Invasive species have consistently been an issue in southern Saskatchewan for quite some time with species like zebra mussels, wild boar, Prussian carp, and many others. 

Moose Jaw’s River Watershed Stewards are hosting their third annual event to help get rid of the invasive species of purple loosestrife along the Moose Jaw River.  

“For the past two years and we’re coming up to our third year, we and a bunch of volunteers have been going down along the Moose Jaw River and pulling purple loosestrife out of the banks. Usually what we do is pull it out, let it dry out, bag it, and bring it to the landfill,” says Watershed technician Stephanie Huel.  

Purple Loosestrife is a flower that can grow individually or in clusters of three. It can grow as tall as one-and-half meters and it blooms pink/purple flowers throughout May and June.  

The flower is native to Europe and Asia. It's uncertain whether the flower came to North America on European sailing ships as ornamental plants or whether their seeds were accidentally transported here on the ships through the soil used as ballast. 

Today, the plant can be found in people’s gardens and sold at shops even though they're considered invasive.  

Purple loosestrife usually grows wildly in wetlands.  

“So, what it does is it forms really dense root mats and it can out-compete native cattails. So, instead of having a nice wetland covered in cattails and our other native species, it becomes this dense purple mat which isn’t so good for our native animals and our native plants,” says Huel.  

To eradicate purple loosestrife from the local river, the Moose Jaw River Watershed Stewards are hosting their annual loosestrife pull on Tuesday, August 9th.  

Residents are welcome to go to Manitoba St East near Lorne Avenue as well as the old hospital site in Fairford Street West to volunteer time to help pull out purple loosestrife between the hours of 8 am and 12 pm.  

Employees from the River Watershed Stewards and volunteers from Gibson Energy, who is sponsoring the event, will be there pulling out the flowers as well.  

If you do plan to attend, you’re asked to email feildtech@mjriver.ca ahead of time to let the watershed know.