The Long Island Invasive Species Management Area is excited to announce their 2023 Invasive Species Prevention Poster Contest.
All K-12 students on Staten Island and Long Island are invited to enter to showcase their creativity and express their thoughts on conservation and invasive species. Prizes will be awarded to 15 winners, including cash prizes provided by Long Island Natives, gift cards to local nursery Heritage Farm and Garden, spotted lanternfly swag, PlayCleanGo handheld boot brushes, and plants from the Long Island Native Plant Initiative.
Students are tasked with creating educational posters that illustrate ways to prevent the spread of invasive species that threaten native biodiversity. Invasive species are any plant or animal that spreads to a new area and causes harm to the environment, humans, or the economy.
They are often spread by people unintentionally, such as through ornamental plantings, on recreational equipment, or by moving firewood or dumping fish tanks.
“This year’s theme of invasive species prevention was chosen so kids would be equipped with specific ways to reduce the impact of invasive species on our local ecosystems. We hope this will inspire young people to take action to help prevent the spread of invasive species and encourage others to do the same,” said Kassidy Robinson, LIISMA’s education and outreach manager.
The LIISMA poster contest is sponsored by the Long Island Native Plant Initiative, Heritage Farm and Garden, Long Island Natives, and PlayCleanGo/NAISMA. For the contest application and guidelines, please visit: https://liisma.org/events/liisma-invasive-species-prevention-poster-contest/ .
LIISMA is a partnership of more than 30 governmental and nongovernmental organizations working together to reduce the spread of invasive species and protect local ecosystems on Staten Island and in Brooklyn, Queens, and Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Funding for LIISMA is provided by the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, as administered by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
