“Teaming with Beetles to Control Purple Loosestrife --Come to NRWA Beetle Raising Workshop” The Nashua River Watershed Association (NRWA) and the Stewardship Committee of the Squannassit and Petapawag Areas of Critical Environmental Concern invite the public to attend an orientation and training workshop to learn about raising "Galerucella" beetles.

These beneficial beetles are used to control the invasive plant purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in local wetlands. Our volunteer introductory speaker will be Georgeann Keer, project manager with the MA Department of Fish and Game’s Division of Ecological Restoration. The workshop will be held on:
 
Tuesday, March 16, 2010, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, at the NRWA River Resource Center, 592 Main Street (Rt. 119), in Groton, MA. Look for the canoe out front. The snow date is Thursday, March 23, at the same time and location.

Raising beetles to control purple loosestrife is an exciting opportunity for community involvement in restoring local habitat. If you would like to learn how to become a "beetle farmer" and rear Galerucella beetles for release in a local wetland, please attend this workshop. The workshop will be offered only once this year. Step-by-step instructions to rear and release the beneficial beetles will be provided. No experience is necessary to become a beetle farmer!

Meet farmers from last year, whose beetles are now helping to control loosestrife in five towns. Learn about changes planned for this year which will allow us to double our 2009 production. If you know of areas of heavy loosestrife infestation, NRWA is interested in learning about them. This workshop is free and open to the public; registration is requested, but not required. It is made possible in part by the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program, and a grant from the Groton Garden Club. To sign up for the workshop, please contact Rick Muehlke, NRWA Land Programs and Outreach Assistant, at (978) 448-0299, or email at RickM@NashuaRiverWatershed.org.