Golf and Education
Cost $35 For golf and education
$5 for education only
Registration 9:00
Education 9:30-11:00
Golf 11:15 (Box lunch included)
Presenter’s Bio: Jonathan Shields is a Plant Health Supervisor with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, within the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Cooperative Eradication program. Jonathan earned both Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in the Biological Sciences from Bowling Green State University. He began his career battling invasive pests in 2003, as part of the Michigan Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative Emerald Ash Borer Response Team. Jonathan spent three years in the program holding positions as a Survey Crew Lead, Regulatory Inspector, Zone Supervisor, and Survey and Data Coordinator. After spending time in non-profit, animal health and food safety microbiology positions, Jonathan returned to invasive pests in 2011, when the Asian Longhorned Beetle was found in Southwest Ohio. Jonathan worked as a Regulatory Inspector before being promoted to Plant Health Supervisor with the ALB Eradication Program.
Full Presentation Description:The presentation will include several 5-10 minute discussions of the pests threatening Ohio's plant life. These include Walnut Twig Beetle (which can carry the fungus that causes Thousand Cankers Disease), European Gypsy Moth, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, and Emerald Ash Borer. The focus will be on describing their biology, recognizing the signs of infestation, and the steps being taken in response to their detection in Ohio.
A more in-depth discussion (20-30 minutes) of the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) infestation in Clermont County, Ohio will follow. This will address the beetle life cycle, signs of ALB infestation and a brief history of the infestation in Ohio. It will detail elements of the eradication program, including surveying for signs of infestation, treatment methods used, outreach to the public and regulatory steps taken to prevent the continued movement of the Asian Longhorned Beetle.