Minnesota Master Naturalist

Course Registration

ADV - Invasive Blitz - Lowry Nature Center, Victoria, MN

7025 Victoria Drive Victoria, MN 55386 website

7025 Victoria Drive
Victoria, MN 55386

Invasive Blitz volunteer training

Calling all volunteers from the Minnesota Master Naturalist, Master Gardener, Forest Pest First Detector and other programs! As you know, invasive species such as buckthorn, garlic mustard and wild parsnip pose serious threats to Minnesota’s natural resources, ecosystems, and economy. We want YOU to join in a statewide effort to tackle the growing problem of invasive species.

Join us for a one-day workshop (qualifies as Advanced Training or continuing education hours!) in which you will learn the impact of invasive species in Minnesota and be trained to identify and remove/treat selected problem species and provide follow-up management and monitoring. We will help you plan a local project that will mobilize organizations and clubs you belong to so you can host local invasive plant removal projects as part of an annual statewide “Invasive Blitz” event. You may even wish to adopt a local natural area (park, woodlot, camp, retreat center, etc.) you can regularly monitor and provide stewardship for into the future.

Tentative agenda includes:
- Ecology of invasive species
- Species “parade” (in-depth information on the identification and management of selected invasives)
- Recognizing and reporting new invaders via the Arrest the Pest Hotline
- Lunch (included with registration fee)
- Field session (practice identifying invasive species)
- Organizing and managing invasive removal projects

Who should attend: Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, Forest Pest First Detectors, Woodland Advisors, Tree Care Advisors, Shoreland Volunteers, School Forest volunteers, DNR Scientific & Natural Area Site Stewards, and others with in-depth knowledge of trees and plant identification who are willing to lead volunteer invasive species service projects.

All workshops have a registration fee of $50 (scholarships available, for more information, click here), and include extensive take-home materials and lunch.

Species emphasis for this workshop: Buckthorn, Garlic Mustard, Wild Parsnip, Oriental Bittersweet

Space is limited, so register right away!

Questions? Email Andrea Lorek Strauss at astrauss@umn.edu.

The course cost is $50 and includes course manuals and supplies.

Course Dates:

Meeting from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. on:

Instructor Information

Andrea Lorek Strauss

Andrea Lorek Strauss grew up playing outdoors at every opportunity. Today, she is an Extension Professor with the University of Minnesota Extension with a MSEd in Curriculum and Instruction/Outdoor Education. Her career focuses on environmental education, including past work for the International Wolf Center in Ely, MN, the Prairie Ecology Bus Center in southwest Minnesota, and various naturalist roles in the Boston area, northern Minnesota, and New York state.

Angela Gupta

Angie Gupta is an Extension Forester based in Rochester, MN. Her professional focus is to train natural resource professionals and forest land owners about terrestrial invasive species and general best practices for maintaining healthy forest ecosystems.

Sponsor Information

University of MN Extension


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