This fall and winter keep an eye out for bittersweet and porcelain berry which are easily identified by their distinctive berries that appear this time of year. These invasive woody vines grow over understory vegetation and strangle trees. Check out this Protector’s blog to learn to recognize these invasive plants and steps you can take now to get a head start on controlling them before the next growing season.

SLELO PRISM will hold our annual Virtual Hike Challenge (VHC) again this winter. The challenge, happening November 2023, through March 2024, pairs winter hiking with simple instructions to help keep an eye out for hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). HWA is an invasive forest pest that is confirmed to be present in Oswego County and is spreading along the Eastern Lake Ontario shoreline.

This spring, SLELO’s Conservation and GIS Analyst collected hemlock branch samples from 18 locations in the PRISM to be analyzed by the New York State Hemlock Initiative (NYSHI) for the presence of eDNA.

Microstegium vimineum, commonly known as stiltgrass, is native to East Asia and the Caucasus mountains. When introduced to an area, stiltgrass has the ability to take over, crowding out ecologically important species.Learn more about stiltgrass and best management options.

More than 600 middle school students in districts from Jefferson, Oswego, Monroe, and Niagara counties participated in both classroom and hands-on educational experiences focused on monitoring water quality and habitats in the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River watersheds.

Trees will continue to be planted as part of the City of Watertown’s annual fall tree planting event.

Hear about the experience of one of our volunteers who joined us this year!

Recently, SLELO PRISM updated its VSN webpage with a more modern, user- friendly web mapping experience. The new application provides species identification information and suggested survey sites for six focal species: hemlock woolly adelgid, spotted lanternfly, elm zigzag sawfly, porcelain berry, fanwort, and tench.

Let’s all tip our hats to Team SLELO, our partners, volunteers, and community supporters for working collaboratively towards meeting our annual objectives!

Join upcoming restoration plantings, guided hikes and other volunteer opportunties.