March 21, 2024 – The Westchester County Department of Planning’s “Planting Westchester” program, in partnership with the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation, and the Office of Energy Conservation and Sustainability, hosted its first Invasive Plant Management Workshop on Wednesday, March 20 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains. Close to 300 people representing municipal government and environmental organizations registered for the workshop. This event, held in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County, was designed to provide attendees with the science behind the importance of tackling invasive species, the invasive species curve, how climate change impacts invasive species, constructive and practical ways of managing them, and pointers on effective messaging.
Participants heard presentations on four topics related to invasive species plant management.
The morning session was kicked off by Dr. Matt Ailleo-Lammens, Associate Professor and Co-Director of Environmental Studies and Science, who spoke about the negative impacts and related costs of invasive species, as well as planning tools for land managers to develop priorities on tackling them.
Kristy King, Chief of Natural Resources in the Environment and Planning of NYC Parks, addressed the ways in which NYC Parks and their partners engage thousands of volunteers annually to care for urban nature and developed a suite of communication tools and engagement techniques to effectively educate the public. She reviewed examples of how City-funded staff, interns, and volunteers approach invasive species management in a densely urban landscape, including programming, communication techniques, and technical expertise to successfully care for natural areas parkland.
Blind Brook High School students, who are members of the Roots and Shoots club, spoke about their work to restore Harkness Park, a Village of Rye Brook Park abutting the Blind Brook High School property. Blind Brook High School students who participated were Victoria Babiuk, Keira Curran, Emily Davis, Lana Kim, Takashi Kimura, Joaquin Otero, Jinju Prince, and Alex Thompson. They were accompanied by Blind Brook High School teacher, Julie Hensley.
Taro Ietaka, Assistant Director of Conservation for the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation and Supervisor at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, discussed how homeowners, gardeners, park managers and conservation commissions can apply Early Detection and Rapid Response principles on the land that they steward.
County Executive George Latimer said: “The Invasive Plant Management Workshop was a combined effort between several County departments, which allowed for the first ever workshop to be such a success. Each department is a leader in the environmental and conservation space and gave exceptional insight to the topics at hand. Invasive plant management is important in keeping Westchester’s environment growing and thriving.”
Westchester County Planning Commissioner Blanca Lopez said: “The idea to host an Invasive Plant Management Workshop stemmed from a growing concern about the ecological and economic impacts of invasive plants in our County. Recognizing the need for urgent action, the Westchester County Department of Planning asked experts in the field to share their knowledge so that as a community, we can take meaningful steps towards effective invasive species management.”
Westchester County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Commissioner Kathleen O’Connor said: “Invasive plant management is something our employees are highly trained in and I’m thrilled our Assistant Director of Conservation, Taro Ietaka, was able to share his knowledge with several municipality and environmental leaders.”
The Invasive Plant Species Workshop was co-sponsored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County, The Native Plant Center, Hilltop Hanover Farm, the Lower Hudson PRISM, Teatown, Environmental Leaders Learning Alliance (ELLA), Federated Conservationists of Westchester County (FCWC), and the Westchester County Soil and Water Conservation District.