Pike Conservation District Hosts Workshop On Spotted Lanternfly Permits For Businesses Dec. 4

The Pike County Conservation District will host a Workshop on Spotted Lanternfly Permits For Business on December 4 from 9:30 to 10.30 a.m. at the Wallenpaupack Environmental Learning Center, 126 PPL Drive in Hawley.

The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive insect that has been spreading throughout eastern  and central Pennsylvania. So far, more than 70 plant and tree species have been identified as food sources for Spotted Lanternfly, many of which are important forestry and agricultural crops. 

The Spotted Lanternfly can cling to cars, trucks, and other vehicles coming in and out of the quarantined counties, accelerating its spread.

To try and contain the spread of this pest, the Department of Agriculture designated a quarantine on the counties where Spotted Lanternfly has been officially detected. 

The quarantine counties are Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Schuylkill. 

 As a part of this quarantine, businesses, agencies and organizations that are located in or working within the quarantine counties are required to have a permit for all of their vehicles.  

Businesses who travel in, out, or throughout the quarantine zone are required to have a permit for their vehicles. 

In conjunction with the Pennsylvania State Police, the PDA performs compliance and enforcement checks. 

If you are a business, agency, or organization that travels in, out or throughout any of the quarantine counties, permits are required for your vehicles.

To make this permitting process easier for Pike County businesses, Pike County Conservation District will be hosting a seminar on the permitting process for Spotted Lanternfly. Kristen Cease from the Department of Agriculture will be speaking about Spotted Lanternfly, the permit process, and administering the permit test that day.  

Admission to the workshop is free.  To register send an email to: pikecd@pikepa.org or call 570-226-8220

For more information on this invasive species, quarantine areas, precautions to take visiting areas for sporting events and more, drop by the Penn State Extension Spotted Lanternfly and the Department of Agriculture’s Spotted Lanternfly webpages.

[Posted: November 15, 2019]  www.PaEnvironmentDigest.com