Nature lovers are asked to join the municipality of Summerland and the Grasslands Conservation Council of B.C. to learn more about the important role of healthy grasslands in a changing climate and one of the major threats to them: weeds.
On Wednesday Aug. 25 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m., participants will join Summerland mayor Toni Boot, Grasslands Conservation Council of B.C. chair Bob Haywood-Farmer and general manager Karen Raven, habitat biologist Jessica Hobden and municipal staff on an interactive walk on Summerland’s Giant’s Head Mountain.
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The walk will provide information about grasslands, the trails redevelopment project and three common weeds and strategies on how to control them.
“The importance of the grasslands cannot be overstated,” said Haywood-Farmer. “This stunning habitat is limited to a mere 0.8 per cent of the B.C. landscape and yet it provides a home for more than 30 per cent of the endangered species that are blue or red listed.”
He added that no other habitat comes close to grasslands as a soil builder and sequester of carbon.
In the summer of 2020, the municipality of Summerland, the Summerland Rotary Club and provincial funding partners completed the first two phases of the Giant’s Head Mountain Trails Redevelopment Project.
“This work was done to both enhance the trail system and the safety of its users, and to protect the sensitive grasslands ecosystem that provides habitat and food sources to a variety of species,” Boot said. “While some trails were decommissioned and reseeded to assist with rehabilitation, other redevelopment disturbed the soil, making it vulnerable to invasive weeds. The Grasslands and Weed Walk is an opportunity to learn about the value of the grasslands, why it is important to protect it and how park users can help restore it.”
The event is free but advance registration is required by phoning 250-494-0447 or online at
summerland.perfectmind.com. The event will start at the lower parking lot of Giant’s Head Mountain Park, 9296 Milne Rd.
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