The Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District has been actively visiting the Massapequa Preserve to assess for possible Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) infestations. Attached to the Massapequa Preserve is Bethpage State Park, where SPB infestations have been reported. This gives us reason to believe that Massapequa Preserve is at risk. With proper assessments and early action, Massapequa Preserve can be protected! There are multiple monitoring techniques that are being implemented throughout the Preserve to assess the risk of a SPB infestation.
​GROUND TRUTHING
​The most important approach in monitoring the 
Southern Pine Beetle is called ground truthing. This involves visual examination of each Pine Tree in Massapequa Preserve. We visually examine the Pine Trees for signs of infestation which include, pitch tubes, crown fading and exit holes. We can even peel back some bark to see if there are any S-shaped galleries present!
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The NCSWCD ground truthing in Massapequa Preserve. Photograph by Olivia Calandra
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A cluster of Pine Trees in Massapequa Preserve. Photograph by Olivia Calandra (NCSWCD)

HIGH-RISK AREAS
After visually assessing each Pine Tree for signs of infestation, we mark the coordinates of areas that are considered high-risk. ​A high-risk area is an area that has more than three Pine Trees within a 25 foot radius. These are high-risk because if the SPB initiates infestation here, it will spread fast and be hard to stop. These areas need to be closely monitored.

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​GPS COORDINATES
When a high-risk area in Massapequa Preserve is determined, we use a compass to mark the coordinates so we can find the area again in the future. We then put all the coordinates on a shared Google Map.
We take pictures and write a brief description of the high-risk areas for further documentation. 
This helps give the bigger picture of what areas throughout Massapequa Preserve need to be monitored more closely and which areas are of less importance.
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
Another important aspect of SPB monitoring involves the public! Awareness and education play a major role in monitoring for the SPB. Knowing when and what to look for could help find an infestation and control it before it gets out of hand! 
We have placed educational signs throughout Massapequa Preserve with the signs and symptoms to keep an eye out for!
By persistent monitoring and proper assessment techniques, the Massapequa Preserve will be under supervision until early 2020. Ground truthing will be performed consistently. We have posted Southern Pine Beetle informational signs throughout Massapequa Preserve as well. If you see anything or have any questions, feel free to contact us!