Responding to the Arrival of Southern Pine Beetle

Research at the Reserve Series

Southern Pine Beetle
Wednesday, March 4 – In-person & Virtual
6:30PM – 7:30PM

In-Person: Waquoit Bay Reserve Visitor Center, 131 Waquoit Highway.  Doors open at 6:00PM, light refreshments available.

Virtual: A Zoom link will be sent to you prior to the webinar.

Join representatives from MassWildlife and Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Waquoit Bay Reserve to learn about a newly arrived pest impacting pitch pine forests in southeastern Massachusetts, the Southern Pine Beetle (SPB). We will discuss the current status of SPB in the region, the impact risk, influence of climate change, and most importantly, what can be done to improve resiliency in our pine forests. You will hear about the work that MassWildlife and DCR have undertaken with their partners and next steps.

Speakers:

Nicole Keleher, Habitat Restoration & Management Program Manager, MassWildlife. With more than a decade of experience in invasive species ecology, forestry, and habitat restoration, Nicole works at the intersection of science and on-the-ground land management. Nicole currently serves as Habitat Program Manager for MassWildlife, where she leads a multidisciplinary team implementing habitat management and restoration projects across diverse ecosystems statewide. Previously, Nicole worked for DCR as the Forest Health Program Director, where she was the go-to forest health subject matter expert, overseeing invasive species management projects, forest health monitoring, and forest insect and disease public outreach efforts.

Ryan Clark is the Stewardship Coordinator at Waquoit Bay Reserve. His role is focused on ensuring the sustainability and resilience of the various habitats and natural resources of the Reserve and the Waquoit Bay watershed through monitoring and management practices such as restoration as well as working with our partners on a variety of projects. Ryan studied and obtained a Bachelors degree in ecology and a Masters degree in wildlife management and has worked in the field of ecological restoration and natural resource monitoring and management for more than 20 years.