2025 New Jersey Invasive Species Conference

Widely considered the most comprehensive state-wide forum on invasive species and continues to evolve to address new and emerging issue, the conference has typically involved nearly 100 participants and speakers, representing academia, industry, government agencies, NGOs, the general public, and other stakeholders involved in the issues. Many are seeking opportunities for cooperation and collaboration to address invasive species from a state-wide perspective.

Available Continuing Education Units:

3 CEU Credits

• Urban and Community Forestry Program
• Society for Ecological Restoration – SER Continuing Education Credits

5 CEU Credits

• NJDEP Pesticide Control Program – Category 1A – Agricultural Plant
• NJDEP Pesticide Control Program – Category 2 – Forest
• NJDEP Pesticide Control Program – Category 3A – Ornamentals
• NJDEP Pesticide Control Program – Category 3B – Turf
• NJDEP Pesticide Control Program – Category 6B – Right-of-Way
• NJDEP Pesticide Control Program – Category 8C – Campground
• NJDEP Pesticide Control Program – Category 9 – Regulatory
• NJDEP Pesticide Control Program – Category PP2 – Private

Speaker Bios:

Mike Bellaus has been professionally managing both flora and fauna for the purpose of ecological restoration for almost 15 years. After graduating from McDaniel College with a degree in Environmental Policy in 2010, he gained practical field knowledge and local flora identification skills while working for the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team and Monmouth County Park System focusing on forest restoration efforts. Mike continued his work with the Strike Team part-time for nearly a decade focusing on early detection and rapid response to highly threatening invasive plant populations throughout the state. Simultaneously he began his tenure at Duke Farms in 2013 where he is currently the Manager of Habitat Restoration. Some of his primary responsibilities include working to improve and measure the ecological integrity and biodiversity of the 2700+ acre property, leverage the Duke Farms “nature positive, carbon negative” framework to support local and regional conservation efforts and identify collaboration opportunities with like-minded entities to drive impact beyond the physical boarders of the Duke Farms property. Mike specializes in deer management with a focus on herd population reduction as well as deer management program creation, improvement and implementation. He oversees the exemplary Duke Farms Deer Management Program, has co-created three additional Deer Management Programs in the state and has been involved in over ten deer management programs for the purpose of providing both physical contributions and technical oversight. Mike works annually with NJ Fish and Wildlife performing deer population density surveys in various municipalities and held a position on the Hopewell Township Deer Management Advisory Committee for three years. Currently, the best part about Mike’s job at Duke Farms in his own words are “Having the privilege of managing a dedicated group of colleagues who are as passionate about ecology and their place in it as I am.”

Jay Kelly – Professor of Biology & Environmental Science, co-Director of the Center for Environmental Studies, and Chair of the Department of Science & Engineering at Raritan Valley Community College, NJ. He holds a BA in Biology and a PhD in Ecology & Evolution from Rutgers University. His research interests include the biology and conservation of rare plant species, the effects of overabundant deer, exotic invasive species, land use history and other factors on forests and other habitats in the region, and the design and implementation of evidence-based, ecological land management practices that seek to balance human activities with the needs of endangered and other species in the landscape.

John W. Jengo, PG, LSRP is a licensed Professional Geologist in several Northeastern and Southeastern states and a Licensed Site Remediation Professional in New Jersey with over 42 years of experience, who works as a Principal Hydrogeologist in Stantec’s West Chester office in southeastern Pennsylvania. Beginning in 1992, he conducted the characterization and remediation of large, complex contaminated industrial sites throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, including at three of the seven refineries in the Delaware Valley in addition to other petroleum, chemical, manufacturing, and coal ash disposal sites. For the past 18 years, he has worked with various clients and Federal and State Trustees on voluntary Natural Resource Damage (NRD) settlements for many of those contaminated sites, including several groundbreaking legal settlements to remove numerous low head dams on the main stem of the Raritan and Millstone Rivers in central New Jersey to restore historically significant migratory fish spawning runs. He has managed and supervised four lowland dam removals since 2011 (including the Duke Farms’ Nevius Street Dam) and he has spent the last six years developing and designing a wetland-forested floodplain NRD compensation project at Duke Farms that will be implemented in 2025-2026.

Drew O’Neill graduated Penn State University in 2004 with a B.S. in Business Logistics and a minor in Economics. Since the age of 17 he has worked part-time for Weeds, Inc. Drew transitioned to full time in 2006 as the Service and Sales Manager for the Aston office and has since become the Vice President of Operations. He is a licensed pesticide applicator in various categories including 5,6,7,9,10,18,23 in Pennsylvania and in multiple states in the mid-Atlantic region. Drew splits his time between office and field duties and is an active applicator and installer. With 25 years of on-the-job experience, he has become an expert in a wide range of herbicide applications and techniques. Drew oversees contractual spraying programs across a wide range of industries including bare ground weed control, pasture and meadow spraying, invasive weed management, aquatics, and other specialty applications.

For over a decade, Weeds, Inc. has been creating and installing warm season grass and pollinator meadows. From residential plots to large public park installations, Weeds, Inc. is able to help customers eliminate invasive non-native species, reclaim open space, and help create and install custom designed meadows fitting customer specific wants and needs. Weeds, Inc. has installed meadows for utilities, municipalities, arboretums, parks and recreation departments, nature preserves, land trusts, residential homes, and more. Weeds, Inc. has helped create and install hundreds of acres of various types of native meadows throughout PA and NJ.

Ben Pisano grew up in Hunterdon County New Jersey spending most of his childhood outdoors with his two older brothers. When his two older brothers went to college in Virginia, Ben followed, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Biology from James Madison University in 2015. After working a few different environmentally focused jobs after undergrad, Ben continued his studies obtaining a Master of Science in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University in 2020 with a focus on forest succession of post agricultural fields related to deer browse.

Ben has worked for the New Jersey Forest Service since 2019 in the State Lands Program and began working in Forest Health in 2021 under the guidance of Rosa Yoo. With Rosa Yoo’s departure to lead the PA forest health program, Ben has been coordinating the Forest Health Program at the New Jersey Forest Service since early 2023.

Dr. Michael Van Clef is the FoHVOS Stewardship Director and Program Director of the New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team. He co-founded the Strike Team in 2008 with the goal of bringing greater efficiency and effectiveness to invasive species management. Mike has a Ph.D. in ecology from Rutgers University and over 25 years of experience in land stewardship, planning and research, working extensively in the evaluation and management of rare and invasive species and deer management. He has consulted with over 30 organizations in NJ including the NJ Invasive Species Council for which he prepared the New Jersey Strategic Management Plan for Invasive Species.

Most recently, Mike was a member of Senator Bob Smith’s Forest Task Force working toward consensus on the stewardship of public forest lands. He also serves on the Task Force’s related Invasive Species Workgroup that is providing suggestions to regulate invasive species.