2025 Illinois Invasive Species Symposium
May 28 | 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM | Champaign County Extension Office
Invasive insects, plants, and animals are a serious and expensive threat to Illinois waterways, natural areas, and farm fields. These non-native species spread quickly, and once they take hold are hard to remove.
Get the latest research updates, learn about management recommendations, celebrate invasive removal success stories, network with colleagues, and ask questions about managing invasive species effectively at the 10th annual Illinois Extension Invasives Species Symposium. The event is open to industry professionals, students, landowners and managers, farmers, foresters, volunteers, environmental stewards, and the media.
Topics
Invasive Species Language: Getting on the same page. Presenter: Chris Evans
Emerging Invasive Species Across Illinois. Presenter: Kevin Rohling
Influence of light and water depth on competition between reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) and Japanese hop (Humulus japonicus). Presenter: Jeffery Matthews
Everything you ever wanted to know about invasive carp spawning in the Illinois Waterway. Presenter: Steven Butler
The association between invasive plant species, tick abundance and pathogen carriage in southern Illinois. Presenter: Teresa Steckler
Evaluation of species and quantity of wildlife trafficking through areas of densely populated invasive plant species. Presenter: Krescene K. Holscher
Science Communication: Cosplay For Science: Dungeons and Dragons Style Communication. Presenter: Philip Anderson’s Lab
Red Gate Woods: The Forest Preserves of Cook County’s Largest Ever Ecological Restoration. Presenter: Samuel Pirruccello
The State of Invasive Species in Illinois: Q&A Panel Discussion. Panel: Eric Smith, John Griesbaum, and Bill Handel. Moderated by Karla Griesbaum.
About the Presenters
Chris Evans
Chris Evans is a Forestry Extension and Research Specialist. He is based at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center in southern Illinois.
Kevin Rohling
Kevin Rohling earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Geography from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, specializing in Biogeography and GIS. He has worked in natural resource conservation since 2004, including previous work experience with the River to River Cooperative Weed Management Area, Natural Land Institute, The Nature Conservancy, Great Basin Institute, Illinois EPA, Great Rivers Land Trust, and National Park Service.
Jeffery Matthews
Jeffrey W. Matthews is an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He conducts research on plant communities in natural and restored ecosystems to understand drivers of change and apply that understanding to challenges in plant conservation and restoration.
Steven Butler
Steven Butler is an associate research scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey. He received his B.S. in Fish and Wildlife Biology from Kansas State University and his M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from University of Illinois. Steve's research interests revolve around the ecology of lotic systems, particularly relating to the conservation and management of fish assemblages in flowing waters. He has worked on the Illinois Waterway for the past 15 years, studying the early life history and ecological impacts of invasive carp in this system.
Teresa Steckler
Teresa L. Steckler began her extension career in 2008 as a beef cow/calf beef specialist for University of Illinois. She has an M.S. and Ph.D in reproductive biology from University of Illinois and completed a postdoctoral program with an emphasis in embryonic/fetal programming
and infertility in livestock at University of Michigan. She provides programs across Illinois that include herd health management, forage and pasture management, and reproductive management. Her research program has studied the prevalence, economic impact, and management of bovine anaplasmosis.
Current research interests include:
- Understanding the relationship between tick-borne diseases impacting humans, particularly agricultural workers, and livestock such as cattle and small ruminants, and the types of plants found in their shared environment, invasive plant species.
- The One Health paradigm as it relates to the interdependence among the health and well-being of people, animals, and our environment.
Krescene K. Holscher
Originally from the small town of Palestine in rural southeastern Illinois, Krescene Holscher grew up on a family farm where she gained experience in raising crops and livestock. She is a senior in Animal Sciences with a concentration in Pre-Veterinary Medicine at the University of Illinois. She is an active member of the U of I Pre-Vet Club and the Intercollegiate Meat Judging Team. She is a student ambassador for the Department of Animal Sciences and joined the Livestock Judging and Meat Animal Evaluation teams. Additionally, she has served as a beef cattle Extension intern at the Dixon Springs Agricultural Center, focusing on invasive plants, species of wildlife, and disease transmission. Holscher plans to attend veterinary school at University of Illinois and eventually return to Crawford County to practice rural mixed animal medicine.
Philip Anderson
Philip Anderson is an associate professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior who studies evolutionary biomechanics across a range of organisms, including vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants. He uses a combination of experimental and theoretical analyses to address how fundamental laws of physics influence evolutionary processes. Current focuses in his lab include the mechanics and evolution of biological puncture/injection systems and the evolution of multi-part biomechanical systems. When not performing research or teaching anatomy and biomechanics, he spends his free time playing a range of characters in Dungeons and Dragons and other TTRPGs, a hobby which he is now leveraging to get a broader public audience interested in science.
Samuel Pirruccello
Sam Pirruccello is a Resource Specialist at the Forest Preserves of Cook County, overseeing contracted ecological restoration and forestry work. He utilizes GIS tools to organize project data, create maps and work orders, and support field data collection. Additional responsibilities include maintaining the district’s tree inventory data and teaching employee education classes for FPCC staff and partner organizations. Throughout his 11+ years of experience in ecological restoration, he has previously worked for a private contractor, Greencorps Chicago, and the Chicago Park District. He holds an M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Resources to Manage Invasive Species
Invasives have big environmental and economic impacts. The prairie state is home to beautiful wild spaces, but invasive species are a growing threat in our forests, lakes, backyards, and agricultural fields. Explore how to prevent the spread of invasive species with everyday activities and steps you can take to keep your land beautiful and healthy by controlling plant, insect, and aquatic infestations.