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CSISS Updates
| Summer Reflections | Wildfire and Invasives Workshop| Provincial EDRR update |
| Invasive Mussel Defence Program Summer 2024 |
| Staff Updates |
| Captivating Content | Upcoming Events |
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Summer reflections and Welcoming Autumn
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As the leaves begin to change, we’re wrapping up an action-packed summer and diving into the rhythm of autumn. Summer saw us traveling across the region—from vibrant community events, local markets, hands-on weed pulls and engaging workshops to conducting water sampling and Invasive plant surveys in the field.
Now, as autumn settles in, we’re focusing on analyzing the data we gathered, reviewing summer’s achievements, and compiling reports to guide our initiatives forward. This season, we’ll be reflecting on insights from the summer while preparing for another year of invasive species management.
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Wildfire and Invasives Workshop
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BC Parks, Skwlax te Secwepemculecw, BC Grasslands Conservation Council and CSISS collaborate for workshop
Invasive Species emerge on the landscape post fire have a unique relationship
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The recent “Invasive Species and Wildfire Workshop” at Tsútswecw Provincial Park brought together 40 community members to learn about the park’s recovery following the 2023 wildfire that impacted the area. The event began with a warm welcome from Diane Francois of Skwlax te Secwepemculecw, followed by a site overview from BC Parks Conservation Specialist Stephanie Russell, who emphasized that wildfire recovery is a collaborative and evolving process involving multiple agencies, including CSISS. Stephanie discussed the complexity of monitoring invasive plant growth in fire-affected zones, noting that BC Parks has allocated special funding (from license plate sales) to allow CSISS to conduct a detailed invasive species inventory in the park. This monitoring will help track changes over time, contrasting areas with low- and high-severity burns to observe how invasive plants establish and expand post-wildfire.
Guest speaker Mike Dedels from the Grasslands Conservation Council of BC shared insights from the Elephant Hill Wildfire Invasive Plant Program, illustrating challenges and strategies in managing post-fire invasives. Following this, attendees joined a guided tour through affected park areas to observe firsthand the spread and density of invasive plants after the wildfire.
The workshop highlighted current actions, including inventory work by CSISS Field Technician Nolan Novotny, who explained how GIS and GPS technology is used to map invasive species distributions across varied fire-severity zones, trails, and recreational areas within the park. Initial treatments have already begun, with smaller infestations of species like bull thistle and spotted knapweed managed through mechanical and targeted herbicide treatments, ensuring sensitive habitats remain unaffected. The workshop offered participants an insight into the ecological dynamics following a wildfire and reinforced the importance of community involvement in ongoing recovery and management efforts in Tsútswecw Provincial Park.
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2024 Update on BC Provincial Early Detection
and Rapid Response Invasive Species
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Photo: Feral Pig Sylvia Duckworth_Wikicommons
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BC’s EDRR Invasive Species Update
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The British Columbia Invasive Species Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) Plan, led by the Province of B.C., plays a vital role in protecting our valuable environmental, cultural, and economic resources. This webinar has the Provincial taxonomic specialists walk through how the EDRR process works, essential tools for risk assessment, regional updates on invasive species targeted for eradication, and steps to report potential new invaders.
Provincial EDRR Species highlighted in this webinar:
Terrestrial Invasive Animals and Insects
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Invasive Mussel Defence Program
Summer 2024 Update
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Photo: Canoes at watercraft inspection station, DFO
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The goal of B.C.’s Invasive Mussel Defence Program is to prevent zebra and quagga mussels (ZQM) from entering the province. Prevention efforts focus on boat inspections, lake monitoring, public education, and coordinated actions with neighbouring regions.
As of August 14, 2024, crews have completed 19,800 inspections, engaging with approximately 37,200 individuals to promote “Clean, Drain, Dry” practices—a crucial preventive measure for boaters moving between lakes in B.C.
During these inspections, 159 watercraft were deemed high-risk, resulting in:
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52 decontamination orders.
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31 watercraft placed under quarantine to meet the required drying time.
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100 decontaminations completed.
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Among the 19,800 inspections, eight watercraft were found to have adult invasive mussels.
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Emma and Marlee are finished up for the year. We have been fortunate enough to have both Emma and Marlee working with CSISS as part of a wage subsidy from Eco Canada Science Horizons since August 2023. This funding allowed them to stay on working with CSISS through the winter and made the transition to the busy spring and summer silky smooth!
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Emma Weibe- Outreach Program Assistant
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Emma came onboard during the summer of 2023 and has been a bubbly and enthusiastic part of CSISS everyday! You have likely seen Emma’s engaging social media posts, read CSISS press releases or met her at a farmers market, weed pull, the ISCBC Forum and helping out in the field too.
Safe travels and we look forward to seeing you soon! Emma’s 2023-2024 position was supported in part by Science Horizons Eco Canada Wage Subsidy.
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Marlee Verlieh – Field Program Technician
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Marlee has been working with CSISS since 2022. We love having Marlee as an energetic and warm CSISS team member from organizing CSISS team Olympics, working on the field program on inventory, treatment, sampling to weed pulls and educational booths -there is nothing she can’t do! Thank you for being such a fantastic team member and friend to all of us at CSISS. We are looking forward to welcoming Marlee back in spring 2025. Marlee’s 2023-2024 position was supported in part by Science Horizons Eco Canada Wage Subsidy.
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Captivating Content
Invasive species and nature inspired, news, stories, podcasts, and books capturing our attention.
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Kennebunk dogs learn to find invasive species- Spotted Lanternfly
American Kennel Association
We love our doggo friends here at CSISS. We especially love them when they are trained to detect invasive species using their incredible sense of smell! The study received a significant response, with over 1,900 teams interested by June 2023, far surpassing the goal of 200 volunteers. The study trains these teams to detect Spotted Lanternfly eggs in vineyards, achieving a success rate of 70-80% for some teams.
Photo: Lawrence Barringer, Bugwood.org
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Muscling Through
This Magazine
Zebra and quagga mussels are an invasive species that pose severe threats to North American freshwater ecosystems. These fingernail-sized mussels attach to boats and spread to new waters, where they suffocate native mussels, deplete food sources, and clog infrastructure. Our Executive Director Robyn Hooper was interviewed and quoted! This article emphasizes that robust inspection and prevention efforts, not just monitoring, are needed to keep these invasive mussels at bay.
Photo: SCUBALUNA
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Thank You to our Funders in 2024-2025
We acknowledge the financial support of: the Province of British Columbia(through the Ministry of Forests, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, BC Parks and the Community Gaming Grant); the Columbia Shuswap Regional District; The Forest Enhancement Society of BC, the Columbia Basin Trust, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (Invasive Mussel Lake Monitoring Grant and Community Grant); The Nature Trust of BC; The City of Salmon Arm; Parks Canada; BC Hydro (including Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program and Broad Impact Grant); the Shuswap Watershed Council; Employment and Social Development Canada (Canada Summer Jobs); Eco Canada (Science Horizons Wage Subsidies); the City of Revelstoke; the Golden Rod and Gun Club; the Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail; and Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) Green Jobs Initiative(funded by Government of Canada through Parks Canada, as part of their commitment to the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy program). We acknowledge the in kind support and partnership with several other organizations across the region.
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