Billboards in Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia this Fall

Will you be taking a nice fall drive through the gorgeous states of Tennessee, Kentucky or Virginia this fall? Perhaps you might go camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Shenandoah National Park, or the Blue Ridge Mountains? If so, you might see one or more of our nine brand new Don't Move Firewood billboards! With locations on major interstates, we are proud to say that the total coverage from these billboards will be over 20 million viewers during the fall months, with the possibility of many more viewers in the spring of 2015. Here at Don't Move Firewood, we are thrilled to participate in partnerships like this. Many thanks to The Nature Conservancy's Tennessee Chapter staff and Lamar Advertising for their truly outstanding work to get these billboards up for over 20 MILLION people to see!

 

Here's the design we chose for all nine billboards:

 

 

We also made billboards in 2014 for use in Montana and Idaho- read about and see those designs here!

Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week Tool Kit

Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week is in May each year, and here at Don’t Move Firewood we are excited to give our partners the tools they need to make EAB Awareness Week the best outreach week ever!

ALERT! WE HAVE MOVED ALL UPDATED RESOURCES TO

https://www.dontmovefirewood.org/emerald-ash-borer-awareness-week-toolkit/

The following text is for archiving only. The links do not work. Refer to the link above for a more current set of resources and links.

We’ve found that some of the best inspiration for outreach pieces comes from “standing on the shoulders of giants,” so we’ve compiled all the 2014 and 2015 materials that we could access, as well as other non-date-specific materials that might prove of use. Bookmark this page for your reference for Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week 2016!

Outreach Materials that could be used in 2016

  • Ash Tree Tag, (generic version or Montana specific version), credit: Purdue University Extension
  • Emerald ash borer mask  (Colored In or Line Drawn) credit: Don’t Move Firewood
  • Emerald ash borer coloring sheet credit: Don’t Move Firewood
  • Purple Trap Velcro Bug Game Instructions, credit: Vermont Department of Agriculture
  • Stop the Beetle kids activity packet, credit: HungryPests.com
  • “WANTED: Dead or Alive ” EAB poster, credit: U. of Arkansas Extension and the Arkansas Plant Board
  • 3D emerald ash borer do-it-yourself paper model, credit: York, Ontario EAB Canada page

Videos that could be used in 2016 Outreach

  • How to Identify the Emerald Ash Borer credit: Outsmart Invasives
  • Lifecycle of the Emerald Ash Borer (national version, adapted from original Minnesota version)
  • Assessing your ash tree for Emerald Ash Borer (made in Colorado, appears good for use across the region)

General Online Resources of Note

  • Emerald Ash Borer University (a.k.a. “EAB U”) Upcoming Webinars | Archived Webinars
  • StoptheBeetle.info (public outreach oriented website specific to emerald ash borer)
  • EmeraldAshBorer.info (forest health professionals oriented website)

Official Press Releases from 2014:

  • Governor O’Malley Declares May 18-24 Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week; Citizens Encouraged to Help Prevent the Emerald Pest from Spreading (Maryland)
  • Governor Dayton proclaims May 18-24 Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (Minnesota)
  • Emerald Ash Borer: Ash Tree Killer (Montana)
  • Governor Hassan Declares May 18 – 24 Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (New Hampshire)
  • DEC Announces Fourth Annual Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (New York)
  • Officials work to keep emerald ash borer out of ND (North Dakota)
  • Nature Walks Planned Across the State to Celebrate Ash Tree Awareness Week (Vermont)
  • May 18-24 is Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (Wisconsin)
  • Community’s Proclamations of Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week, 2014 Example/Template, created by S. Lucik at USDA APHIS

News Articles and Blurbs from 2014:

  • Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (Colorado)
  • Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (Florida)
  • Area’s ash borer problem peaking (Indiana)
  • Arbor Week—Ash Tree Tagging Update (Maine)
  • Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (Minnesota)
  • Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (New Hampshire)
  • Emerald ash borer — a risk to ash trees locally and across North America (New York)
  • Fourth annual emerald ash borer awareness week underway in NY (New York)
  • May 19-25 is Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (North Dakota)
  • Ash Tree Awareness Week a SmASHing Success! (Vermont)
  • Emerald Ash Borer awareness week (Wisconsin)
  • May 18-24 is Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week (Wisconsin)

Governor’s Proclamations from past years

  • Indiana Governor’s Proclamation
  • Governor O’Malley Declares May 18-24 Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week; Citizens Encouraged to Help Prevent the Emerald Pest from Spreading (Maryland)
  • Minnesota Governor’s Proclamation
  • New Hampshire Governor’s Proclamation
  • New York Invasive Species Awareness Week Governor’s Proclamation (slightly different, but perhaps an instructive example for other efforts)
  • Governor’s Proclamations of Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week, 2014 Example/Template, created by S. Lucik with USDA APHIS

This very long and detailed list could not have been made without the help of our 2014 summer interns, Ariel and Katie! Thank you!

 

When the Threat Hits Close to Home

Why the Don’t Move Firewood Booth was Especially Relevant at Tanglewood on Parade

by Katie Robb, Don't Move Firewood Summer Intern

 

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home, Tanglewood, offers what can only be considered a quintessential Berkshire experience. The crowds arrive with picnic baskets and blankets in hand, looking forward to the experience of listening to one of the country’s finest symphony orchestras perform outside on a fair summer evening. Tanglewood hosts a number of exciting events over the summer, including Tanglewood on Parade, which Don’t Move Firewood attended this August.

 

With the recent discovery that the Emerald Ash Borer has reached Boston, MA, our booth was especially relevant to the fair portion of the 30,000 guests that came in from the greater Boston area. Unfortunately, eradication on a large scale is no longer feasible for the emerald ash borer, making our message of slowing the insect particularly important.

 

dont move firewood summer intern outreach booth

 

On this particular day, our work was very much appreciated by those who stopped to talk with us. I saw how concerned and emotional many individuals became upon learning that the emerald ash borer had reached New England’s largest city. One woman was extremely upset and shared with me that she had been working hard to keep a 100 year old ash tree on her property healthy over the years. Another couple was concerned knowing that they had recently bought land containing many ash trees just north of Boston in New Hampshire; wondering how long it would be before their ash were under attack. Although most people who I spoke with had never heard of the emerald ash borer, realizing that it had become a present threat to the forests surrounding their homes, they were committed to learning more and invested in understanding what they could do to mitigate the problem. To most, I suggested that they take some of our pamphlets and insect identification cards and give them to neighbors and friends to increase awareness in their hometowns.

 

In addition to our timely relevance to the Boston community, this specific event targets a group of people who especially need to understand the impact of transporting firewood. The Berkshires is a popular vacation destination for those in the greater Boston area and the NYC metropolitan area who seek an opportunity to take a break from the city life. As thousands pour into Berkshire County every weekend, the risk of bringing in infested firewood increases. By attending popular tourist destinations in the Berkshires, such as Tanglewood, we can reach the people who we especially encourage to buy firewood locally to reduce the threat of introducing invasive species to the Berkshire forests.