Anyone looking to combine helping the environment while getting some fresh air and exercise might want to register for one of the City of Nanaimo’s invasive plant removal work parties.
May is invasive plant removal month in Nanaimo and the city is hosting weekly invasive plant removal parties until June 18 along the Parkway Trail and several city parks including Bowen and Diver Lake.
Volunteers, city parks and rec and members of Nanaimo’s BroomBusters chapter held the first invasive plant removal party of the year on Thursday, May 2, when they broke out the hand saws and limb loppers along the Parkway Trail near Northfield Road and the Nanaimo Parkway.
“An invasive plant is a non-native plant that has the potential to negatively impact the composition, structure and function of native ecosystems,” notes the city’s website. “The spread of invasive plants has become a major concern for ecologists, naturalists, residents, and land managers across British Columbia.”
The city has committed to preventing new invasive species from becoming established in parks and to controlling those that pose concerns for public health.
Invasive plant removal parties are happening until June 18 and anyone who wants to participate are invited to register in advance at recreation.nanaimo.ca.
The city is also offering a dropoff and disposal day on June 1 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Bowen Park lower parking lot along Wall Street for homeowners who want to rid their properties of English ivy, scotch broom, Himalayan blackberry or daphne.
To learn more about invasive plant removal work party dates and locations, and about invasive plant species in Nanaimo, visit the City of Nanaimo’s invasive plant management page.
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