Creeks, ponds need upgrade

January 19, 2015

The Daily Courier – January 19, 2015

Once plentiful along Kelowna streams and ponds, cottonwood and willow trees have been squeezed out by development, farmland — and even other trees.

Non-indigenous and highly aggressive tree species, such as Siberian elms, have proliferated along watercourses such as Mill Creek, city council will hear Monday.

“The city has been diligently attempting to remove these invasive trees over the past several years,” Andrew Hunsberger, a technician in the parks planner, writes in a report to council.

But officials hope to accelerate efforts to restore the creek banks to a more natural state with a $30,000 grant from the Okanagan Basin Water Board.

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