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Symposium offers 9 sessions on understanding and controlling invasive species

Invasive Maackii fruit plant with text overlay reading Illinois Invasive Species Symposium

URBANA, Ill. — Illinois is home to beautiful wild spaces, but invasive species are a growing threat in our forests, lakes, backyards, and agricultural fields. Invasive species pose a serious threat to native species and natural ecosystems and cost the country billions of dollars to combat.

Two criteria must be met for a species to be considered invasive: the species is not original to the ecosystem it is currently living, and the species is likely to cause economic and environmental harm or harm to human health if left unchecked.

Spend a day learning what is being done and how you can help address the serious issues of both land and water invasives at the Illinois Invasive Species Symposium on May 4 in Mahomet. The symposium is hosted by University of Illinois Extension and University of Illinois Extension Forestry.

The day-long event will feature nine sessions featuring industry experts who focus on advancing statewide invasive species research areas. A few session topics include:

  • Managing invasive carp in Illinois rivers
  • Illinois invasive species council update
  • Spongy moth status and operations in Illinois
  • Disentangling the impacts of species invasions on vector-borne pathogens
  • Invasive plant and insect control efforts, impacts, and trends

For a full list of session topics or to register, visit go.illinois.edu/InvasiveSymposium. The cost to attend is $20 and includes all session presentations and lunch.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, contact Chris Evans at cwevans@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet access needs.

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 at extension.illinois.edu/invasives.

SOURCE: Chris Evans, Forestry Research Specialist, University of Illinois Extension

WRITER: Jenna Braasch, Media Communications Coordinator, University of Illinois Extension

About Extension

Illinois Extension leads public outreach for University of Illinois by translating research into action plans that allow Illinois families, businesses, and community leaders to solve problems, make informed decisions, and adapt to changes and opportunities. Illinois Extension is part of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.