Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISMs)
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation partners with resource managers, non-governmental organizations, industry professionals, recreational groups, and other state agencies to combat invasive species. Eight Partnerships for Regional Invasive Species Management (PRISMs) exist across New York State and work to prevent or minimize the harm caused by invasive species on New York's environment. New York State, authorized under Title 17, Environmental Conservation Law 9-1705(5)(g), has formed and funded PRISMs in their efforts to address invasive species.
PRISMs coordinate invasive species management functions including:
- Coordinating partner efforts;
- recruiting and training citizen volunteers;
- identifying and delivering education and outreach;
- establishing early detection and monitoring networks; and
- implementing direct eradication and control efforts. As of 2013, the Department of Environmental Conservation has contracted for administration of all eight PRISMs across the State. PRISM Fact Sheet (PDF)
PRISMs deliver:
- Planning regional invasive species management
- Developing early detection and rapid response capacity
- Implementing eradication projects
- Educating - in cooperation with DEC contracted Education and Outreach providers
- Coordinating PRISM partners
- Recruiting and training volunteers
- Support for research through citizen science
Find your local PRISM:
- Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP)
- Capital Region PRISM
- Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP)
- Finger Lakes PRISM
- Long Island Invasive Species Management Area (LIISMA)
- Lower Hudson PRISM
- St. Lawrence Eastern Lake Ontario PRISM (SLELO)
- Western NY PRISM
New York Invasive Species Research Institute (NYISRI)
The New York Invasive Species Research Institute (NYSIRI) works to advance invasive species research capacity and improve the scientific basis of management and policy decisions in New York State. NYISRI closes the gap between the research community and natural resource professionals by working collaboratively to facilitate research, build and strengthen networks, and support partner needs. NYISRI is housed within the Department of Natural Resources & the Environment at Cornell University, and core funding is provided by the Environmental Protection Fund, which is administered by DEC.
iMapInvasives - New York Natural Heritage Program
The New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) administers iMapInvasives as the official invasive species database for New York State. iMapInvasives is a collaborative web-based mapping system used by community scientists, members of the public, and resource professionals to report invasive species locations, document management efforts, and track species distributions over time. NYNHP works closely with partners across the state to collect and manage invasive species data, and provides analytical tools to empower partners to incorporate invasive species data into management strategies.
NYNHP is a program of the State University of New York College Environmental Science and Forestry that is funded primarily by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and its partners.
- Report an observation
- View the public map
- Invasive species tiers (ranking system for prevalence of an invasive species in an area)
