Invasive Species in the Township of Langley

Division name upper /lower case ENTER PRESENTATION NAME HERE

Engineering / Langley Environmental Partners Society INVASIVE SPECIES

Council Resolution Item #CR-5570

(October 27, 2008)•Description: Invasive Species

•(carried) That the matter be referred to staff and Langley Environmental Partners Society to provide a presentation to Council on which invasive species are presently threatening the bio-diversity and ecosystems within the Township of Langley


Langley Environmental Partners Society

“…protecting and restoring the natural environment through

education, cooperation, and action.”


Presentation Outline

• The ecology of invasive species

• The invasive species problem

• Invasive species present in the Township of Langley

• What is presently being done?


What we mean by “Invasive Species”

An invasive species is a plant or animal which displays aggressive and rapid growth upon colonization of a new location.

An exotic species is a plant or animal that is present in a location outside its natural range.

Invasive Exotic = “Invasive”


Ecology of Invasives

Invasive plant and animal species share many common characteristics:

• different modes of reproduction

• prolific reproduction

• thrive on disturbance

• extremely “hardy”


Problem of Invasives

Invasive species are costly:

• Economic impacts

• Damage to crops, livestock

• Costs of prevention or control

• Environmental impacts

• Displacement of native species

• Loss of biodiversity

• Unsustainable habitats


Invasive Plants in Langley

http://www.gvipc.ca/most_wanted_article.php?id=8


Proactive Actions• Greater Vancouver Invasive Plant Council (www.gvipc.ca) formed in 2006

• Stewardship community, led by LEPS, actively controls invasive species in natural areas

• Fraser Valley Invasive Plant Partnership recently formed

• Township of Langley adopted a Ten Year Invasive Plant Control Strategy in 2007

http://www.gvipc.ca/


Township of Langley Ten Year Invasive Plant Control

Strategy• Goals

• Manage invasive species on public lands in the Township

• Address harmful impacts of invasive species on private lands

• Prioritizes 6 plants and 10 parks to concentrate on to maximize success and minimize effort

Engineering / Langley Environmental Partner Society INVASIVE SPECIES

Invasive Animals


Problems dealing with Invasive Animals• Don’t care about property

boundaries

• Need buy in from the entire community

• Pest species must be disposed of humanely

• Fill a niche in developed communities

• Cute and fuzzy


Species of Interest

American Bullfrog


American Bullfrog


Past Control Efforts by LEPSFor nine years (funding only for 3 years) LEPS has done outreach and education with the community and developed actions to control Bullfrogs. Actions included:

• Educational mail outs, workshops, and newspaper articles

• Site consultations

• Egg mass removal, tadpole trapping, capture and disposal of adults


Present Context• In BC presently, Bullfrog management is undertaken for two reasons:

• Protect water quality of community drinking water supplies

• Mitigate declining biodiversity

• Township dependence on groundwater for drinking water negates potential impact on drinking water sources


Present Context•The perceived level of threat posed by Bullfrogs to biodiversity varies:

• Ministry of Environment (2004): ranked the Bullfrog’s threat as Low

• Union of BC Municipalities passed a motion in 2008 requesting MoE take a lead role in coordinating Bullfrog management efforts in BC and providing funding to assist municipalities


In Closing

Control of invasive species and animals is important for the community of Langley, for both natural and agricultural legacies we must leave behind.

While some site specific projects have been successful, it has been difficult for LEPS to reach the broader community of Langley.

Technology

Invasive Species in the Township of Langley