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Province funding invasive species work

Sault Ste. Marie’ s Invasive Species Research Institute has received $112,400 in provincial money to hire an intern and train volunteers to identify and map invasive terrestrial plants in the Sault area.

Sault Ste. Marie’s Invasive Species Research Institute has received $112,400 in provincial money to hire an intern and train volunteers to identify and map invasive terrestrial plants in the Sault area.

Of the funding, $84,900 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation will go towards training volunteers to identify and map the prevalence of invasive plants in the Sault, while $27,500 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. will go towards hiring the intern.

“Exotic invasive plants are detrimental to ecosystem health as well as a community’s economic sustainability,” said Lisa Derickx, the institute’s invasive species liaison officer, in a press release. “Funding provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation will allow the Invasive Species Research Institute to directly benefit local communities by engaging them in activities that positively impacts their well-being.”

The Invasive Species Research Institute was officially open in July, 2012. The centre is dedicated to combating alien invasive species that threaten Canada’s natural resources and ecosystems. The government of Ontario has committed $15 million toward the invasive species research initiative, including $1.6 million towards the research centre, $800,000 for an invasive species research chair at Algoma University, $4.9 million to support a variety of innovative projects and ongoing support for the annual operating costs of the Canada-Ontario Invasive Species Centre.