Starts on: September 30, 2026 @ 4:00pm
Invasive Plants: Identification, Ecology, & Management
Register Now:Wednesdays, September 30 & October 7, 4–6 p.m. (online) & Sunday, October 11, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. (in-person)
Our backyards are not just spaces we use and enjoy—they are also part of the larger landscape that sustains wildlife, pollinators, native plant populations, and local ecosystems. How we tend to them matters. Learning to identify and manage invasive, non-native plant species is vital to supporting the resilience and health of our local ecosystems.
Invasive plants are widespread and present almost everywhere humans are, and yet most go unnoticed. When unmanaged, invasive species can outcompete native species, disrupt ecosystem function, and reduce biodiversity. Recent studies have shown they are a major contributing factor in species extinctions globally.
This three-part course will prepare you with the knowledge and tools to effectively identify and manage invasive plants on the land that you steward. The first two sessions, held online, offer an in-depth exploration of invasive plant ecology, rhetoric, identification, and management. The third session will be an in-person field study to see these plants firsthand, practice identification, and observe their growth habits. This course will focus on invasive plants in New England, with particular emphasis on Maine.
Suggested reading: Maine Invasive Plants Field Guide, Maine Natural Areas Program
Instructor Bio(s)
Isobel Curtis:
Isobel Curtis is the Stewardship Director at Midcoast Conservancy, a regional land trust based in Midcoast Maine, and co-owner of Twin Oak Forest Farm, a native plant nursery and landscaping company in Bremen Maine. She has worked in environmental education and conservation for over 10 years and is most passionate about connecting people to place and exploring the nexus of community and ecological health. This has motivated her experience in habitat restoration, invasive species management, public land access, regenerative agriculture, and ecological landscape design.
Dillon Mulhern:
Born and raised in Durham, New Hampshire, Dillon moved to Maine in 2020. Dillon began working in habitat restoration while studying at UNH, where he helped conduct research on techniques to restore hydrological function to salt marshes at the Jackson Estuary Laboratory, where he found his passion for the preservation of natural communities and salt marshes. That experience, and his passion for the outdoors, led him to work as the Preserves Manager for Kennebec Estuary Land Trust for the last five years. Dillon holds a Maine Master Pesticide Applicator license, and has a passion for invasive species control. He also helps with prescribed burns and wildfire response for The Nature Conservancy in Maine and the Maine Forest Service.