The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture will present the 3rd Conference on Invasion Biology, Ecology and Management, April 3 at the UK Student Center. This year’s conference, titled “Where We Were, Where We Are, and Where We Should Be," will take a broad view of the environment to plan future strategies through the lessons learned from history.

Hosted by the UK Environmental and Natural Resources Initiative’s Invasive Species Working Group, organizers of the one-day conference invite foresters, natural resource managers, land managers, landowners and researchers to hear about the latest developments on detecting, monitoring and managing invasive species.

The conference will feature prominent keynote speakers, including Andrew Mickelson speaking about “Where We Were.” Mickelson, associate professor in earth sciences at the University of Memphis, specializes in the prehistory of eastern North America and works extensively in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and southern Appalachia. His interests include relationships between prehistoric land use, environmental change and subsistence practices. He will present his keynote address, Prehistoric Native Americans as Niche Constructors: Three Case Studies from the Ohio Valley, at 8 a.m. April 3.

Julie Lockwood, professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, focuses her research on the intersection of conservation biology, biogeography and invasion ecology. She is the co-author of “Invasion Ecology,” which provides an overview of the processes associated with non-native invasions. Lockwood will address “Where We Are” in her keynote speech, The Rising Tide of Invasive Species at 12:30 p.m.

At 3:15 p.m., Virginia Dale, from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will look down the road at “Where We Should Be,” with her keynote address, Land Use in the Context of Species’ Invasions, Climate Change and Energy Choices.

The conference will be preceded on April 2 with an evening lecture at 7 p.m. by Charles C. Mann, the author of “1491” and “1493,” who will provide an overview of the Americas, pre-Columbus.

Continuing Education Credits will be offered. For commercial pesticide applicators, 3 general and 3 specific hours in categories 2, 3, 6, 10, 12 and 14, for arborists, 8 ISA credits and 7.5 SAF continuing education credits for foresters.

For a conference agenda, information on breakout sessions, parking and registration, go to http://www2.ca.uky.edu/environment/speakers. Registration deadline is March 22. Cost is $100, or $40 for graduate students and free for undergraduate students.