An invasive plant called Common Tansy has the potential to infest and take over areas along the side of rivers and lakes in the area.
The MD of Greenview, County of Grande Prairie and Alberta Agriculture and Forestry have teamed up this year for the third annual Tansy Island Clean-up taking place on August 14 along the banks of the Smoky River.
The infestation was first discovered in 2015 with the first Clean-up taking place in September 2016 and then again in early August 2017 in order to reach the plants before they began to seed and spread.
This year’s clean-up will move upriver targeting new infestations and checking on previous sites where Tansy has been removed. Because of its location along the water’s edge, the Tansy is being pulled out by hand, one plant at a time. The plants are then burned to stop the spread of their seeds.
Several groups will be volunteering for the third year in a row to help with the clean up including Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Seven Generations Energy, Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Alberta Invasive Species Council and the Grande Prairie River Rats. New to this year’s clean up effort is Stojan’s Power Sports and Marine, NTL Pipelines and Barda Equipment.
Organizations that are interested in participating in future river clean up events can contact Greenview Agriculture Services.