BRATTLEBORO — Early detection is an important strategy - by professionals and volunteers - in efforts to minimize the detrimental effects of invasive species on native species and habitats.
A workshop on how to be become a Vermont Invasive Patroller will be offered on Saturday, June 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., in Room 2E at the Marlboro College Graduate Center on Vernon Road. A half-hour lunch break is included in the time frame.
The three-hour workshop is a program of Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation's Lakes and Ponds Program.
Department staff presenting the workshop will cover fundamentals such as the difference between native, exotic, nuisance, and invasive species; how invasive species are introduced and established; how to differentiate native aquatic plants and animals from their invasive lookalikes (plants will be emphasized); and how to conduct surveys for aquatic invasive species in waterbodies. The workshops and materials are offered at no cost to participants.
The presence of invasive water chestnut (Trapa natans) was first observed at a site on the Connecticut River in Hinsdale, N.H., in 2012 and, since 2013, a management project has been actively surveying and removing water chestnut plants from the site. The project's long-term goal is to eliminate the water chestnut population from the Hinsdale site on the Connecticut River.
There are opportunities for anyone interested to get involved with checking local areas of the Connecticut River and other waterbodies in the region - like Retreat Meadows, sections of the West River, South Pond, Sunset Lake, and others - for the presence of water chestnut and other invasive aquatic species.
There will be additional on-the-water events to learn more about aquatic plants, and there will be invasive aquatic species surveys in July and August. The events will be offered by the Brattleboro Conservation Commission and led by Laurie Callahan, aquatic biologist. Information about those events will be available at the June 10 workshop, in local publications, and at the Brattleboro Conservation Commission Facebook page.