Terrestrial invasive species

Bruce Peninsula National Park

Terrestrial invasive species (TIS) are non-native plants, animals and pathogens that are introduced to and live in habitats above water and on land, but not trees. They cause significant harm to grasslands, wetlands, alvars, shorelines, and treed understories.

How humans spread TIS

Humans can spread TIS quickly in many ways. Seed, pathogens or insects can often be transported by:

recreational outdoor gear (e.g., tents, clothing, footwear, camp chairs, bikes)
vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, RVs, ATV, UTV), trailers cargo containers, and tractors
pets

How TIS impact us

TIS can badly harm the land environment, the economy and society. In Bruce Peninsula National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park and the surrounding area, this could mean:

damage to and loss of native species and rare habitats, including those of conservation concern
growing costs to manage invasive species, with millions already spent locally
reduced access to shorelines, docks, boat launches, and trails, impacting recreation and tourism
an increased presence of poisonous plants in day-use areas, near buildings, and along trails
lower crop yields, higher pesticide use, and decreased land values affecting local agriculture
damage to infrastructure like roads, sidewalks, foundations, and septic systems, which are costly to repair
harm to forest regeneration, affecting both local forests and the forestry industry

How you can take action

Follow these actions to protect the park from invasive species:

Before arriving, inspect and clean your gear, trailers, vehicles and pets of natural debris (e.g., soil, plant material)
Play, Clean, Go

before arriving, inspect and clean your camping gear, outdoor equipment and vehicles of any plant debris, soil, insects, and insect eggs
stay on marked trails
keep pets on leashes
at the Cyprus Lake and Halfway Log Dump trail heads, STOMP OUT loose soil from your footwear on our invasive plant prevention grates

Don’t let it loose!

for the safety of the land and the health of local ecosystems, it is illegal to release plants and animals into any Parks Canada site

Stop aquatic hitchhikers. Clean, drain, and dry your watercraft, paddleboard, canoe, toys, paddles, lifejackets and any other gear before and after use:

clean mud, sand, plant or animal parts from all items before leaving the shore
drain all water from watercrafts, trailers, and gear like coolers or buckets on land
invert or tilt items, open all compartments, pull drain plugs
dry items completely before entering any river, pond, lake or stream

Grates at trailheads help STOMP OUT invasive species.

How Parks Canada is taking action:

provides active education and outreach on the risks of TIS and what prevention is needed to protect terrestrial habitats
conducts routine surveillance for priority TIS throughout the park
invasive plant prevention grates at key trailheads where visitors can STOMP OUT the soil and seed debris on their footwear
collaborates with local and regional organisations on research, prevention, and management of invasive species
protects and helps recover the natural habitats and the species that call them home, we consistently manage established and arriving priority invasive species within Bruce Peninsula National Park and Fathom Five National Marine Park

By the numbers: Parks Canada's efforts to battle invasive plants since 2016
- 272: Invasion sites managed
- 33: Species managed
- 231: New invasion sites found
- 6456: Hours of total staff time
- 5364: Hours of in-field management
- 1087: Hours of in-field monitoring
- 276: Hours of in-kind partnership management

Staff use a combination of techniques to remove phragmites.

We need your help: Report sightings

Help monitor for invasive species during your visit! You can report any unusual insects, plants, or fungi by taking a photo and uploading it with the location to iNaturalist. Parks Canada staff and other organizations review these submissions regularly, so your help is valued and important!