Swift Current Watershed Stewards pest workshop goes March 17
Continued from Front Page
Plant roots can extend over four metres laterally and about nine metres deep. It can form dense stands and a large plant can produce up to 130,000 seeds.
“It has taken hold in a few spots along the creek, sort of near the headwaters before Duncairn Dam,” he said. “It has an impact on native pastures and because it is growing in and along the creek it impacts riparian areas. It can increase erosion and sedimentation in the creek and just cause issues. If it’s along the creek, then there is the challenge that it is spread and carried along the creek and then causing issues downstream.”
The workshop will include information about plant diseases such as clubroot and control measures. They are also planning to have a speaker who will discuss feral pigs.
“Anecdotally there’s some,” he said. “There’s been some stories of some out there. … It’s something people are talking about and if we can control it before it gets out of hand, it’s better than trying to do something when it’s too late.”
The control and eradication of invasive species require the proper identification of these pest as well as their location.
“The other thing that we’ll really stress at the workshop is the use of some of the mapping tools that are available to map infestations,” he said. “If people are out and about in the course of their work and encounter of infestation of leafy spurge or they happen to see a feral hog or something along those lines, then they can go to the mapping applications, iMapInvasives, and enter it. So people working in the industry will know that it’s there and it’s mapped and they’ll use that to start controlling the infestation.”
The invasive pest workshop takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 17 at Walker Place (2150 Walker St.) in Swift Current. The registration fee is $25 and lunch is included. Pre-registration is required by March 13. For more information or to register, call 306-770-4607 or send an e-mail to: kevin.sccws@ gmail.com