The provincial government is distributing over $1.7 million dollars in new grants to help control the spread of invasive plants across the province.
Gail Wallin, Executive Director for the Invasive Species Council of B.C, says the Cariboo region has a number of invasive plant species.
“Such as the knapweeds; which take over many of the fields and spread along the roadways, it gives you that purplish bloom over the summer. The oxide daisies which line our roadways and backcountry roads; nice white flower. The orange hawkweeds would be another one.”
“Again beautiful flowers and make nice pictures, but they definitely change the soil characteristics and they change what our native plants can grow there and they aren’t healthy for our cattle.”
Wallin says invasive plant species cost the province more than $65 million dollars a year.
The Cariboo Regional District and the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Invasive Plant Committee are two of 29 local governments and committees receiving this year’s funding.