The Roots of Renewal: Biodiversity and Habitat Enhancement (BHE) Project aims to control invasive species and establish climate-resilient native plant populations in urban areas across the St. Lawrence River and Eastern Lake Ontario region.
The project is hosted by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County with support from the St. Lawrence Eastern Lake Ontario Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management. Through this collaboration, five sites have been selected to create demonstration gardens to enhance native biodiversity and habitat. To raise awareness of the BHE project and foster community engagement, two webinars and five planting events are open to the public to attend.
Events Overview:
Webinars: Register to receive Zoom link.
4/30, 6:30 PM- 8 PM: Cultivating Biodiversity & Habitat. Presented by, Cierra Williams, CCE Jefferson. Gain an overview of the BHE Project and learn about native plants you can use to support wildlife on your own property.
5/28, 6:30 PM- 8 PM: Invasive Species 101 Empowering Gardeners: Presented by, Megan Pistolese-Shaw, SLELO PRISM. Learn to identify and manage common yard invasives, discover beneficial native alternatives, and master control techniques. This session includes practical training on using community science tools iMapInvasives, iNaturalist, and Seek to track and report species.
Public Planting Events: Beginning at 10 AM and lasting up to 3-4 hours depending on needs. No experience is needed. Equipment will be provided but if you have your own shovel and gloves bring them!
5/11: Zoo NY Watertown – 1 Thompson Park, Watertown, NY 13601
5/12: JCC Watertown – 1220 Coffeen St, Watertown, NY 13601
5/13: Frederic Remington Art Museum – 303 Washington St, Ogdensburg, NY 13669
5/15: Ives Park – 3 Riverview Dr, Potsdam, NY 13676
5/19: Downtown Canton – 64 Main St, Canton, NY 13617
Contact megan.pistolese@tnc.org to list your events on our events page or to share social media posts.
Partner meetings are held in the winter, spring, and fall; to receive partner meeting announcements, please fill out the form on our Partners Webpage or email brittney.rogers@tnc.org.
The PRISM Network hosts a monthly Speaker Series on the last Wednesday of each month (except July, August, and December). To receive invitations, please sign up for the SLELO PRISM listserv.
iMapInvasives holds training webinars after the PRISM Speaker Series from 1 pm-2 pm. Visit the iMap website for details and to register.
View Events Pages of the PRISM Network