Invasive Species Centre

National Forum on Biological Control Conference
2025-04-14 - 2025-04-17 | The Graduate Hotel, Annapolis, Maryland
The USDA Forest Service is organizing a National Forum for Biological Control in Natural Areas Conference in partnership with NAISMA and the National Association of State Foresters and will be held April 14-17, 2025 in Annapolis, MD at the Graduate Hotel. The meeting will focus on both weed and arthropod biocontrol and will be a venue for all biocontrol practitioners, researchers, and policy makers to come together to address the shared challenges (i.e., communication, capacity, changing landscapes) and opportunities that exist in this area. The meeting themes are centered around biocontrol research, management, and impacts in natural areas.

Ontario Fish Identification Workshops
2025-04-22 - 2025-05-15 | University of Guelph Science Complex (unless otherwise noted)
These workshops are designed primarily for professionals, technicians, field biologists, and environmental consultants, but other interested individuals – including university and college students – are welcome.
Workshops will be offered in April and May 2025, at the University of Guelph Science Complex (unless otherwise noted).
A variety of courses are being offered this year, check out the website for more details

Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association 2025 Conference & AGM
2025-04-23 - 2025-04-25 | Superior Inn Hotel & Conference Centre in Thunder Bay
The conference theme this year is “Innovation” and will be a great opportunity to provide timely updates, showcase best practices, share local initiatives, network, and provide municipalities with critical knowledge to help them prepare for the changes that are to come.

Watersheds Canada National Conference 2025
2025-05-01 - 2025-05-02 | 4252 Haliburton County Road 21 Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0
Connecting Leaders, Inspiring Change: Practical Stewardship for Canada’s Freshwater
Immerse yourself in Watersheds Canada’s inaugural conference where inspiration leads to action.
Join fellow lake and watershed enthusiasts for an engaging experience that takes you beyond the conference room and into the field with hands-on stewardship project demonstrations and interactive seminars.
Network with passionate lake leaders and environmental professionals, share innovative success stories and discover science-driven practical solutions.
Leave empowered, connected, and ready to make a tangible impact on Canada’s watersheds and your own community
Learn more at https://watersheds.ca/conference/

St. Joseph Island Hunters and Anglers Association's Outdoors Show
2025-05-04 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Toronto) | Johnson Township Community Centre Arena, 3 Johnson Dr, Johnson, Ontario, Canada
Location: Johnson Township Community Centre ArenaEntry by Cash DonationCash Required for raffles and many on-site purchases (No ATM on Site – closest ATM at nearby restaurant)

This event gets bigger every year! With over 100 tables of indoor and outdoor vendors with firearms, hunting, fishing, ATVs, boats, and other outdoor gear.

If you have outdoors equipment, fishing or hunting gear you’d like to advertise or sell contact Jane Perry 705-206-6454

Quality retail and private owner firearms tables (Valid PAL Licence required for firearms, ammunition, and magazine purchases, please ensure your email is up to date with RCMP to ensure a smooth exchange)

Outdoor Themed Presentations at 11am and 1:30pm (Topics to be announced)
Free Family Activities for all ages: Archery, Tomahawk Throwing, Rod Casting, CO2 Powered Nerf Gun Shooting Gallery
Knife Sharpening Booth for a fee
Sault College Deer Check Station Booth will have free antler measuring – bring your rack big or small!
Raffles and Draws with fantastic prizes for everyone
Food and Drink Available On Site all day

Parking on site with overflow parking close-by and a free shuttle

Draw Information:
Each year at the Outdoors and Gun Show the St. Joseph Island Hunters and Anglers Association hosts a number of draws. There are two draws this year that require you to pay for a ticket to enter the draw and these are licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and help to raise money to support events like todays. Funds are also used to support other conservation initiatives undertaken by the Association.

Draw #1: Gun/Bow Package Draw $20 per ticketWinner gets a choice of one of the below packages:Excalibur Crossbow with Case and accessoriesWinchester Rifle with ScopeTraditions Nitrofire MuzzleloaderRemington Semi-Auto Shotgun

International Young Researchers Conference on Invasive Species - 2025
2025-05-06 - 2025-05-07 | Online
The International Young Researchers Conference on Invasive Species is a forum to discuss invasive species worldwide. Communications are limited to young researchers: postgraduate students, master’s students, PhD candidate, and first-year postdoc.

Environmental DNA Workshop 2025
2025-05-11 - 2025-05-16
The Queen’s University Biological Station is hosting an immersive training program from May 11–16, 2025, featuring lectures, hands-on field and lab activities, and instruction in sampling, data collection, processing, analysis, and interpretation. An optional Oxford Nanopore Long Read Sequencing Workshop will be available on May 16–17. Open to students, industry professionals, and the public. Participants will receive a Queen’s University micro-credential.
For more information, visit https://qubs.ca/eDNAWorkshop

2025 Invasive Species Research Conference
2025-05-13 - 2025-05-15 | Kelowna, British Columbia
Call for Proposals Ends November 15, 2024
Invasive species researchers and practitioners from North America and beyond are invited to participate and to submit scientific research abstracts for presentations at the Invasive Species Research Conference. All those working or interested in invasive species research are encouraged to attend.

2025 Ontario Biodiversity Summit
2025-05-21 - 2025-05-22 | Trent University, Peterborough-Nogojiwanong, Ontario
Everyone has a role to play to conserve biodiversity in Ontario and to set a path towards a resilient future for nature and people.
The 2025 Ontario Biodiversity Summit: Our Turning Point for Nature, will find common threads between different sectors, areas of expertise and knowledge systems and weave them together to build our turning point for nature. The Summit and its outcomes will also drive implementation of Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy and its 13 targets and 43 priority actions.
Learn more and register: https://event.fourwaves.com/obs-2025

Webinar: Beyond Buckthorn: Innovative Strategies for Invasive Control
2025-05-21 | Online
Invasive buckthorn continues to threaten native ecosystems, but new and creative management approaches are showing promising results. This webinar will explore cutting-edge strategies to control and replace buckthorn, including the Cover It Up program, which utilizes native plantings to suppress regrowth, targeted goat grazing, and the use of fungal pathogens to weaken buckthorn populations. Join experts as they share research-backed insights, real-world applications, and success stories from the field. Whether you’re a land manager, conservationist, or homeowner, this session will equip you with practical tools to restore habitat and reclaim invaded landscapes.

Volunteer Event: Garlic Mustard Pull in Schomberg, Ontario
2025-05-27 17:30 - 19:30 | StarCliff Nature Reserve, Schomberg, Ontario
Join the annual Garlic Mustard pull. Help manage the spread of this invasive plant at the StarCliff Nature Reserve in Schomberg. Garlic Mustard is easy to manually remove, with no tools or training required. Protect biodiversity, spend an afternoon in the woods, and become a part of our volunteer community.

Accessibility: please note that the trail at this site contains some steep inclines and uneven terrain. It is not accessible for community members with limited mobility.

Millennium Forest Celebration
2025-06-05 11:00 - 14:00 | Roberta Bondar Park in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
An anniversary ceremony will take place at the Millennium Forest from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, followed by a celebration at the Roberta Bondar Park until 2:00 pm. This includes socializing, informational displays and food on site available for purchase.
This celebration is a unique opportunity to engage with the local forestry community, showcase your services and join us in commemorating a significant milestone for the Millennium Forest. Booth space and/or a table will be available. There is no cost to participate as an exhibitor.
To discuss this celebration further, please reach out to Megan Smith (megan.smith@ontario.ca, 705-255-8622).

NAISMA Webinar: Invasive Freshwater Jellyfish
2025-06-18 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
Many people have recently noticed small jellyfish floating around in summer in lakes. These are mostly a single invasive species known officially as Craspedacusta sowerbii or sometimes as the Peach-blossom jellyfish. If you have noticed them, you may think you are seeing things, but they are probably real. I will discuss what we know about this invasive species in North American lakes and why they are being noticed more and more often. While scientists still have a lot to learn about these organisms, I will discuss in this webinar the knowledge we currently have, providing some insight into their life histories and ecology, as well as how they might be affecting food webs in our lakes.

Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Landing Blitz
2025-06-30 - 2025-07-13
Boaters and other recreators learn about the risks of spreading aquatic invasive species (AIS) at public and private boating access sites across the Great Lakes region every summer. The Great Lakes AIS “Landing Blitz” events take place over a two-week period, emphasizing the need to Clean, Drain, Dry boats whenever they come out of the water, and Dispose of any unwanted bait in the trash.

Local volunteers partner with state and provincial agencies to deliver consistent messaging about preventing the introduction and spread of AIS from the movement of watercraft and equipment between water bodies. Information on these events, including educational materials, locations and volunteer opportunities are posted on this page as they become available.

See the map on their website to view events

Beech Leaf Disease Workshop
2025-07-24 | King Edward Park Community Centre 75 Elizabeth St, Brighton, ON K0K 1H0
The Invasive Species Centre, in coordination with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, is hosting an in-person beech leaf disease workshop to raise awareness about this disease and what we can do to protect beech.
Attendees will learn about beech leaf disease biology, prevention, identification, reporting, research, and more!
*This workshop involves a field tour to see beech leaf disease and its impacts – please dress appropriately for the weather.
*Morning refreshments and lunch are provided.
*The Invasive Species Centre has applied for ISA CEU’s

Beech Leaf Disease Workshop
2025-07-24 09:00 - 14:30 | King Edward Park Community Centre 75 Elizabeth St, Brighton, ON K0K 1H0
On July 24, the Invasive Species Centre, in coordination with the Ontario Trillium Foundation and MNR, will be hosting a free workshop in Brighton to increase awareness and reporting of beech leaf disease.
Beech leaf disease can impact all species of beech and is thought to be caused by an invasive foliar-feeding nematode. It has been spreading rapidly through Ontario, with known detections from Windsor to Prince Edward County. This workshop will cover beech leaf disease identification, biology, spread, prevention, management, and research. Join us to learn more about how you can help protect beech!
A few workshop highlights:

There is an indoor and outdoor portion of the workshop – See beech leaf disease and its impacts firsthand during an outdoor walk through Proctor Park Conservation Area
Lunch is provided
A request has been made to the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) to offer CEUs for certified individuals attending this workshop

Spotted Lanternfly Workshop
2025-08-06 09:30 - 11:00 | The Gasworks, 141 Park St N, Hamilton, Ontario, L8R 2N4, Canada
The focus of this workshop is the spotted lanternfly, an invasive pest spreading in the northeastern United States, with populations as close to Canada as Buffalo, New York. Although not currently in Canada, if spotted lanternfly were to establish, it could have immense impacts on agricultural production and the natural environment within Ontario’s Greenbelt. Presented by the Invasive Species Centre with support from the Greenbelt Foundation, this workshop will provide training, key information and tools to prevent, identify and report spotted lanternfly.
This in-person workshop is free of cost and is taking place on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. Advance registration is required at the link below. There are a limited number of registrations available, so be sure to secure your place as soon as possible!
Can’t attend the workshop? Try the Invasive Species Centre’s free online course, Spotted Lanternfly Training through our Invasive Species Training Program.
Participants will gain knowledge and understanding of the following:

what makes a species invasive,
the importance of the lands protected within the Greenbelt,
the impacts of spotted lanternfly and the importance of prevention, early detection and rapid response,
basic spotted lanternfly biology, life cycle, and pathways of spread,
tips and tools to identify and report spotted lanternfly and its host plant, tree-of-heaven; and
updates on current efforts and key government players in Ontario and Canada.

We encourage vineyard owners and staff, other horticulturalists, woodlot owners, arborists, government and conservation authority staff, gardeners, naturalists, students, and any interested members of the public to join us!
Attendance in full at this workshop is eligible for 1.5 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in Integrated Pest Management for Ontario Certified Crop Advisors. Approval is pending for eligibility of CEUs for the International Society of Arboriculture.

Webinar: Research Spotlight: Managing the European Green Crab Invasion
2025-08-20 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
The European green crab is spreading rapidly along the Pacific Coast, threatening ecosystems and aquaculture. In this webinar, three experts will share new research on how we can better understand and manage this invasive species.

Abby Keller (UC Berkeley) will explore how decision theory can guide when to try to remove green crabs—or when to adapt to their presence—as populations grow beyond control.
Mary Fisher (UC Davis) will present research from Willapa Bay, WA, using DNA metabarcoding tools to uncover what green crabs are eating and how their diet differs between aquaculture sites and natural habitats.
Rikke Jeppesen (Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve) will share findings on how native sea otters may help keep green crab populations in check in California estuaries.

This webinar is a great opportunity for anyone interested in invasive species, coastal ecosystems, and science-based management. This webinar is being jointly hosted by NAISMA and Sea Grant.

MIPN Webinars: The Crab Apple Conundrum
2025-08-26 12:30 - 13:30 | Online
Presenters Rebecca Scherr & Emma Farmer, The Dawes Arboretum Learn about the work The Dawes Arboretum is undertaking to discover the genetic identity of the Malus variant that is expanding under the radar in Ohio and elsewhere as well as their research on the best practices to manage infestations.

They’ll need that hug: How climate change is increasing native and invasive threats to Michigan’s trees
2025-08-27 09:00 - 10:00 | Online
Invasive insects and diseases, including hemlock woolly adelgid, beech bark and beech leaf disease, are taking a toll on Michigan’s forests. As if this weren’t enough, the changing climate is further stressing trees and may lead to greater impacts by both invasive and native insects and diseases. Join forest entomologist Erin Biggs and forest pathologist Simeon Wright of the Department of Natural Resources to learn more about these emerging issues, how they are being addressed, and which may have the biggest impact on Michigan’s forests and urban landscapes.

Invasive Upcycling Summit
2025-08-27 12:00 - 16:00 | Online
Join Invasive Impact Initiatives and the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA) for the Invasive Upcycling Summit—a virtual event highlighting how creativity and environmental stewardship can intersect to solve pressing ecological challenges caused by invasive species.
This interactive summit will feature changemakers who are transforming invasive species into useful, sustainable products by collaborating with local invasive experts. Along the way, they’re also educating communities about the ecological damage invasive species cause and inspiring new approaches to environmental care and circular design.

2025 New York Invasive Species Expo
2025-09-14 - 2025-09-16 | Saratoga Spa State Park 19 Roosevelt Dr. Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Join us for the 2025 NYS Invasive Species Expo! This is a unique conference focusing on invasive species, and will combine classic presentations and creative use of outdoor space to appeal to a wide range of attendees. The Expo will be an immersive, hands-on experience featuring:

Unique presentations
Interactive demonstrations
Hands-on workshops
Small-group discussions
Field trips & outdoor activities

GLLC Annual Meeting
2025-09-15 - 2025-09-16 | the Aloft South Bend, South Bend, Indiana
The GLLC Annual Meeting makes it possible for GLLC members to network with their peers from across the region and learn about the latest developments in Great Lakes-St. Lawrence policy. The GLLC meets annually, with meetings rotating around the eight states and two provinces that share the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.

Webinar: Islands Under Siege: Combating Invasive Species to Protect Unique Island Ecosystems
2025-09-17 02:00 - 15:30 | Online
Islands are home to some of the world’s most unique and vulnerable ecosystems—and also some of the most threatened by invasive species. Join us for a powerful and inspiring webinar exploring the impacts of invasive species on island biodiversity and the dedicated efforts to restore and protect these fragile environments.
We’ll hear from David Sischo with the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources, who will share the vital work of the Snail Extinction Prevention Program, a conservation initiative focused on saving Hawaiʻi’s imperiled native tree snails from the brink of extinction in the face of invasive predators.

Save the date for the Managed gene flow R2P2 coffee talk
2025-09-25 10:00 - 11:00 | Online

Seeds of change: Assisting gene flow for climate adaptation Coffee Talk
2025-09-25 10:00 - 23:00 | Online
Join authors Eve Beaury (New York Botanical Garden), Matt Brincka (New York State Parks), Grace Gutierrez (University of Massachusetts Amherst), and Bethany Bradley (University of Massachusetts Amherst) to learn more about the newly published NE RISCC Research to Practice Paper “Seeds of change: Assisting gene flow for climate adaptation”. Following a presentation on the conceptual background and a case study, we’ll answer questions and host a facilitated discussion with event participants. Anyone interested in climate adaptation and seed sourcing strategies is welcome to join this free event. This event is co-hosted by the Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change Management Network (NE RISCC) and the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (NE CASC).

Oceans Conference & Exposition 2025 Great Lakes
2025-09-29 - 2025-10-02 | Navy Pier , Chicago, Illinois
The OCEANS 2025 Great Lakes conference is for global maritime professionals to learn, innovate and lead in the protection and utilization of the world’s largest natural resource – our OCEANS.

Webinar: Polyphagous Shot-Hole Borer: Applying California’s Lessons to Support Management Efforts in Western Australia
2025-10-08 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
The polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB) is a tiny but devastating invasive beetle that poses a major threat to urban forests and natural ecosystems. First detected in California in 2003 and more recently in Western Australia, PSHB carries a fungal pathogen that disrupts water and nutrient flow in trees, leading to branch dieback and, in severe cases, tree death.
Join us for this insightful webinar as Dr. Shannon Lynch share lessons learned from decades of PSHB management in California—including surveillance, host tree impacts, and community engagement strategies—and how these experiences are shaping Western Australia’s response to this emerging threat.

IUCN World Conservation Congress
2025-10-09 - 2025-10-15 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The IUCN World Conservation Congress is a once-every-four-years, diverse gathering of nature conservation experts, leaders and decision-makers from around the world. It will help shape global priorities for nature conservation and climate change for the coming decade and beyond.

Save the date for the Hydrilla manager-researcher webinar
2025-10-15 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
