IBSS staff are always ready to step up to challenges, just like they’re ready to meet the mission challenges for our clients. So for this Earth Day, it was no surprise that they connected with Montgomery County’s Weed Warriors program to take on the challenge of tackling multiflora rose, a non-native, invasive plant. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Invasive Species Information Center, multiflora rose is a “fast invading shrub that threatens our ecosystem by outcompeting native plants and restricting wildlife movements.” Non-native, invasive plants like the multiflora rose cause a lot of damage to our environment by hurting native ecosystems and causing damage to the environment, economy, or human health. Volunteer programs like the Weed Warriors are important in maintaining our current ecosystem.

The Weed Warrior Volunteer Program was created in 1999 to empower community members to help Montgomery Parks staff manage non-native, invasive plants (NNIs) on parkland. The program consists of volunteers that were taught how to properly manage and identify specific species of NNIs. Since the program’s creation, volunteers have logged over 112,000 thousand hours of service to parks all across Montgomery County!

For Earth Day this year, IBSS partnered with the Weed Warriors to remove multiflora from Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park. The 10 representatives of the IBSS team got to work, taking on the daunting task of removing the pesky NNI from the surrounding greenery in the park. Over the course of 2 hours, IBSS and the Weed Warriors were able to leave a lasting positive effect, allowing native Maryland plants more opportunities to grow. NNI’s are very difficult to control and if left alone can become established in our ecosystems, disrupting the balance of the plants, animals, environment, and humans that live there. With IBSS’ help, these tenacious plants were removed from this section of the park allowing the Sligo Creek ecosystem and the Weed Warriors to breathe a bit easier. We thank all the IBSS staff who were able to make it out for Earth Day!

ABOUT IBSS

Since 1992, IBSS, a women-owned small business and Certified B Corporation, has provided transformational consulting services to the Federal defense, civilian, and commercial sectors. Our services include cybersecurity and enterprise information technology, environmental science and engineering (including oceans, coasts, climate, and weather), and professional management services. Our approach is to serve our employees by investing in their growth and development. As a result, our employees bring greater capabilities and provide an exceptional level of service to our clients. In addition to creating career development opportunities for our employees, IBSS is passionate about giving back to the community and serving the environment. We strive to leave something better behind for the next generation. We measure our success by the positive impact we have on our employees, clients, partners, and the communities we serve. Our tagline, Powered by Excellence, is a recognition of the employees that make up IBSS and ensures we deliver results with quality, applying industry best practices and certifications. Read more About Us.