Students help combat invasive plant in Tiny Marsh
A group of students spent a day this week learning about and combating an invasive species in the local wetland.
About 40 Elmvale District High School students were at the Tiny Marsh wetlands, working alongside officials from the MTM Conservation Association. The students were learning about phragmites, a species that first started invading the area about 15 years ago.
"It's a real challenge to get ahead of it, to control the spread of it, so we don't lose the marsh to become a phragmites monoculture," says David Hawke, the volunteer coordinator for the MTM Conservation Authority.
Deemed Canada's worst invasive plant more than ten years ago, phragmites are invasive plants that spread fast and release toxins from their roots into the soil, killing surrounding plants.
As time goes by, the plant gets thicker, eventually causing many problems like preventing ducklings from walking through the area, stopping turtles from being able to lay their eggs and displacing other plants.
"We've got a great opportunity with these students today to get rid of Phragmites reed, this big tall reed that's an invasive plant," says Hawke. "We have a lot of it, and many hands make lighter work."
Hawke says the work the students were doing this week, cutting down the phragmites, not only helps the wildlife but assists the conservation group with future operations in the area.
The MTM Conservation Authority is a non-government group and relies on the public for support.
For more information, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.