DELTA — The provincial government has provided a $30,000 grant to the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver to fight the spread of invasive plants in this region.
Delta North MLA Scott Hamilton made the announcement. "Although Metro Vancouver is the smallest management area in the province, half of B.C.'s population resides in it," he said.
It's one of 31 similar grants being made throughout the province this year, totalling $1,727,000. They'll be used to help raise public awareness about the damage invasive plants do, as well as monitor and control their spread. It's in addition to $935,000 earmarked by the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations for controlling invasive plants in 2016-17.
Some of these plants, which are brought here illegally or by accident, pose health risks to people and can harm local food crops.
These are march plume thistle, european common reed, garlic mustard, knotweed, spartina, orange and yellow hawkweeds, knapweed, giant hogweed, blueweed, common tansy, tansy ragwort, hoary alyssum, field scabious, leafy spurge, purple loosestrife, yellow flag iris, himalayan balsam and scotch broom.
tom.zytaruk@thenownewspaper.com