CIPC - Regional Resources

The following agencies, groups, and consultants are involved in invasive plant management on Vancouver Island and surrounding coastal communities:

 

Quick Links:

 

Agencies/Organizations - Federal

Agencies/Organizations - Provincial

Agencies/Organizations - Local

Community Organizations

Contractors/Consutants

 

Agencies / Organizations

 

Federal Government:

 

Department of Fisheries and Oceans

Contact: Joanne Day
Email: dayj@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Phone: 604-666-6614
Website: For Community Advisors in your area, see: http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/community/cip_e.htm
Jurisdiction(s): Freshwater and marine ecosystems in BC and the Yukon.

 

The Pacific Region is divided into six areas, each led by an Area Chief. Each area supports community projects through a team of Community Advisors, Education Coordinators, and Community Liaison Officers. For more information, see the 2006-2007 Stewardship and Community Involvement Directory at: http://www-heb.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/community/pdf/06-07directory.pdf

 

Community Advisors (CAs) are the key liaisons between DFO and community-based projects. Following each CA listing, is a list of projects supported by that CA. Generally, there are four types of projects:

1. Community Economic Development Program (CEDP) projects are operated under contract by First Nations or community groups.

2. Public Involvement Program projects are operated by volunteers or by community organizations. Approximately 10,000 volunteers operate about 300 community projects.

3. Streamkeepers projects focus on protection, preservation, monitoring and rehabilitation of streams, rivers, wetlands and watersheds. They also work to remove invasive plants.

4. Education projects involve students in the Stream to Sea lessons, the classroom incubation program and field trips.

 

Provincial Government:

 

BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
Contact: Michael Betts
Email: Michael.Betts@gov.bc.ca
Phone: 250-356-1533
Website: http://www.al.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/weeds.htm
Jurisdiction(s): Non-forested and unoccupied Crown lands in B.C.

 

The Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (BCMAL) is responsible for administering the B.C. Weed Control Act, provincial legislation intended to limit the introduction and spread of noxious weeds in the province of B.C. BCMAL promotes the establishment of regional weed management programs through regional districts, municipalities and the formation of non-profit societies representing multiple stakeholders (e.g. the CIPC). BCMAL staff provide technical support for the management of invasive plants in the province.

 

BC Ministry of Environment
Contact: Margaret Henigman
Email: Margaret.Henigman@gov.bc.ca
Phone: 250-751-3214
Website: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/esd/index.html
Jurisdiction(s): Conservation activities associated with non-resource, private lands (urban and rural lands), Crown lands, as well as Provincial Parks and Protected Areas.

 

The Ministry of Environment, Environmental Stewardship Division is responsible for maintaining and restoring the natural diversity of provincial ecosystems and fish and wildlife species and their habitat; and to provide park, fish and wildlife recreation services and opportunities to British Columbians and visitors. MoE maintains and protects the health of B.C.'s rare and endangered ecosystems, including the limitation and eradication of invasive species from these areas. Ministry staff work with other partners, including the CIPC, to ensure that air, water and soil quality are preserved and that biodiversity and natural ecosystems are maintained.

 

BC Ministry of Forests and Range, Range Branch - Coast Zone
Contact: Jeff Hallworth
Email: Jeff.Hallworth@ gov.bc.ca
Phone: 250-751-7046
Website: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/invasive/index.htm
Jurisdiction(s): (Crown) Provincial forest and range land.

As the authorizing agency for grazing and timber harvesting on Crown land, the B.C. Forest Service requires its clients to adhere to a wide range of environmental protection measures (as per the Forest and Range Practices Act). These include measures that prevent the introduction or spread of prescribed species of invasive plants.

The Forest Service conducts invasive plant inventories, treatments (mechanical, chemical and biological) and monitoring. It participates in cooperative weed control programs in conjunction with other agencies and stakeholders throughout the province. Under the new legislation, Crown land tenure holders have additional responsibilities for managing their lands with respect to invasive plants. As weeds know no boundaries, a central coordinating body, external of government, was seen as necessary to bring affected stakeholders together - the Coastal Invasive Plant Committee.

The Forest Service maintains a small staff with invasive plant management expertise who continue to participate in cooperative management efforts throughout the province. The Coast Forest District (CFD) office is located in Nanaimo. The Forest Service recognizes the benefits of having a central coordinating organization and strongly supports the Coastal Invasive Plant Committee in its regional invasive plant management efforts.

 

BC Ministry of Transportation
Contact: Sue Pauwels
Email: Sue.Pauwels@gov.bc.ca
Phone: 250-334-6955
Website
Jurisdiction(s): (Crown) Transportation Corridors, including right-of-ways.

The Ministry of Transportation utilizes a combination of preventative, mechanical, and chemical control techniques to manage legislated noxious weed growth and spread.
Ministry staff will continue to work with local groups and organizations, such as the Coastal Invasive Plant Committee, to coordinate invasive plant management on highway rights-of-way and will work closely with private maintenance contractors to ensure that roadside activities do not exacerbate the spread of noxious weeds.

 

Local Government:

 

Capital Regional District
Contact: James Miskelly, Environmental Conservation Specialist
Email: jmiskelly@crd.bc.ca
Phone: 250-478-3344
Website: www.crd.bc.ca/parks
Jurisdiction(s): CRD Parks and Trails system.

 

CRD Parks leads or supports long term programs to control Scotch Broom and Laurel-leaved Daphne in several parks. We try to eliminate small populations of a few priority species like Carpet Burweed and Giant Hogweed whenever they are found in parks. We also support efforts to control the spread of the American Bullfrog within the CRD.

 

Cowichan Valley Regional District
Contact: Catherine Johnnie
Email: cjohnnie@cvrd.bc.ca
Phone: 250-746-2605
Website: http://www.cvrd.bc.ca
Jurisdiction(s): Cowichan Valley Regional District

 

The regional district initiated a gorse management project in October of 2004, with the goal of eradicating Gorse from the CVRD. The project included inventories, public education through local newspapers and television and removal of known infestations. The CVRD completed this project in cooperation with the Ministry of Transportation and the Municipality of North Cowichan. Ongoing monitoring is required to ensure that gorse does not re-establish. The CVRD is a member of the CIPC Board of Directors and is pleased to be working with other major land managers to improve invasive plant management in the Coastal region.

Community Organizations

 

Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team
Contact: Carolyn Masson
Email: info@goert.ca
Phone: 250-383-3427
Website: www.goert.ca
Jurisdiction(s): Within the range of Garry oak ecosystems in Canada: southeastern Vancouver Island, some Gulf Islands and two locations in the Lower Mainland.

 

GOERT is a partnership of many agencies and individuals working to protect and restore Canada's remaining Garry oak and associated ecosystems and their associated species at risk. One of the team's many working groups is the Invasive Species Steering Committee, which has produced a field manual titled Invasive Species in Garry Oak and Associated Ecosystems in British Columbia, along with annotated bibliographies on the ecology and management of invasive species; and the Decision Support Tool for Invasive Species in Garry Oak and Associated Ecosystems, all available online at www.goert.ca in the Resources section.

 

Mayne Island Conservancy
Contact: Peter Askin
Email: pjaskin@gulfislands.com
Phone: 250-539-2199
Website: http://www.mayneisland.com/parks/mics.htm
Jurisdiction(s): Mayne Island

Mayne Island Conservancy Society (MICS) was founded as the Friends of Mt. Parke (FOMP) in August of 2003 for the purpose of preserving the diverse ecosystems of Mount Parke and other natural areas of Mayne Island. We achieve this through promoting awareness and understanding of environmentally sensitive areas, supporting and assisting community efforts and forming partnerships with other agencies and individuals for the purposes of information sharing, negotiating covenants, fundraising and land acquisition.

 

Pender Island Conservancy
Contact: Sylvia Pincott
Email: pica@gulfislands.com
Phone: 250-629-6797
Website: n/a
Jurisdiction(s): The Pender Islands Conservancy draws its membership from North and South Pender Islands

 

PICA's role in the community includes: 1) promoting knowledge of the Penders' unique environment to encourage careful stewardship of the land and surrounding waters; 2) participating in community processes such as the Official Community Plan Review; 3) monitoring conservation covenants; 4) managing Medicine Beach Nature Sanctuary; 5) overseeing Hope Bay stream restoration project; 6) encouraging removal of invasive species with a Pender Islands Invasive Species brochure and participation in organizing community broom pulls; and, 7) working with other organizations to promote conservation throughout the Gulf Islands and throughout the province.

 

 

Salt Spring Island Conservancy
Contact: Karen Hudson
Email: ssiconservancy@saltspring.com
Phone: 250-538-0318
Website: http://saltspring.gulfislands.com/conservancy
Jurisdiction(s): Salt Spring Island

 

The Salt Spring Island Conservancy (SSIC) was formed in 1994 to help the community preserve natural habitats on Salt Spring Island and in surrounding waters. Its core functions are public education, conservation covenants, land acquisitions and helping landowners carry out good land stewardship.

The Conservancy understands the critical role of partnerships, such as with the Coastal Invasive Plant Committee, in working for the protection of ecological values on and around Salt Spring Island. The Conservancy holds 7 covenants, holds title to three properties, has been a major contributor to purchases of over 2600 acres of Island lands for protective management by government and non-profit agencies, and offers monthly educational events. The Conservancy remains dedicated to preserving and restoring the natural environment of Salt Spring Island .

 

 

Swan Lake-Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary
Contact: Terry Morrison
Email: info@swanlake.bc.ca
Phone: 250- 479-0211
Website: http://www.swanlake.bc.ca
Jurisdiction(s): Swan Lake and Christmas Hill owned by the Corporation of the District of Saanich on South Vancouver Island.

Swan Lake-Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is a nature education centre. It is a registered charitable organization run by the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary Society. The lands and facilities are owned by the Corporation of the District of Saanich. The Nature Sanctuary Society has operated through a land management agreement with Saanich since June, 1975.

The Mission of the Society is to manage the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Sanctuary as a focus for fostering an understanding and appreciation of nature through direct experiences that will develop personal responsibility for the care and protection of the natural environment. Located within an urban area, the Sanctuary is constantly threatened by the introduction and establishment of invasive plant species. Through partnering with organizations such as the Coastal Invasive Plant Committee we can maintain current knowledge on management techniques and network with other stakeholders to remain well informed on regional invasive plant issues.

A Nature House located on the property offers a range of hands-on natural history displays, a fully-stocked reference library, and a well-established Native Plant Garden featuring a low-demand irrigation system. Native plant gardening workshops run year-round, including a hugely popular Native Plant Sale event every April.

 

 

Millard Piercy Watershed Stewards
Contact: Lora Tryon
Email: lorat@shaw.ca
Phone: 250-898-7426
Website: http://www.millard-piercy-watershed-stewards.org/mpwsmain.htm
Jurisdiction(s):

 

The Millard-Piercy Watershed is encompassed by the jurisdictions of the Town of Cumberland, the Comox-Strathcona Regional District, and the City of Courtenay. Headwaters of the Millard system are located in the wetlands and springs next to the upper end of the Courtenay Parkway. Piercy Creek shares its headwaters with Morrison Creek and are situated above the Inland Island Highway north of the exit to Cumberland, Royston and Courtenay. Piercy Creek runs through agricultural and urban areas before it joins Millard Creek near the Wal Mart shopping complex in Courtenay. Millard Creek flows year round and drains agricultural and rural lands from Royston and Cumberland. The main stem of these two tributaries flows through the Millard Nature Park adjacent to Wal Mart, under the old island highway, and into the estuary that is also fed by the Courtenay River. Land uses in this watershed range from agricultural, rural, urban and commercial. The streams and riparian areas support diversity of wildlife including salmon and trout, waterfowl and amphibians, deer, wolves and bear.

 

The MPWS is an organization that has been dedicated towards the protection and enhancement of the Millard-Piercy Watershed since 1998. We are involved in various activities to fulfill this mandate including public education programs, assessment and monitoring of the watershed, and ecological protection initiatives. One of our ongoing protection efforts is to tackle invasive plants that threaten the health of our watershed. Currently we are focused on Japanese Knotweed, which is a serious threat to native streamside vegetation in the Comox Valley. We have held public meetings, undertaken public education initiatives, and implemented knotweed control techniques on specific stands in the watershed. Presently we are investigating stem injection, covering, and direct removal techniques to control this difficult species.

 

 

Comox Valley Naturalists Society
Contact: Fred Constabel, Director of Wetland Restoration
Phone: 250-335-1352
Email: fconstab@mars.ark.com
Jurisdiction: Comox Valley

The Comox Valley Naturalists Society Wetland Restoration Program has been involved in invasive plant management since 1943. Since that time they have been working to eradicate yellow flag iris and purple loosestrife in and around the Courtenay River Estuary. In recent years, activities have expanded to include the annual removal of Scotch broom at the south end of the Airpark Trail (since 1998) and discussions are now underway to determine the best methods of removing Japanese and Giant knotweed from the area.

 

Contractors / Consultants

 

Becky Brown
Contact: Becky Brown, A.Ag.
Email: Becky.Brown@royalroadscommunity.com
Phone: 250-661-9140

 

Becky Brown is an independent consultant based in Victoria, B.C. She has been involved in natural resource management, including work with invasive plants, since 1996. Experience in planning; strategy development; biological control (collecting, releasing, monitoring bioagents); mechanical control methods; conducting invasive plant inventories to assess new infestations, monitoring sites undergoing treatment and providing management options; database management and mapping; and, providing training and education in invasive plant identification and inventories.

 

Becky has worked with all levels of government, the private sector, academic institutions and non-profit organizations. Project history includes coordinating the B.C. Inter-Ministry Invasive Plant Committee, a committee composed of representatives from provincial ministries with legislated responsibilities to manage invasive plants on Crown lands; developing Best Management Practices for carpet burweed; coordinating the on-the-ground component of the provincial Corrections Weed Removal Work Program, designing recommendations for the B.C. Ministry of Transportation for an integrated approach to roadside vegetation management; conducting invasive plant inventories, treatments and monitoring for the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range throughout the Southern Interior Region of B.C.; and, ecological restoration planning for various disturbed areas, including stream corridors. She has her B.Sc. in Environmental Science, a technical diploma in Environmental Planning and is an Articling Agrologist with the B.C. Institute of Agrologists. One of her current contracts includes coordination of the Coastal Invasive Plant Committee.

 

 

Caroline Rutledge
Contact: Caroline Rutledge
Email: crutledge@telus.net
Phone: 250-339-6840

 

Conducting Japanese knotweed field trials in the Union Bay area (Comox-Strathcona Regional District). The purpose of these experiments is to determine which method is most effective in controlling or eliminating Japanese knotweed without the use of formulated pesticides. Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is a highly invasive plant species that is spreading rapidly throughout the Comox-Strathcona Regional District. This rapid unchecked spread, in and around waterways and highway right-of-ways, is the reason this project was initiated. The results of these experiments may assist property owners and local governments in assessing which control methods are most effective to use on Japanese knotweed located within this bioregion. The results of these experiments are currently being analyzed and a report should be complete by December 2006.

 

 

Ceska Geobotanical Consulting
Contact: Dr. Adolf Ceska
Email: aceska@telus.net
Phone: 250-477-1211

 

Adolf Ceska, retired botanist of the Conservation Data Center in Victoria, and his partner Oluna are interested in all aspects of botany and vegetation science. They have been involved in several invasive plant projects in the region, including Eurasian milfoil and more recently carpet burweed. Adolf assembles articles for Botanical Electronic News, an electronic periodical prepared by and for botanists through the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research. BEN is an email newsletter published twice a month.

Marian McCoy
Contact: Marian McCoy, MSc
Email: m3marmot@gmail.com
Phone: 250-658-0436

 

Specializing in technical writing, editing, and research related to environmental sciences including ecological, paleoecological, and invasive plant species applications. Contractor to Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team, in partnership with Silverwing Ecological Consultants, to research and write fact sheets and annotated bibliographies for "Invasive Species in Garry Oak and Associated Ecosystems in British Columbia" (2005). Project Coordinator for Invasive Plant Council of BC. Member, GOERT Invasive Species Steering Commitee.

 

 

Jacqueline Shaben
Contact: Jacqueline Shaben
Tel: 604-708-5791
Email: shaben@zoology.ubc.ca

 

Jacqueline is conducting an ongoing experimental study which looks at controlling Scotch broom re-invasion following mechanical removal in open, disturbed sites. The approach is to improve the soil nutrient content using sewage biosolids in order to increase the competitive capacity of competing vegetation, thereby decreasing the competitive advantage that Scotch broom typically has over non-nitrogen-fixing shrubs. After two seasons of monitoring, there is evidence of Scotch broom inhibition in biosolids-treated plots. This project will continue for at least one more year of monitoring.

 

Polster Environmental Services Ltd.
Contact: David Polster, M.Sc.R.P.Bio
Email: d.polster@telus.net
Phone: 250 746-8052

 

Dave is a plant ecologist who has been involved in reclamation and restoration of degraded sites for the past 25 years. He has pioneered the use of soil bioengineering for treatment of riparian areas and unstable slopes in British Columbia. He teaches courses on soil bioengineering and integrated vegetation management at the University of Victoria, University of Northern British Columbia and a variety of other venues. He is a former president of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association, secretary of the B.C. Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration, director with the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team and director with the Invasive Plant Council of BC.

 

 

Results Based Forest Management Ltd.
Contact: Chris Laing (Owner), Patrick Laing (IAP Specialist)
Email: chrislaing@shaw.ca or plaing@uvic.ca
Phone: Office: 604-485-0823 or Pat's Cell: 250-756-5980

 

IAP roadside surveys during summer months (2005 and 2006) for the Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Forests and Range.

 

Contract with the Ministry of Environment (Sept-Oct, 2006) Japanese and Giant Knotweed survey in Vancouver Island Provincial Parks for the Ministry of Environment. A control strategy was outlined for Park Rangers and all Provincial Parks on Vancouver Island were ranked on their susceptibility to invasion by Knotweeds.

 

Contract for the Ministry of Forests and Range (Oct-Mar, 06-07) Large Scale Research: Researching various methods for controlling Knotweeds and Gorse on Vancouver Island. Researching specific growth requirements for each invasion alien plant.

 

 

Sellentin's Habitat Restoration and Invasive Species Consulting Ltd.
Contact: Alison Millham
Email: amillham@telus.net
Phone: 250-339-6986

 

Sellentin's Habitat Restoration specializes in invasive alien plant species removal and site rehabilitation involving soil remediation and native species plantings. Recent projects completed are an inventory of IAP's on North Vancouver Island, experimental native species plantings along the Inland Island Highway for the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Forests and Range, and the planting of 20,000 native wetland plants in constructed wetlands.

 

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