Invasive Species removal a success for Bighorn Sheep Conservation Project
Recent news has highlighted the importance of invasive species awareness and removal!
Common Burdock is an invasive plant originating from Europe that can produce up to 16,000 seeds per plant. The burs from this plant can stick to the fur of animals, or the hair of CSISS employees, creating dense mats that can cause health problems.
The Bighorn Sheep population of Kicking Horse Canyon has been facing a decline due to multiple stressors, including poor habitat quality. The Ungulate Winter Range Project was created to help enhance and protect habitat for Big Horn Sheep within Golden, BC. The Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society (CSISS) has helped facilitate the inventory and removal of invasive species from the herd’s winter range. These efforts aim to enhance ecological integrity and improve the quality of their overall territory. Photos recently contributed to CSISS by biologist Stephanie Higgins, show success for invasive species management, depicting a significant decline of invasive burs stuck on the fur of the sheep!
CSISS has only been involved in the invasive species management component of the project and
to learn more about the Ungulate Winter Range Project you can visit: www.cirque-ecological.ca.
How can you help?
You can contribute to improving local environments by preventing the spread of invasive species through best practices like Play Clean Go, by making sure after you recreate you remove any mud, dirt or plant parts that may contain invasive seeds, from yourself, gear, including footwear and bikes and your pets! To prevent the introduction of invasive plants be Plantwise, avoid purchasing invasive
plants that are commonly sold or shared at garden centres and seed swaps.
