Town of Golden takes aim at noxious weeds
Posted on 20. Aug, 2010 by staff in Environment, Golden |
While it may look pretty, the orange hawkweed is an invasive weed that's damaging to habitats. The Town of Golden and Wildsight have launched a campaign to rid the town of invasive, noxious weeds like this one. Flickr Creative Commons photo by cliff1066.
A new program launched in Golden by the Town of Golden and Wildsight aims to rid the community of invasive, noxious weed species for good.
Weeds like the common tansy, orange hawkweed, and spotted knapweed are widespread throughout the Golden area and are “invasive species,” in that they are non-native and adversely affect habitats they invade.
The new program recently launched in the East Kootenay community is designed to educate residents about how to identify the weeds and then get rid of them before they spread to the nearby Columbia Wetlands, which is still largely free of the plants.
“We are incredibly pleased with the Town of Golden and their efforts to help reduce the spread of invasive plants within town boundaries,” said Wildsight Upper Columbia program manager,Rachel Darvill. “The Town provided all the funds for this new project, and they have been picking up all the bags full of invasive weeds that are removed through this program.”
Source: The Columbia Valley News
Along with a door-to-door information campaign and backyard tours, Wildsight will be pulling weeds within the town boundaries and is asking residents to inform them of any sightings of the invasive plants
Darvill added that the Golden Community Weed Program not only helps reduce the spread of noxious weeds, but also promotes the use of “non-toxic management techniques” – which means hand pulling of weeds, instead of the use of herbicides.
She added that getting rid of the weeds will not happen overnight, but will take a consistent yearly effort on the part of area residents.
To read the full story, read Lynn Knell’s story at The Columbia Valley News.
Leave a Reply