecticut (statewide, counties or towns) that you are willing to follow
up on. We found last year that many inquiries from the public could be
verified as positive or negative just by a phone call or emailing a
digital photo, which greatly reduced the number of site visits required.
Giant hogweed was confirmed in 10 towns in 2002 (Bloomfield, Canaan,
Canterbury, Cornwall, Coventry, Griswold, North Canaan, Somers, Trumbull
and West Cornwall).
5. The New England Invasive Plant Summit will be held on
September 19-20, 2003 in Framingham, MA. The Summit,
organized by the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England and the New
England Invasive Plant Group, will feature talks and seminars on
invasive plant research updates, risk assessment, inventory and
early detection / rapid response. More information is available at
http://invasives.eeb.uconn.edu/ipane.
6. The CIPWG exhibit was awarded a Silver-Blue ribbon at the
Connecticut Flower and Garden Show at the Expo Center in
February. Thank you Susan Parr, Helen Pritchard, Marian Sackett
and other members of the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut,
Inc. for organizing the Special Exhibits and your ongoing efforts
with invasive plant awareness.
7. If any organizations, towns, or individuals are conducting
summer work parties to control invasives, please forward details to
Donna Ellis (donna.ellis@uconn.edu) or Elizabeth Corrigan
(elizabethcorrigan@yahoo.com) so that we can assist you in
promoting your event and help recruit volunteers.
8. The Nature Conservancy recently posted several new
resources that can be used in invasive plant educational outreach.
They have a PowerPoint presentation and pamphlet now available.
Visit their website at http://tncweeds.ucdavis.edu/outreach.html for more
information.
Co-Chairperson, Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group
(860) 486-6448
Email donna.ellis@uconn.edu
Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group web site www.hort.uconn.edu/cipwg
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