US Senator Dick Durbin will host an Emerald Ash Borer Summit on July 21 in Evanston.

The summit will provide local government officials from potentially affected areas in the Chicago metro area with insight into what can be done before the emerald ash borer invades their community and what steps to take in the event it arrives. Panelists will discuss strategies to contain the spread of the insect and the challenges—financial and otherwise—they face. The summit will include an extensive Q & A session. U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Mark Kirk have been invited to participate.

The panel will feature experts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Department of Agriculture, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and officials from neighboring states where the Emerald Ash Borer is responsible for the devastation of millions of ash trees.

Friday, July 21, 2006 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Norris University Center at Northwestern University, McCormick Auditorium
1999 Campus Dr. Evanston, IL

For more information contact Senator Durbin’s office at 312-353-4952.