Students Help Prepare for Invasive Species Battle

The Conservancy recently acquired an exciting new preserve, The Gully Preserve in Wayland, NY! (read more on p.4-5)

This special place has been a local treasure for years and features a mature hemlock forest surrounding the drinking water source of the Village of Dansville. Unfortunately, an invasive insect is posing a threat to the forest and the stream here.

Hemlock woolly adelgid is a small insect that attaches to the base of hemlock needles and can be seen as white woolly masses in the winter. Once attached, the adelgid feed on the tree’s starches which damages and ultimately kills the tree.

Hemlock trees are important to the ecosystem they are in—they help maintain water quality, prevent soil erosion, and provide unique habitat for wildlife.

As The Gully Preserve is almost entirely a hemlock forest, the adelgid presents an immediate threat to the property and the water quality of the stream.

SUNY Geneseo professor Dr. Kristina Hannam and her conservation biology students completed a class project to help the Conservancy in our battle against the adelgid. Dr. Hannam and her students made four site visits to The Gully Preserve where they collected field data at various plots on the property.

Students measured hemlocks, took photos of ground cover plants, analyzed canopy cover, and surveyed branches for the adelgid.

After processing and analyzing their field data, Dr. Hannam’s students presented their findings to Conservancy staff, board members, and neighboring landowners who are also impacted by the adelgid.

Students expressed their gratitude for this field opportunity and the chance to practice biology skills while contributing to a real-world project.

One student wrote “Standing in The Gully Preserve and seeing the forest benefit from the hemlocks was really impactful: the trout stream that would lose its shade, the various plant species that are controlled by competition, and the slopes protected from erosion. Seeing the forest that would be lost without protection made the [Conservancy’s project] all the more important.”

With the students’ data and analyses, the Conservancy is writing a management plan which outlines the steps needed to best steward the preserve. Part of this stewardship will include strategically treating the hemlocks at The Gully over the next several years. The Conservancy is hopeful that with purposeful treatments and stewardship, the hemlocks at The Gully will provide shade, habitat, and clean water for years to come.