Fifth Annual OIPC Invasive Plant Symposium

OFAH FILE: 842
October 3, 2011

Fifth Annual OIPC Invasive Plant Symposium
Threats, actions to fight Ontario’s invasives on the agenda

The Fifth Annual Ontario Invasive Plant Council (OIPC) Annual General Meeting and Invasive Plant Symposium will be held October 13 and 14 at the Isaiah Tubbs Resort in Prince Edward County. The first day will include workshops and tours, followed by feature speakers and the annual general meeting on day two. Representatives from approximately 100 organizations across Ontario are expected to attend. The public is also invited to participate in some or all of the symposium.

“Those working in the environmental field know that it will take a collaborative effort to prevent the spread of invasive plants into and out of the province,” says OIPC Coordinator Hayley Anderson. “This symposium is one way we are working together to address the very real threat invasive plants pose to our environment, economy and society.”

Tour venues include Sandbanks Provincial Park, guided by park staff; a local woodlot, led by Prince Edward Stewardship Council; Prince Edward Point, guided by local naturalist Terry Sprague; and Massasauga Point, hosted by Quinte Conservation.

The symposium itinerary and registration form (which is required) are posted on the AGM page of the OIPC website at www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca.

The Ontario Invasive Plant Council (OIPC) is a nonprofit, multi-agency organization comprised of conservation authorities, academic institutions, aboriginal organizations, stewardship networks, private consultants, industry and environmental nongovernment organizations, as well as all levels of government. The OIPC was founded in response to the need for a coordinated provincial response to the growing threat of invasive plants, and is currently housed within the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, the province’s largest nonprofit fish and wildlife conservation-based organization.