Invasive Species Program

As part of OSEAN’s initiative to protect green spaces and wildlife, Ottawa South Eco-Action Network ran a 2022 Invasive Species Program in the River, Alta Vista, and Gloucester-Southgate wards, thanks to a microgrant from the Invasive Species Centre.

The program consisted of 4 events that provided education on the most common/problematic invasive species in our yards and parks of Ottawa South: buckthorn, dog strangling vine, garlic mustard, and periwinkle. Experts Iola Price and Sandy Garland joined these events where they discussed why invasive plants are a problem, how to identify them, and how to remove them properly.

The first event in April was an educational webinar held virtually over zoom, and you can find the recording of the webinar here. The following 3 events were in-person where residents gained hands-on experience identifying and removing invasive plants.

🌱 Keeping Ottawa South Green: Identifying and Removing Invasive Plant Species (webinar)

〜Tuesday, 26th April, 2022, 6-7pm

🌱 Riverview Park: Dog Strangling Vine and Garlic Mustard Removal (in-person)

〜Saturday, 14th May, 2022, 10am

🌱 Brewer’s Park: Buckthorn Removal (in-person)

〜Sunday, 29th May, 2022, 1pm

🌱 Brookfield High School: Dog Strangling Vine Removal (in-person)

〜Monday, 4th July, 2022, 6pm

We created this series because we understand the negative impacts invasive species cause in our communities and green spaces, and we wanted to make a difference. All of our events were within city restrictions, and all in-person events that involved actual removal and digging of land had site access and permission.

Thank you for helping Ottawa protect and preserve biodiversity by taking back our green spaces from invasive species.

Discover more about invasive plants in Ontario from the Ontario Invasive Plant Council: https://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca

Thank you so much to our supporter:

Invasive Species Centre (https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca)