Today I was part of a team of geocachers who got together to help tidy up Shibden Park in Halifax to complete GC6EYK9: Balsam Bashing.
The event was called a CITO – a Cache In, Trash Out – event where geocachers give something back to the environment.
The park has had a problem with Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera). The plant is a relative of the Busy Lizzie, but reaches well over head height, and is a major weed problem, growing rapidly and spreading quickly, smothering other vegetation as it goes.
Thankfully, though, it has quite swallow roots and so is relatively easy to remove. Our main job was to create a path up to a bridge via a relatively steep hill. That was the tricky part – maintaining balance.
Here’s the area before, during and after our efforts.
