Date: April 26, 2014
Contact: Judy Hazen Connery, 207-288-8721
A tiny, shiny green beetle is wreaking havoc as it marches across America, attacking and killing every ash tree in its path. Emerald ash borer (EAB) beetles were introduced near Detroit, Michigan, in wooden packing materials, and since discovery in 2002 have spread over 2,000 miles—mostly by people carrying infested firewood. With EAB on our doorstep in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, and with many campgrounds in the area, is the mid-coast of Maine ground zero for the destructive beetle's next jump? What can we do to protect our many ash trees? And when it arrives, how will communities and landowners need to respond to protect public health, maintain utility infrastructure, and address other issues caused by dying ash trees?
Acadia National Park invites the public to a workshop on Thursday, May 1 from 4:30 pm to 6 pm at park headquarters, where EAB expert, Dr. Nathan Siegert, US Forest Service entomologist from Durham, New Hampshire, will be joined by Maine Forest Service entomologist Colleen Teerling to address these and other questions. The workshop will be especially helpful for public works employees, campground owners, tree wardens, conservation commission members, woodlot and private land owners. Park headquarters is located on Eagle Lake Road (Route 233), three miles west of Bar Harbor. The workshop will be held at the trailer behind and to the left of the Winter Visitor Center building. The workshop is free of charge and open to all.
For more information about the workshop, please call park natural resource specialist Judy Hazen Connery at 207-288-8721.
