PRIVACY POLICY
We don't share your information with anyone else. We ask that parents subscribe to the newsletter. We respect our community's children. We believe we are part of "our village" and need to care for one another.

Invasive, alien, weeds -- these pesky plants have various nicknames, but the reality is that native habitat, especially in the wild promotes a more stable ecosystem -- which promotes air, water and land system health.

The California Invasive Plant Council says, "Across California, invasive plants are damaging wildlands. Invasive plants displace native plants and wildlife, increase wildfire and flood danger, consume valuable water, degrade recreational opportunities, and destroy productive range and timber lands."

How do invasive plants do all this? Basically, by growing so fast that they disrupt the balanced system of plants and animals that developed over thousands of years.

What can we do about it? Several things:

• Don't buy or sell invasive plant or insect species. Research before buying.
• Remove invasive species from your spaces before they escape into the wild by wind, birds or other sneaky modes of transport
• Request your garden center to NOT carry invasives, or at least label them as non-natives, or "very aggressive". Know the law -- some plants are illegal.
• Request that your garden center carry native plants and to label them as such. Give them a list you've researched for your local area.
• Take responsiblity for your landscape and learn which native plants will enhance your enjoyment of native habitat and the wildlife that is nourished by this system.
• Be careful about unwittingly carrying weedseeds and plants into wild areas. Clean your tires and boots before entering pristine or wild areas.

Check the California Invasive Plant Council for the 2006 Invasive Plant Inventory database.

ENJOY

LEARN

TAKE ACTION