Tricia Bethke brings her considerable expertise in environmental science and pest identification to her role as the Arboretum’s forest pest outreach coordinator.
Bethke conducts statewide outreach and training on invasive forest pests in Illinois. This includes identifying and training key stakeholders about invasive species, pest identification, regulations and quarantines, as well as reporting protocols.
She was also key to the coordination and development of a robust outreach strategy for the Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI)—a collaborative partnership for coordinated action on key issues facing trees and the largest such initiative in the country.
Accomplishments
Bethke coordinated the education and outreach strategy for the Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI).
She has contributed to the Continental Dialogue, which cultivates and catalyzes collaborative action among diverse interests to abate the threat to North American forests from non-native insects and diseases.
Bethke partnered with The Nature Conservancy to conduct a statewide needs assessment for volunteer stewards and natural areas management. She also coordinated the Invasive Species Field Research project, which developed monitoring protocols and field research for Northern Illinois Invasive Plant Partnerships (NIIPPs) grant (2012) on the globe thistle, Echinops sphaerocephalus.
Affiliations
Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forest Insects and Diseases Steering Committee, Member
The Nature Conservancy, Partnership