Correspondence: CRISP Statement: May 2017
Statement from the Capital Region Invasive Species Partnership regarding the need for a new administrative model to secure regional funding.
CRISP Statement: May 2017
CRISP is a partnership of all the local governments in the Capital Region (Vancouver Island area). Since 2010, CRISP has been providing regional communications, programs and more, to improve and support invasive species management throughout the Vancouver Island area of the CRD. A backgrounder on CRISP and the current situation is attached.
CRISP is currently at a cross-roads requiring assistance to be able to continue the valuable and successful services and programs provided to the region. Without a partnering, host organization, CRISP will no longer be able to:
- receive funding for the region (such as from the provincial government)
- continue the regional EDRR (Early Detection Rapid Response) program to address key species such as Knotweed, Giant Hogweed and European Fire Ants
- employ a coordinator to support regional priority invasive species management
- maintain our website of resource materials and contacts for invasive species reporting by the public
- facilitate training and support for local government staff
The result of the above would be a loss of current regional funding and the capacity of CRISP would be limited to information sharing meetings between members. The ground gained against priority invasive species threats would be lost and negative impacts increased throughout the region.
CRISP local government representatives of the Capital Region (Vancouver Island) request consideration of short and long-term solutions for CRISP:
- Short-term, immediate support for CRISP administer funds and hire a CRISP Coordinator (staff or contractor), keeping the regional EDRR (Early Detection Rapid Response) program in place for this year, with the assistance of the current CRISP funding.
- The CRD and municipalities look at a future long-term scenario to enable regional coordination of CRISP, supported by the CRISP membership and Advisory, to ensure continued prevention and reduction of the impacts and spread of priority invasive species in our region. To date, this coordination has successfully contributed to reducing and avoiding impacts including on infrastructure, private and public lands, ecosystems, human health and economic impacts
CRISP members are anxious to secure an arrangement so that the region will not lose funding and will not lose a season of invasive species management. We would be pleased to meet or send further information, such as available resources, at your request. (CRISP Advisory c/o carolyn.richman@saanich.ca)
Attachment: CRISP Backgrounder & the Current Situation
CRISP began in 2010 as a partnership of local governments and other agencies working towards improved invasive species management in the region. CRISP’s membership currently includes all local governments in the Capital Region (Vancouver Island), with representatives from each including both staff and a few elected officials. CRISP has received funding from the provincial government since 2012 to assist with invasive coordination, which increased in scope last year as well as pooled funding from many of the local government members. This funding has provided a CRISP Coordinator, a treatment program for priority invasive sites in the regional EDRR program (EDRR: Early Detection Rapid Response), the ability to provide public outreach and support and more.
Some of our measurable achievements have been:
- Increased funding and capacity for invasive management in the region
- Coordinated (increased) treatment and management of high priority early detection rapid response species, reducing spread and impacts
- Stronger regional messages and public outreach on invasive species
- Provision of safe disposal options for high risk species and improved standard disposal procedures
- CRISP priority invasive plant status list, improving management and priority setting
- Increased regional collaboration on invasives resulting in increased success in regional management overall
- A few First Nations partnerships on invasive species issues are in early stages
- Support for regional participation in provincial programs such as Plantwise (Horticulture/Gardening)
In addition, less measurable but extremely important is the increase in regional efforts to prevent the introduction of high-risk invasive species.
As CRISP is not an entity (but a local government partnership), CRISP has had to partner with NGOs to manage funds and hire contractors. The leadership and supervision of this has primarily fallen to the CRISP Advisory: currently representatives from the District of Saanich, the City of Colwood (and the District of Highlands). An additional challenge has included retaining qualified coordinators under the NGO partnership model.
CRISP is at a cross-roads as our (excellent) CRISP Coordinator recently left for a more secure employment. At this time CRISP has funding, but must establish a new model with which to retain and administer the funding and hire a Coordinator. The delivery of our 2017 regional EDRR program is at risk unless this can be resolved.
At this juncture, CRISP requires a new model to function under as it is not possible to have one or two local government representatives providing supervision and partnership management on behalf of all the other local governments. CRISP held a recent members meeting to discuss the issue, with a majority of local governments represented at the meeting. All members felt strongly that the services and regional EDRR program provided by CRISP are essential and all requested that a new regional model be developed to enable the coordination to continue.
Examples of current risks that CRISP is reducing/addressing:
- Knotweed spread in the region is still possible to address, whereas other regions that did not act fast enough are dealing with costly impacts such as to watercourses and riparian areas, impacts to infrastructure such as roads and building foundations.
- European Fire Ant spread in our region (from a few outbreaks) threaten land use and land values as well as ecological issues. This invasive ant, which spreads quickly, swarms and stings humans and animals.
Invasive species are non-native plant and animal species that can spread and cause impacts including environmental, economic and human impacts such as health and safety. Left unmanaged, invasive species spread and increase in density, requiring more resources to control and causing greater impacts.
Invasive species management in BC is led and supported by all levels of government as well as invasive species organizations (regional and provincial). Local government unique roles and responsibilities include public land management, private land regulatory tools, protection of local infrastructure, land use and local economic issues. Local governments also have a high priority in addressing local social and health impacts related to high priority invasive species.
CRISP: crispinvasives.ca BC Invasive Species Strategy: bcinvasives.ca/about/invasive-species-strategy-for-bc
CRISP Membership (by agencies)
- City of Colwood
- City of Langford
- City of Victoria
- CRD Regional Parks
- CRD Water
- CRD Environmental Services
- District of Central Saanich
- District of Highlands
- District of Metchosin
- District of North Saanich
- District of Oak Bay
- District of Saanich
- District of Sooke
- Township of Esquimalt
- Town of Sidney
- Town of View Royal
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