Tree-Killing Pests Education Project to be Unveiled at the Turtle Back Zoo

New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher will unveil an exhibit at Essex County Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange on Friday, August 22 designed to educate the public about invasive pests threatening trees in New Jersey.

The project used federal funding to build the fun and educational exhibit geared toward children at the zoo that gets more than a half million visitors each year.

The Department of Agriculture works to suppress and eradicate harmful insects that kill trees in New Jersey. Currently, the Department is tracking an infestation of emerald ash borer in Somerset County. Asian longhorned beetle was successfully eradicated in the state last year.

Exhibits such as the one at Turtle Back Zoo help educate the public on what to look for and give contact information in case they see these bugs. Most invasive insect discoveries in the United States have been made by private citizens.

The exhibit unveiling will take place 11 a.m. Friday, August 22 at Turtle Back Zoo, 560 Northfield Ave., West Orange, NJ.

Directions: From Northfield Ave., enter the zoo parking lot at the Bus and Truck entrance. The press event will take place at the invasive pest display located on the Pollinator Pathway, a walkway around Orange Reservoir.