The Trees Need YOU! Save the Hemlocks!

The Catskills' hemlock trees are a foundation species for the forests' unique ecosystem. The hemlocks are beautiful and strong, providing homes for animals and shade to keep our streams cool enough for trout and other fish native to our area. Without the hemlocks, New York State would be a different place entirely, and right now these these amazing trees are threatened by a voracious invasive insect called the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). Watch our new video to learn more.

Today Catskill Mountainkeeper released our video featuring HWA experts Mark Whitmore, a Forest Entomologist at Cornell University, and Vern Rist, a Plant Pathologist. The six minute film details how the HWA threatens to destroy our forests while also focusing on solutions—like the introduction of beneficial predators—that scientists are using to fight the HWA invasion.

One of the easiest things you can do to help is spread the word. Please share the videoon Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or your social media of choice.

The video also explains how you can become a citizen scientist and use tools you already have--your smartphone and your love of the Catskills and forests statewide--to save the hemlocks. Using the the iMapInvasives app, you can report on-the-ground and up-to-the-minute information about the HWA's GPS location and extent of the infestation to New York State officials. With that information, the state's Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Initiative can identify the best and most effective places to release bio controls and eradicate the insect. Every bit of data helps, and your work as a citizen scientist will help preserve the majestic hemlocks, trout streams, and diverse ecosystem that make the Catskills such a special place. Read on below for details on how to download and get started with the app.

We need to do everything we can to stop the adelgid now. That’s why Mountainkeeper is so pleased to present this informational video, and we encourage everyone to watch, share, and repost. The more people who know about the problem and become active in the solution, the more likely we are to save our hemlocks.

Thank you for all you do to protect the Catskills and New York's forests.

Sincerely,

Ramsay Adams, Executive Director

To get started with iMapInvasives:

Download the app

Click,"Request a Login" or visit the website to request login information

Once you request a login, the iMapInvasives team will send you an email with your login information

Sign in on your app and upload pictures and information when you spot the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid around your property or out on a hike

Spread the word: tell your friends and family that with these simple steps they too can help preserve the beauty of the Catskills

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