‘An Ecological Perfect Storm’ Lecture At WestConn April 27

Early spring undergrowth that has turned the forest floors a pale green this month includes the invasive Japanese barberry — bad news to researchers, including Scott Williams, PhD.

The public is welcome on Wednesday, April 27, to hear Dr Williams’s discussion, “An Ecological Perfect Storm” and the health risks caused by “an invaded ecosystem.” The lecture will be at 4 pm at the Western Connecticut State University campus science building, room 219. There will be a question and answer period at the end of the talk, with additional opportunities to talk to Dr Williams during a 5 pm reception. The event is free.

The plant provides protection for white-footed mice, which serve as hosts for the black-legged tick. Barberry also limits regeneration of native flora and thrives where white-tailed deer — also host to ticks — are overabundant, creating what researchers consider an ecological perfect storm.

For more information, contact Dr Pat Boily, 203-837-8569 or boilyp@wcsu.edu.

Dr Williams is an assistant research scientist in the Department of Forestry and Horticulture at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. He graduated with his BA from Connecticut College in 1997, earned his master’s from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 2000, and his PhD in natural resources from the University of Connecticut in 2008.