Workshop February 13, 2012
Building on the successes of a symposium held in 2008, the Yukon Invasive Species Council is pleased to host a second workshop. The goal of the 2012 workshop is to inform, network and engage in meaningful discussions about issues, challenges and trends of invasive species in Yukon. Speakers and participants of this one-day workshop will discuss invasive species management in Yukon, Alaska and British Columbia and learn about current research. More information

Field trip to Haines Junction
During our last monthly meeting we had the opportiunity to learn more about invasive and potentially invasive plants in the Haines Junction area.
For our field trip the weather was in our favour, we had blue sky and no snow on the ground yet! It was easy to pick out the invasive plants along the Haines Road even without getting out of the car. It was striking: This time of the year the only plants still green along the roads are the introduced ones! Therefore they are easily being picked out among the native plants which are brown and dried up by now. We stopped at several locations along the road where Lloyd showed us some of the invasive species he is monitoring and managing since he lives in Haines Junction.

October 17th and sweetclover is still in bloom! Members of the council look at various clover species and Cicer milkvetch, which is recently showing up in Yukon	Bruce shows a female creeping thistle plant

Membership Survey
A survey was conducted to learn about areas and activities members of the Yukon Invasive Species Council (YISC) are interested in and what members’ priorities are for the future.
23 out of the 70 members took part in the survey. Following is a summary of the findings:

The majority of our members like to receive information by email but stated they would also like to participate in meetings with specific topics. Asked for their opinion on effective and important ways of distribution of information, our members top-rated a website, newspaper articles, YISC newsletter and public talks.

Top-rated actions our members would like to see in the near future are: work with decision makers towards a culture of concern and action, develop best management recommendations for specific groups and activities and increase media presence on invasive species issues.

Thanks to all members who participated in the survey. The results will flow into the actions identified in the Invasive Alien Species Partnership Program (IASPP) proposal, the workshop in February and in the update of the strategic plan for the council. if you are interested in the detailed results of the survey, please contact info@yukoninvasives.com

Effect of Climate Change on Invasive Species
August 2011: Yukon Invasive Species Council submits a report on The Effect of Climate Change on Invasive Species and their Potential Impact in Whitehorse to the Whitehorse Community Climate Change Adaptation Project. Read the Report

YISC completed the strategic plan
for 2011 to 2015. Read more

New Brochure: Why should I care...

Spotted Knapweed Info

Tufted Bird Vetch Info

Oxeye Daisy Info

Sweetclover Info

Narrowleaf Hawksbeard Info

Garden Tips

Aquatic Invasive Species Info

Newsletter Winter 2010/2011
In this newsletter you read about the strategic plan for YISC, it higlights the invasive plant of the month and provides a checklist on invasive plant removal. The research project "Effect of climate change in invasive species and their impact in Whitehorse" is introduced and the newsletter finishes with a report on a summer field work project. Read more

 

Previous Weed Pull Events

Last summer the Yukon Invasive Species Council organized a series of weed-pulls at these locations:

On June 12th volunteers helped Bruce Bennett (of the Yukon Invasive Species Council) pull White Sweetclover behind the Yukon College and along the road to the beaver pond.
On August 3rd a group of volunteers met to pull invasives along the Annie Lake Road.
On August 11 a few residents of the Mary Lake subdivison were activ in their neighbourhood.

“Sweetclover likes to invade disturbed sites and gravel bars. When it expands its range onto the pristine gravel bars along a river, it becomes a problem for shorebirds like the Spotted Sandpiper which nest on the gravel”, Bennett explains.

This is one of the impacts invaders poses to our environment. Some of the clover plants pulled by the volunteers had already reached a height of 2 feet. “It is really satisfying to get these fat ones”, expressed Maciej Stetkiewicz, participating in the first weed-pull. This time of the year the clover is not in seed yet and can be left on the ground to rot after pulling.

 

Giant Hogweed:
big, scary Alien on the move

May 14, 2010 - With the approach of International Day for Biological Diversity on May 22nd, the time is right to start focusing on the early detection of invasive alien species—the second biggest threat to biodiversity worldwide. In a press release The National Invasive Species Working Group promotes early detection of invasive species. Giant Hogweed is not jet reported in the Yukon and might be confused with cow-parsnip which as an example grows along the South Klondike Highway in the region of Tutshi Lake. Read the article and learn how to recognize giant hogweed.
Read more...

 

Yukon Invasive Species Council welcomes newly elected Board of Directors

April 23, 2010 – At the first AGM the YISC membership appoints The Board of Directors. Toos Omtzigt is elected as president. Read more...

 

Environment Fair 2010 was a success

The Environment Fair on April 17, 2010 was a great success. Table and display about invasive plants and the Yukon Invasive Species Council were visited well. Thank you to our volunteers Lloyd Freese, Randy Lewis, Matt Ball, Jim Dillabough, Heather Clarke and Andrea Altherr who helped during preparation and at the fair. A special thanks to Bruce Bennett and Carrie McClelland who contributed to our display and provided great support during the fair.

More than 500 visitors came to the fair. Some of them stopped at our table and expressed their concern about sweetclover they see growing along the highway and their driveways.

Matt Ball’s talk on “Plants that don’t belong” was well received. He used the example of leafy spurge to tell the story of how invasive plants come to the Yukon, why early detection is important and explained ways of eradication.

Matt Ball and Andrea Altherr at the YISC booth

 

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