In early 2023, 400 members of the invasive species community, composed of resource managers, researchers and policy makers from 34 states and 12 countries, participated in the virtual 2023 Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Change (RISCC) Management Network Symposium. Together, they highlighted key successes while acknowledging remaining challenges in facing the threats presented by invasive species and climate change. 

Toni Lyn Morelli, co-founder of the RISCC network and research ecologist for Northeast CASC noted, “This high level of participation serves as new evidence that we have established a growing community of scientists, managers, and policymakers committed to addressing the overlapping problems of invasive species and climate change, two of the most significant threats to ecosystems in the Northeast and across the globe.” 

The symposium included a presentation of RISCC’s inaugural Community Action Award given to Bobbi Wilson, a nine-year-old from New Jersey possessing a passion and curiosity for science, who created an insect repellent to spray on trees and collect invasive lanternflies. 

The symposium featured 35 speakers who covered a wide range of topics from early detection tools to habitat resiliency and challenges faced by species of cultural and tribal importance. This event was designed to strengthen the invasive species community, and the symposium’s inclusive design of both researcher and management perspectives led to a notably high level of enthusiastic engagement from the attendees.