The embankment along two sections of the Swift Current Creek received some essential work last weekend thanks to a local non-profit organization.
The Swift Current Creek Watershed Stewards (SCCWS) held a Weed Removal and Identification Day Saturday morning for a few hours and removed a pile of invasive plants including hedge bindweed.
Kevin Steinley, the executive director for the SCCWS, said this was the first time they'd tackled that specific type of invasive plant that was growing out of control on the creek bank near the Janie and Helen Rempel Community Garden.
"It was a very infested site," he said. "If left unchecked it would just spread further down the creek bank.
"Having invasive weeds will cause the native plants to die out and change the ecosystem of the creek bank... which can then cause them to slop off. Then the function of the riparian area along the creek is lost."
A handful of volunteers joined Steinley and the SCCWS's summer stewardship coordinator for the event and helped them remove more invasive plants along the creek near 7th Avenue Northeast and Connaught Drive as well.
A rainy forecast and start to the day affected attendance numbers according to Steinley, although moving forward he said they might look to partner with local service clubs or church groups to help with the turnout.
"Our summer stewardship coordinator spent a lot of time mapping parts of the creek for the invasive weeds that are there," he said. "We do have a map for future reference. We can then use that information to tackle more areas along the creek."
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