Volunteer with CRISP!

Looking to help save our native species from the attack from invasives?  We have the opportunity for you!  Crisp is looking for volunteers for a number of upcoming project events listed below: 

BioBlitz at the Thorn Preserve in Woodstock

We're having our second annual BioBlitz, an event where we spend a weekend sending out identification experts to categorize as many organisms on the property as possible. The end goal is to have a thorough idea of the species composition at the Thorn Preserve, and to use to the data to form a stewardship plan for the property.

We will be sending out 2-3 trained volunteers with each expert. The trained volunteers will be recording the organism's common name, scientific name, gps location, habitat type it was found in, and some other data, taking pictures of each organism, and in general taking notes on behavior etc that the expert discusses.

We're also looking for volunteers to direct parking, to man the refreshments table, to keep track of ID guidebooks and equipment that are lent out, and some other tasks.

We are looking for between 30 and 45 volunteers for the event, taking place from June 10th through June 11th. Our schedule for what time experts are coming will be up on our website bioblitz2016.com soon. Our scheduled training days so far are Wednesday June 1st at 6 pm and Sunday June 5th at 11 am, both at the Thorn Preserve, which is located at 55 John Joy Road in Woodstock, NY.

If people cannot make the trainings, they are also welcome to come to the event and follow the experts around - this event is both for data collection and educational purposes.

For more infromation or to sign up contact Virginia Luppino at virginia.wlc@gmail.com

Hemlock Surveys

CRISP is doing hemlock health and regeneration surveys throughout the Catskills. I am looking to take 1 or 2 volunteers out every trip, which will include bushwacking on mountainous and difficult terrain, perhaps with stream crossings. We will be out for between 4 and 7 hours at a stretch.

The volunteers will be trained in GPS data collection, hemlock and hemlock woolly adelgid ID and survey techniques, as well as some general-purpose forest survey techniques (DBH measurements, leaf-crown ratio, etc). Dates are TBD, but would be on weekdays in summer.

For more information or to sign up contact Dan Snider, Field Projects Manager, CRISP at [email protected]

Hemlock Citizen Science

CRISP will also be doing trainings for hemlock woolly adelgid identification and reporting. I will be training volunteers in HWA ID and infestation density characterization, as well as iMap Invasives use to report any instances of HWA found in hemlock stands. The goal is to help CRISP characterize the outer limits of the infestation in the Catskills. Dates of trainings TBD.

For more information or to sign up contact Dan Snider, Field Projects Manager, CRISP at [email protected]