(Editor's Note: We are being invaded by a noxious species. It looks sweet and innocent, but Oh-HO!!! what a nasty beast! Major environmental deterioration, loss of beef production, damage to crops. Individual plants can produce over 150,000 seeds PER SQURE METRE. It has an immensely long taproot and sucks the area dry. Literally. You can help. Please bring along your family July 16th from 7-9pm and FIGHT THE INVASIVES!!!)
Here's what Knapweed looks like. It's disguised as pretty. It's effects are devastating.
Its that time again..... the third knapweed pull of the 2015 season is coming up fast!!
I am very excited about this weed pull because it is the site of our most successful weed pull so far. In 2013, we had our first City of Lethbridge weed pull at Elizabeth Hall Wetlands and it was a HUGE SUCCESS.
We pulled out over 50 bags of knapweed and had a super fun time doing it!
Here's where to meet :-)
July 16 2015 Knapweed Pull
Help keep our river valley healthy and diverse by pulling prohibited noxious weeds in the hopes of eradication. Save the Date: Thursday July 16th 7-9pm
Elizabeth Hall Wetlands
Next: Thursday August 20th 7-9pm Location TBA
Next: Thursday September 17th7-9pm Location TBA
Why is Elizabeth Hall Wetland is such a special place - hidden away in the center of the city?
- Elizabeth wetlands was part of the Urban Parks project and was originally called the Oxbow Lake Nature area. 1987 the area was renamed the Elizabeth Hall Wetlands
- Elizabeth Hall was born in England and came to Canada with her family in 1958. She was a Lethbridge City Council member from 1977 to 1986 and during that time she worked tirelessly to ensure the river valley maintained its natural environment during park development. She is also credited with developing the Helen Schuler Coulee Centre, now the Helen Schuler Nature Centre
- Red-winged Black Birds, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Orioles, several varieties of ducks, geese, muskrats, sandpiper, beavers and their dams, spotted turtles, and deer are some of the wildlife you can watch as you weed pull!
Here are some reason I am so passionate about these weed pulls:
Our goal is to work on invasive plant education and awareness. Through this process we can prevent the further introduction and spread of invasive species, and in this case specifically knapweed.
We have chosen to focus specifically on Knapweed control in the Oldman River valley because it is a highly competitive introduced plant that invades native vegetation and threatens the health of our watershed. If left unchecked, the loss to farmers, ranchers and recreational users could be disastrous. It is a prohibited noxious weed in Alberta.
We have chosen a multifaceted approach incorporating the physical efforts of hand pulling, through events like this, and direct herbicide application. The combination of mechanical and chemical methods has been shown to be a great success in the past.
We love our volunteers!
