To get British Columbians active in preventing and stopping the spread of harmful invasive species, the B.C. government has officially declared the entire month of May as Invasive Species Action Month. Invasive species threaten B.C.’s environment, economy and society, including human health, but stopping invasive species is possible if we take action now to prevent, detect and manage invasive species.

East Kootenay Invasive Species Council (EKISC) is helping spread the word throughout the RDEK, “We have just hired our summer staff and are starting to host events throughout the region,” says Jessie Paloposki, Education and Communications Coordinator with EKISC. “We want to engage the public in a meaningful way and get people genuinely interested in preserving our beautiful East Kootenay; as with everything, it takes a community to do this.” And it may be easier that we think to help, “We want to make it simple for people to help. We’re not asking anyone to become weed experts, we’re just asking for folks to be aware of what they might be doing to compound the problem and take steps to alleviate that.”

“It’s not important to know what every invasive species is,” she adds, “rather, it’s important to know and understand that you can be a means for invasive species to be transported to new areas but that you can also, quite easily prevent it.”

EKISC’s campaigns focus on simple actions that people can take to ensure they are not spreading invasive species.

Find out what the actions are here.

“This season, in addition to our usual outreach at farmers’ markets and special events, we also plan on hosting plant identification courses for people who want to be more involved.”

These courses cover identification of key invasive plants in the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK), best management practices in to remove them, and how to report large infestations. They are applicable to stewardship groups, other organizations, and interested individuals. To register for a course near you, please visit their website or contact [email protected].

All across B.C., Invasive Species Action Month is being celebrated and promoted. The public is encouraged to post to social media using the hashtag #bcinvasives and a website has been set up at www.bcinvasivesmonth.com. The website has information about how to prevent and stop the spread of invasive species in gardens, parks and forests, through sporting and camping activities, in lakes, rivers and oceans, and in cities, towns and across the province. There are links to events and activities being held by the Invasive Species Council of BC, regional invasive species committees, local governments and stewardship organizations across B.C., including in RDEK.

The East Kootenay Invasive Species Council is a non-profit organization that builds partnerships and supports collaborative projects in natural and applied science, policy research, outreach and education to protect our forests, fields, gardens, waterways and cities from the damaging effects of invasive species.

Visit their website: www.ekisc.com

East Kootenay Invasive Species Council 

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