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Does it 'bug' you that you don't know much about the Asian longhorned Beetle? Want to learn more about our six legged friends?
To help residents of Greater Worcester educate themselves about this invasive pest, Jennifer Forman Orth, Ph.D., an invasive species expert with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, will be holding an Asian Longhorned Beetle training session in Worcester on February 24, 2010. Jennifer is the Massachusetts coordinator for the Northeast Forest Pests Survey and Outreach Project, a multi-state effort launched in 2008, when the Asian Longhorned Beetle was first identified in Worcester. The goal of the project is to teach people how to identify signs of ALB and how to
report possible sightings.
These sessions have been run not only in Worcester, but all over Massachusetts, including Boston, Fall River, Framingham, and Springfield, training hundreds of people and providing them with the tools to educate others about ALB. Jennifer will be returning to Worcester on Wednesday, February 24th at 1pm, to hold an ALB training session at the First Baptist Church. This session includes hands on training with beetle specimens and damaged wood. Attendees will also receive a pack of resource materials to assist them with identification of ALB and ALB tree damage, a guide to host trees, and more. Following the training, USDA staff will also be on hand to answer questions about the ALB Eradication Program.
This presentation is free and open to the public. Educators and local government staff are encouraged to attend. The First Baptist Church is located at the intersection of Park Ave. and Salisbury St., next to Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The church is handicapped accessible and there is parking on the premises. ALB T-shirts will be given to the first 50 registrants. Call 508-755-6143 or email jennifer.forman-orth AT state.ma.us to register.
Leon A. Gaumond Jr.
Town Administrator
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