February 24 to March 2, 2025 marks Invasive Species Awareness Week in Canada. It’s a great opportunity to learn about the impacts of invasive species and how you can protect our natural spaces.
Canada Thistle, an invasive flower (photo by Guerric Hache)
We can all play a role in helping our environment by identifying and reporting invasive species. The Alberta Invasive Species Council lists a number of ways to Take Action, including:
- Reporting invasive species on EDDMapS
- Carefully selecting the plants we grow and birdseed we put in feeders
- Properly cleaning, draining, and drying boats and water equipment
- Reporting feral pig and rat sightings
Tartarian Honeysuckle, an invasive plant (photo by Ian R. White)
You can also join Nature Calgary this summer when we host invasive species removal projects on St. Patrick’s Island. We are planning 2 events this year, so keep an eye on our social media and email newsletters for more details on those!
To learn more about Invasive Species Awareness Week and how you can identify and report invasive species, visit the Alberta Invasive Species Council and the Invasive Species Centre. The Invasive Species Centre is hosting several events this week that you can join!