Invasive Plants
The Central Kootenay Invasive Plant Committee’s “When Good Gardens Go Bad” Field Tour was an excellent opportunity for interested people and professionals in the area to get together on a beautiful day and share their knowledge. It is so impressive how much information a group of people can mass when we combine our skills, knowledge, and interest. Not only that, but the tour walked our imaginations through an incredible piece of Kootenay history on the Hamilton Estate in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. This estate is an excellent example of how the seemingly insignificant choices we make in our gardens and yards can perpetuate beyond our own lifetimes to affect the future of the environment and the generations that succeed us.
Please check out the British Columbia Invasive Alien Plant Program http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hra/plants/raw.htm
From the website:
How to Use Report-A-Weed:
The steps for reporting a weed:
- Navigate and zoom to the location where you spotted the invasive plant;
- Activate the Report-A-Weed tool http://webmaps.gov.bc.ca/imf5/imf.jsp?site=mofr_iapp&startup=raw
- Mark the location of the infestation on the map;
- Enter the necessary data in the Report-A-Weed wizard screens.
Choosing plants is important for our immediate environments and the future of this area. Invasive alien plants change the biology of the areas they grow in, altering the chemical makeup of the soil and affecting the variety, type, and population of the native plants. Native plants are suited to the ecology of the area and they grow through their relationship with the climate, seasons, animals, and insects in the area. Invasive plants alter these relationships.
Check out the CKIPC’s Local Weeds to Watch For and familiarize yourself with invasive species in this area: http://webmaps.gov.bc.ca/imf5/imf.jsp?site=mofr_iapp&startup=raw
