Himalayan Balsam Removal

WE NEED YOU - help Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust manage invasive species on the beautiful Isle of Wight this summer!

Get outside, in the wild, with a fantastic group of people and help us with conservation habitat management along the Eastern Yar.

What is Himalayan Balsam and why do we want to get rid of it?

Himalayan balsam was introduced as a garden plant in 1839, but soon escaped and became widely naturalised along riverbanks and ditches. It is fast-growing and spreads quickly, invading wet habitat at the expense of other, native flowers. It also leaves river banks winter bare and open to erosion and reduces biodiversity.

Its explosive seed pods aid its spread by sending the seeds into the river, causing further dispersal downstream making it extremely difficult to get rid of.

This is where we need your help to pull, snap and pile stems before they flower. We will give you a crash course of what to look for and then take you onto one of our four nature reserves to tackle this invasive plant.

Himalyan Balsam is harmless to touch and provides endless satisfaction, snapping and cracking each stem! These piles will naturally break down, returning the nutrients to the soil.

The four nature reserves we will be working on are:

• Newchurch Moors
• Lower Knighton
• Sandown Meadows
• Morton Marsh.
  

We will be running two volunteering days per week on Wednesdays and Fridays.

Biscuits will be provided!

Skills

Skills & Abilities:

Essential: 

-ability to work outdoors in various weather conditions, carrying, weeding, trimming.

-Requires good physical health and spatial co-ordination to carry out role safely.

-Able to provide/arrange own transport to and from sites.

Desirable: 

-hand tool use (loppers, shears) (training provided where required/desired)