Register Now for Ecosystem Restoration and Invasive Species Management Workshop July 10-11, 2018 NE Ohio and NW Pennsylvania Workshop for natural areas practitioners Register at naturalareas.org/naa_regional_workshops.php or go to naturalareas.org and Click the Learn tab.
Description This workshop is geared towards practitioners who are managing similar systems in the region of the Great Lakes. The Natural Areas Association (NAA), along with its member partners at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History(CMNH), Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – Bureau of State Parks, will be conducting an on-the- ground workshop that will focus on ecosystem restoration as the result of successful invasive species management. This workshop will provide practitioners with an opportunity to learn about three highly successful restoration projects within the Lake Erie Watershed that have resulted in rare species and ecosystem function recovery. We will begin our two-day gathering at Presque Isle State Park in northwest PA where we will hear about cooperative efforts to address invasive species throughout the Lake Erie basin, as well as provide an overview of the sites we plan to visit. As a group, we will tour the unique sand spit of Presque Isle and get an overview of the natural communities and management foci of park staff with an in-depth tour of a black oak - savanna restoration project. We will then head west to Erie Bluffs State Park where restoration efforts to remove the invasive bush honeysuckle, black locust, and Asian bittersweet have resulted in the return of a similar black oak community. Comparisons of the different ecosystems within these two state parks will be offered by DCNR state park staff and WPC ecologists. Next, attendees will drive to the nearby Mentor, Ohio area where we will overnight in close proximity to our second day’s field site. That evening will provide an opportunity to gather and share the day’s experiences over complimentary beverages. On the morning of July 11, we will meet at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Mentor Marsh Natural Area along the Lake Erie shoreline. There, restoration ecologists will lead attendees through an educational program focused on the large-scale restoration efforts that include salt abatement, Phragmites removal and helicopter seeding of native plants. It is NAA’s mission is to foster a community of professionals that come together to find solutions to our shared challenges. Fee $45 NAA Members $65 Non-members Fee includes two lunches, water and snacks, coffee and pastries (first day) and event planning expenses. To register, or for details such as the full itinerary and overnight accommodations, go to https://www.naturalareas.org/naa_regional_workshops.php
