While virtual exercise events have become popular over the last few years to encourage outdoor time and activity during winter months, one challenge adds a unique environmental twist, according to the St. Lawrence Eastern Lake Ontario Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (SLELO PRISM).

The organization is offering its annual Virtual Hike Challenge this winter. The challenge, which began Tuesday, Nov. 1, and will run through March 31, 2023, pairs winter hiking with simple instructions to help keep an eye out for hemlock woolly adelgid. The insect is an invasive forest pest that is confirmed to be present in Oswego County and is spreading along the Eastern Lake Ontario shoreline. 

The hemlock woolly adelgid damage hemlock trees by injecting their mouth parts in the woody tissue of hemlock branches to feed on the tree’s sap. Over time, their feeding weakens the host tree causing mortality within two to five years if not treated. Infested trees will display signs of distress such as needle loss and discoloration, limb damage or loss, or lack of regrowth in the spring.

The easiest time to spot an infestation of the invasive pest is during late fall and winter months when the insects form a white, woolly mass around their bodies that can be seen on infested hemlock tree branches where the needles connect to the branch. 

The annual Virtual Hike Challenge encourages people to check hemlock trees for signs of HWA as they go on hikes in the SLELO region this winter. Any trail in the SLELO region can be visited as part of the challenge. A map on the VHC webpage showcases public trails in the St. Lawrence Eastern Lake Ontario Region that have easy-to-find hemlocks along the path. 

Challenge rules: 

Participants need to fill out the form found at https://bit.ly/VirtualHIkeChallenge to register and to be entered to win prizes; 

Choose from any trail located in the counties of Oneida, Oswego, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence or view the VHC webpage map for suggested trails; 

Check hemlock trees along the trail for the white woolly masses of hemlock woolly adelgid; and

Help raise awareness by sharing a photo of the hike on Facebook and add the hashtag #VirtualHikeChallenge.

How to search for HWA

Check the underside of low-lying branches for white woolly masses. The presence of white masses may vary to a single or many masses on a branch. Check several branches from each side of the tree. A quick tutorial on how to identify HWA can be viewed on SLELO PRISM’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/YouTube_VHC ;

Whether or not hikers find signs of HWA, it is important that they record their observations. Both positive and negative findings are helpful in monitoring the pest population and can be recorded by using the iMapInvasives.org mobile app. Positive sightings can also be reported by calling the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Forest Pest Hotline at 1-866-640-0652

Hemlock woolly adelgid education is part of the SLELO PRISM ‘Pledge-to-Protect’ outreach initiative providing simple actions everyone can take to protect local lands and waters from invasive species. Take the ‘Pledge-To-Protect’ online at iPledgeToProtect.org. At signup, select from five areas of action: Lands & Trails, Gardens, Forests, Waters, and Community. Information is sent each month via email about a different activity to help protect your favorite outdoor spaces against the threat of invasive species.  

For more information about the Pledge to Protect, and to sign up for the Virtual Hike Challenge, visit sleloinvasives.org.