News and Events

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UPCOMING  EVENTS

SOUTHERN INTERIOR WEED MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE: CLEARWATER FIELD DAY 2009

Date: July 28, 2009
Time: 10:00am to 3:00pm
Location: Meet at the Clearwater Visitors Centre
We will be touring Wells Gray Provincial Park, stopping at different invasive plant sites, having a picnic lunch at Helmcken Falls and finishing up in Clearwater.
Topics will include: Hawkweeds, sulphur cinquefoil, management and challenges, biological control and successes and new invaders. 

SOUTHERN INTERIOR WEED MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE: MERRITT FIELD DAY 2009

Date: Thursday June 9th, 2009
Time: 10:00am to 3:00pm
Location: Meet at the Merritt Visitors Centre

Join us as we tour through the Kane Valley and Brookmere, stopping at invasive plant sites to learn about local plant identification, impacts, local issues and management.  Admission is free and lunch will be provided.  To sign up for this event or for more information, contact us.ALIEN PLANT PROGRAM (IAPP) WORKSHOPS

2009 IAPP SCHEDULE

In collaboration with the BC Ministry of Forests and Range and the Invasive Plant Council of BC, regional committees from across BC are delivering FREE 1-day Invasive Alien Plant Program (IAPP) workshops. Workshops will feature the new IAPP Version 1.6 and include training on the Report-A-Weed functionality.

For more information and to see the complete IAPP schedule, please visit the MOFR website.

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NEWS AND ARTICLES  

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$555K SPROUTS NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORKERS
April 8, 2009 - A $555,500 provincial partnership with the Invasive Plant Council of British Columbia will provide employment training for more than 650 unemployed workers in British Columbia thanks to the Community Development Trust's Tuition Assistance Program. Click here to read this article.

ON THE LOOKOUT FOR INVASIVE SPECIES
By Andrew Mitchell, Pique News Magazine, June 11, 2009 (WHISTLER)
Some are planted by unwitting gardeners; others are trucked in with gravel and soil. Some come naturally, blown by winds and carried by streams. But however they get here, the core message of the newly formed Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council (SSISC) is that non-native plants and animals are not welcome here. Click here to read this article.

INVASIVE SPECIES THREATEN SALMON IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Digital Journal.com, March 3, 2009 (NATIONAL)
A study published in the March 2009 issue of BioScience concludes that nonindigenous species pose a threat to native salmonids. Click here to read this article.

BRACE FOR RISE IN NUMBERS OF INVASIVE SPECIES IN JUNE 2010: EXPERT
CBC News, February 26, 2009 (TORONTO)
Those who keep track of invasive species could be in for a busy month in June of next year, when airplanes are expected to shuttle many critters - and the diseases they carry - between distant destinations, says a U.S. researcher. Click here to read this article.

WHAT IS THE REAL IMPACT OF INVASIVE SPECIES?
Digital Journal.com, February 25, 2009 (NATIONAL)
Invasive species are one of the top causes of biological diversity loss worldwide and significantly impact cultural diversity.Invasive species are generally considered to be a major threat to ecosystem diversity. A recent study shows that invasive species also significantly impact cultural diversity. The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Environmental Conservation and has provoked heated debate within the scientific community. Click here to read this article. 

 

SILENT INVASION OF INVASIVE PLANTS PROMPTS ACTION IN BC.
February 6, 2009 - Invasive plants are silently invading British Columbia at an alarming rate, negatively impacting the economy, environment, and human health. Even without the effects of global warming, invasive plants are costing millions of dollars each year in rising management costs and lost productivity to industry.
To address this growing issue, more than 125 experts as well as a diversity of high caliber speakers in the field of invasive plant management attended the Invasive Plant Council of British Columbia's (IPCBC) Annual Public Forum and AGM, "Stop the Spread," held at the Delta Airport Hotel in Richmond, January 20 to 21, 2009.  Click here to read this article.

TO EXORCISE PESKY WEEDS, CALL GOAT BUSTERS
Shannon Moneo, The Globe and Mail, November 22, 2008 (PRINCE GEORGE)
The City of Prince George is hunting for a herd of goats after a two-year study determined that the herbivores have as much bite as herbicides when it comes to controlling troublesome weeds on its property. Click here to read this article.

STEAMING THE LIFE OUT OF WEEDS
Paul Luke, Vancouver Sun, November 16, 2008 (VICTORIA)
A small Victoria outfit is poised to become the friend of millions of sidewalks around the world -- and the enemy of billions of dandelions.Click here to read this article.

A FOUR-LEGGED SOLUTION TO THE SUMMERTIME WEED PROBLEM
Vancouver Sun, November 08, 2008 (VANCOUVER)
Just when you think all your toil and trouble has paid off, and you've finally grown that prize-winning garden, up crops the gardener's worst enemy: Weeds. What to do? Well, you could pull out the weed-whacker and set to work, but that would mean a lot more toil and trouble. Or you could invest in herbicides, but that could have deleterious effects, especially on environmentally sensitive lands. Or, if you're really into thinking outside the box -- or the pen -- you could simply go out and purchase a few goats. That's right, goats. Just ask Annie Booth, an assistant professor in the Ecosystem Science and Management program at the University of Northern British Columbia. Click here to read this article.

FORUM ON INVASIVE PLANTS AIDS FUTURE RESEARCH PRIORITIES FOR BC
November 7th, 2008 - More than 100 participants joined an engaging international research forum on invasive plants held Oct. 29th-30th at the Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel in Richmond, British Columbia. Discussions surrounding the growing issue of invasive plants on fragile ecosystems and economics helped to identify research projects currently underway as well as future priorities for invasive plant management in BC. Click here to read more.