Celebrate National Invasive Species Action Week by joining the NWT Council on Invasive Species, Pests, and Pathogens for a series of webinars May 15-19! Topics include wild pigs, managed bees, forest pests, white-nose syndrome, invasive plants, and aquatic invasive species!
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Invasive-Free Agriculture: May 15, 12-1 PM MDT |
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Register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/0e2da592-2ca7-4a85-930f-20e6ff9f90c5@fbed2b1d-0f61-40ad-b7d5-2010c3c93e93 A Problem We Don’t Want: Wild Pigs in the NWT Rob Gau is the Manager of the Biodiversity Conservation Section of Environment and Climate Change with the GNWT. Rob’s presentation will explain the risks that wild pigs pose to wildlife and habitat in the NWT. Although invasive wild pigs have not been found in the Northwest Territories yet, they are already a widespread and rapidly expanding problem in Canada, driven initially by the escape and purposeful release of domestic pigs. Once they become established they are virtually impossible to eradicate. The Risk of Managed Bees to Native Pollinators Maria Leung is a Registered Professional Biologist of BC for over 25 years, living in Yukon since 2004. Maria’s talk will differentiate managed bees from native ones, then introduce the risks that honey bees and managed bumble bees pose to native pollinators.
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Forest Pests: May 16, 12-1 PM MDT |
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Register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1f4075c3-31f2-44e7-8db4-e48c0383a14b@fbed2b1d-0f61-40ad-b7d5-2010c3c93e93 Overview of the NWT Forest Health Program In this presentation, Dr. Jakub Olesinski will discuss the NWT Forest Health Program, including goals, monitoring methods, and key findings over the last decade. He will also give an overview of the most important insect pests in the NWT together with recent findings and trends. Dr. Jakub Olesinski is an Ecosystem Forester with the Government of the Northwest Territories, Forest Management Division.
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Wildlife Disease: May 17, 12-1 PM MDT |
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Register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/3567bb59-644b-40cd-a58d-6132b7c5c5be@fbed2b1d-0f61-40ad-b7d5-2010c3c93e93 Bats and bridges: tracking the invasive fungus that causes white-nose syndrome Cory Olson is a professional biologist and coordinator of Wildlife Conservation Society Canada’s Alberta Bat Program. His webinar will provide an overview of white-nose syndrome and efforts underway in the Northwest Territories, and across western Canada, to track the spread of the invasive fungus that causes this disease. A key focus will be the use of bridges by bats, and how fecal samples collected at these features are helping us monitor disease, arthropod prey communities, and the health of bat populations.
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Alien and Invasive Plants: May 18, 12-1 PM MDT |
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Register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/64f127a2-f3f1-4e2b-9a50-101040cac507@fbed2b1d-0f61-40ad-b7d5-2010c3c93e93 The Status of Exotic Plants in the Northwest Territories Bruce Bennett is the Yukon Conservation Data Centre Coordinator at Government of Yukon. The Wild Species Canada 2020 report included 139 exotic plant species in the Northwest Territories. However, Bruce’s presentation will discuss a recent review that suggests only 80 species are expected to be found outside cultivation in the NWT, and the remaining 59 should be removed because they are accidental, falsely reported, or native.
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Aquatic Invasive Species: May 19, 12-1 PM MDT |
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Register here: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/aece5516-8b8e-4412-8645-6dc52a8d0502@fbed2b1d-0f61-40ad-b7d5-2010c3c93e93 Ships’ Ballast Water, Biofouling, and the introduction of aquatic invasive species Sean is an Aquatic Science Technician working at Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Burlington, ON, Canada. His presentation will discuss how ships’ ballast water and hull biofouling can introduce harmful species to aquatic environments across Canada. We will review some past examples of harmful species introductions, current mitigation practices, and the increased risk to Arctic environments.
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