Looking to do your part to keep invasive plants at bay in your community?
The Thompson-Nicola Invasive Plant Management Committee (TNIPMC) is once again holding its annual Weed Pull Challenge, which runs from June 1 through Aug. 31. Groups of community members are invited to fight the war on invasive plants, and be in the running for one of two honorariums and the coveted 2022 “Uprooting Invasives” championship title.
Participating groups — which can be sports teams, youth groups or clubs, non-profit societies, community service groups, church groups, and more — are encouraged to identify a high priority invasive plant site in their community. Groups then pick a date/time between June 1 and Aug. 31 that is convenient and commit to three hours of work on the day.
Permission to pull at a given location must be obtained by the organization/group and pre-approved by the TNIPMC. Groups must also make arrangements to properly dispose of bagged invasive plants at the nearest transfer station or Eco-Depot after the event. A TNIPMC representative will join your team to share knowledge about invasive plants and do the official weigh-in.
Groups can deal with non-toxic invasive plants that are safe to hand-pull, such as Spotted knapweed, Blueweed, Common burdock, and Hoary alyssum. Groups can pull weeds on more than one day, but only the day with the highest weight will count for the contest (cumulative weight will not be considered).
Honorariums will be awarded to the group with the highest average weight pulled per volunteer, which means that larger groups will not automatically have an advantage. The first place prize is $200, and second place is $100, with the prizes designed to support the group’s programs or initiatives.
For more information, or to register, go to https://bit.ly/3LZU8BY.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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