Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) employees turned out in force over the past week to help prevent the spread of invasive aquatic plants in the Columbia Shuswap region.
Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society (CSISS) members worked with the RBC to organize two community weed pulls at high priority sites in Revelstoke and Salmon Arm, the Illecillewaet Greenbelt trails and Turner Creek trails respectively. This was the second year that RBC has volunteered staff to help with invasive plant management. The target species were Himalayan Balsam, a species that spreads by seeding, and Yellow Flag Iris, which can spread by seeding or movement of plant fragments.
“Both plant species like to grow in wet areas on stream banks or lake shores”, said Sue Davies of CSISS. “Both have the potential to do enormous environmental damage to our waterways by outcompeting the native plants, reducing ecosystem diversity and reducing habitat values for wildlife. Yesterday at the Turner Creek trails, there were several western painted turtles basking on logs. Last year those logs were completely covered in impenetrable yellow flag iris stems. This year we cleared an area of iris from the lake side that was potentially preventing hatchling turtles from accessing the shore.”
CSISS works throughout the Columbia Shuswap region to reduce the impacts of invasive species. Invasive plants can be damaging to native ecosystems but can also have serious economic impacts, can damage infrastructure and houses, and can even be damaging to human health.
For more information on invasive plants to avoid, or what to do if you find you have invasive plants on your property, visit our website at http://www.columbiashuswapinvasives.org or contact CSISS at info@columbiashuswapinvasives.org, or 1-855-785-9333.
The Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention, management and reduction of invasive species in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District. CSISS is thankful for the generous support of BC Parks, the Columbia Basin Trust, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. To learn more about invasive species in the Columbia Shuswap region please visit: http://www.columbiashuswapinvasives.org
