For Immediate Release
September 14, 2007
Volunteers to Combat Invasive Species in Queenston Forest
Queenston, ON – The Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) is pleased to announce that staff and volunteers from partner organizations will gather on Saturday, September 15 at the Queenston Heights Forest to do battle against invasive alien plant species that are currently posing a threat to the health of the region’s native plants.
Participants will be engaged in the removal of these invasive species – primarily the European Buckthorn – at the eastern side of the Queenston Heights Forest, located at the west end of Queenston Heights Park. Weapons of choice will be pruning shears, hand saws and loppers. A qualified Niagara Parks Commission staff person will be on hand to treat the severed stumps with a chemical herbicide to thwart re-growth of these plants.
This event is the second collaborative project this year with Ontario Nature’s “Volunteer for Nature” program. “The joint efforts for this event are a great example of people working together for the benefit of citizens and nature,” said Debbie Whitehouse, NPC’s Executive Director of Parks.
Other volunteer groups include the Niagara Falls Nature Club, students from Niagara College’s Ecological Restoration program, members of the Bert Miller Nature Club, Peninsula Field Naturalists, the Niagara Chapter of the Bruce Trail Association, as well as NPC staff volunteers. The event begins at 9:00 a.m., with a photo opportunity to take place on the grounds at 10:00 a.m.
Queenston Heights is owned by The Niagara Parks Commission, an agency of the Government of Ontario that has preserved and maintained the parklands and attractions surrounding the Falls without the support of tax payer dollars since 1885.
For more information please contact:
Tony Baldinelli
Communications Manager
(905) 371-0837
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