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Hikers use boot brushes to stop the spread of invasive plants!

by | January 24, 2021

Boot Brush Station
Photo by Devony Lehner

Did you know that you could be introducing harmful invasive plants along your favorite hiking trail? Seeds and roots get stuck in the mud adhered to your boots, bikes, ATVs and even your pets! Please clean your boots, gear and equipment before entering and leaving recreation areas.

To help stop the spread of invasive plants, Homer Soil & Water Conservation District installed several new boot brush stations in 2020: One at the Homer Demonstration Forest, and two at the Homer Spit. Please help us keep Kachemak Bay State Park free from invasive orange hawkweed, reed canarygrass and other harmful non-native plants that threaten fish and wildlife habitat. These plants are well established in the urban areas of Homer, so there’s a high likelihood they’re hitching a ride on people and our gear as we travel to remote areas. Thank you to the Copper River Watershed Project and US Forest Service for funding the new boot brush stations on the Kenai Peninsula!

Keep an eye out for new boot brush stations in the Seward Harbor. Thanks to Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association, two new stations will be installed in 2021 and help protect Resurrection Bay from invasive plants.

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