With funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Grow grant program, the Water Steward Program offers training for volunteers in the Durham, Haliburton, Kawartha, and Pine Ridge regions. During the late spring and summer, teams of volunteer Water Stewards set up watercraft AIS-check stations at public boat launches across these regions, where they can provide boaters the opportunity to learn how to effectively Clean, Drain, and Dry their watercraft, pertinent AIS regulations, species of concern for Ontario, and more. Together, we can protect Ontario’s waterways from the impacts of aquatic invasive species so they can be enjoyed for many generations to come!

To learn more about what the Water Steward Program, or become a volunteer, contact our Aquatic Invasive Species Outreach Liaison Matt Robbins at matthew_robbins@ofah.org

ISAP staff were up in Haliburton again yesterday to help our volunteers remove invasive Banded and Chinese Mysterysnails from the lakes! To learn more about the Mysterysnail Management and Removal Project, visit http://www.invadingspecies.com/programs/mysterysnail-project/

Last week we visited a lake in Haliburton where an extensive banded mysterysnail (Viviparus georgianus) invasion has resulted in hundreds of thousands of snails covering the shoreline. We met up with a very passionate volunteer from our Mysterysnail Management and Removal Project to see the problem for ourselves. After only a few hours knee deep in the lake scooping around with colanders, we had removed an estimated 72,000 snails!

Learn more about the Mysterysnail Management and Removal Project here: http://www.invadingspecies.com/programs/mysterysnail-project/

Riley is on the trails today to tell us about one of Ontario’s most hazardous invasive plants, wild parsnip! For more information visit www.invadingspecies.com/invaders/plants/wild-parsnip/

This week Riley is back on the trail to tell us about common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), how it got here, why its trouble, and what we can do to prevent its spread.

To learn more, visit www.invadingspecies.com/common-buckthorn/

This week Riley is on the trail to tell us about Dog-strangling vine, why it’s bad for our native ecosystems, and what we can do to prevent its spread!

Lake Simcoe is the most intensely fished in-land lake in Ontario, so it has seen its fair share of invasive species. Check out this video to learn why Lake Simcoe is such an important resource, and what we can do to protect it!

By competing with native wildlife, spreading disease, and damaging crops, wild pigs would cause major problems if they were to become established in Ontario, and Tom the wild turkey is here to tell you why this is a problem!

Knowing what invasive species look like is the most important part of preventing their establishment and spread. Check out this video to learn how to identify and report Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis).
For more information on Asian carps, including the Bighead Carp, visit: www.invadingspecies.com/asian-carps/

Knowing what invasive species look like is the most important part of preventing their establishment and spread. Check out this video to learn how to identify and report Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix).

For more information on Asian carps, including the Silver Carp, check out our webpage here: www.invadingspecies.com/asian-carps/