This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Volunteers turned out Saturday to help with Salt Lake County's 8th annual "Purge Your Spurge" event.

Cleanups took place at Dimple Dell Park and along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail at the base of Grandeur Peak.

The eradication effort focused on myrtle spurge, a noxious weed that destroys native plants and contains a poisonous sap.

REI supported the project by giving away native plants to those helped with the purge.

More information about myrtle spurge, a Eurasian native transplanted to North America as a rock garden ornament, is available at http://www.purgeyourspurge.org.