ANNUAL REPORT 2014
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THE FIELD TRIP WAS THE BEST! The informative guides, hands-on approach and outdoor hike were all educational!
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- 5th grade teacher -
EDUCATION CONNECTING LANDOWNERS AND COMMUNITIES: ADULT PROGRAMS Missoula County varies with land-use needs and vegetation issues. The Weed District plans programs to meet the needs of an array of land management issues. The Missoula County Weed District’s approach to educating an ever changing demographic of landowners is based on providing the necessary tools and resources to help landowners make informative decisions for managing their vegetation. HEALTHY ACRES SEMINAR Provides a forum for landowners (30) to meet their neighbors and learn about land management issues that most affect the health of their land, communities and watersheds. The objective of Healthy Acres is to provide resources and training on management issues in natural resources. PRIVATE APPLICATOR TRAINING Eight hour training for new private applicators (25) on how to safely and effectively treat their property with herbicides as well as educate them on the importance of an integrated approach to vegetation management that includes the principles of Integrated Plant Management. MSU FORESTRY EXTENSION Forestry mini college participants learn the steps taken to create a management plan that works towards the goals for their property. Participants gain hands-on experience creating a management plan with other landowners promoting the
importance of communication among neighbors, another key component in a successful management plan. INVASIVE GRASSES WORKSHOP Building Bridges workshops brings together speakers from a diverse research community to discuss four of the West’s most invasive annual grasses: cheatgrass, ventenata, medusahead and bulbous bluegrass. Over 60 landowners and managers from across the state, representing a broad range of public and private interests, came together to discuss and learn how these species arrived in our area, the damage they can cause, how to identify them and strategies for management. MASTER GARDENER Level 1 Master Gardener on the history of the Missoula County Weed District, plant identification and the principles of IPM (Integrated Plant Management). Participants collected spotted knapweed plants to dissect for biological control activity. BIO-CONTROL COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION Participants are provided a hands-on educational program on the process involved in monitoring and collecting bio-control to be released on their property. This program is free and participants go home with 100 Cyphocleonus achates (knapweed root weevil) to distribute on their spotted knapweed infestations.
BIO-CONTROL EDUCATION/WORKSHOPS Biocontrol Workshops were held throughout MT, 4 occurred in the Missoula area with many Missoula residents (170) in attendance. Each workshop was unique. Successfully integrating biocontrol into one’s weed management plan is a key component.
Workshops format varied: comprehensive seminars with biocontrol as a management option, tours focusing on multiple biocontrol systems, or classroom style setting with an emphasis on management of a key weed species utilizing biocontrol.
YOUTH EDUCATION AND EDUCATOR TRAININGS Educating Missoula County’s youth on native and non-native vegetation and the ecology behind maintaining healthy plant communities and the effects noxious weed invasions have on them. RIVER EXPO 120 6th grade students transitioned through hands-on stations focusing on riparian habitat and the impact of invasive plants. Stations included a weed pull, bio-control investigation, seed dispersal mechanisms and riparian habitat health and habitat walk. LEAVE NO WEEDS 850 area 5th graders learn to identify healthy plant communities and the impacts invasive species have on these communities. 40 area classrooms are provided 3.5 hours of instruction on the importance of recognizing native plants and how invasive species threaten these habitats. The fieldtrip component provides handson service learning to students with native plant walks, weed pulls, bio-control observations and revegetation of disturbed sites. POTOMAC OUTDOOR SCHOOL Lead Potomac Schools 7th grade students through a “Weed Walk and Talk” at Camp Utmost in the Blackfoot Valley. Students learned
to identify local plants and determine if they were native or invasive plants. LOWELL SCHOOL GARDEN Utilized the school garden to teach four classes of 4th and 5th graders on using a dichotomous key and seed germination while referencing the newly installed native plant garden. BLACKFOOT TRUMPETER SWAN RELEASE 140 students from the Blackfoot Corridor learned about healthy habitats and the importance of plant diversity and why invasive species threaten these ecosystems. SCHOOLYARD NATIVE PLANTS AND POLLINATORS WORKSHOP Discussed with local educators (40) the resources available through the Weed District to create or enhance a native plant garden at their school. FOREST FOR EVERY CLASSROOM Educators (25) learned how to incorporate the kNOweeds curriculum into their classrooms using local themes and service learning. Participants described a chosen native plant to the group for identification using creative explanations.
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I love that it’s (Leave No Weeds 5th grade program) free!!! In all seriousness, when the budget cut out field trips for our school 3 years ago, this program allowed my students to still get out and do something fun! - 5th grade teacher -
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EDUCATION YOUTH RESTORATION The Youth in Restoration program evolved from a partnership with the Bureau of Land Management, and is built on the idea that education and outreach are key factors in a sustainable, long-term conservation strategy. This Youth in Restoration program continues to gain momentum and support with participating conservation and natural resource agencies and organizations. In 2014, $29,000 in grant funding, in support of this program, was awarded to the Missoula County Weed District. This funding provides employment to four high school students and an adult crew leader, for eight weeks, to participate in land stewardship projects throughout the region. The Youth in Restoration program relies on the passionate professionals that continue to provide leadership to these kids. Professionals from the participating organizations and agencies instill in the crew the compassion they have when applying management techniques in their jobs. Cooperative programs like this are an important part of building collaborative partnerships between diverse land management organizations, while providing kids with career mentoring and on-the-ground training in natural resource conservation work.
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I hope students will get an appreciation of native species and the effect the introduction of invasive species has had on our environment. I hope students will share their experience with family and friends and be aware that our actions have a great effect on our environment.
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Thank you to these organizations for their continued support; Blackfoot Challenge, City of Missoula Conservation Lands, Missoula County Parks, the University of Montana Natural Areas, Lolo National Forest, Bureau of Land Management, Clearwater Resource Council, MPG Ranch, Five Valleys Land Trust, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, The Nature Conservancy and Montana Biological Control Program.
OUTREACH
Mission Valley Tour
RESEARCH 2014 RESEARCH ROUNDUP Look for information and resources around the county at local festivals, trainings or markets near you about upcoming trainings, products or awareness from friendly Weed District staff.
Research provides a scientific foundation for sustainable weed management. The Missoula County Weed District works with a broad range of researchers across Montana in an effort to develop new vegetation management technologies and strategies that can help landowners minimize the ecological and economic impacts that invasive species have on the lands they own and manage. Five percent of the Missoula County weed mill is allocated for research and demonstration projects. A strong research program is imperative to the long-term success of managing invasive species for a number of reasons:
• Web page: www.missoulaeduplace.org • Healthy Acres Newsletter • Downtown Banners • Community Forestry Days/Career Fair • Clark Fork Market booth • Community Festivals and Celebrations • Bio control releases • Western MT Fair
1.The expense to control invasive species is often greater than the economic return to the land and one of the reasons land managers find it difficult to control large infestations. 2. Controlling invasive species can be complicated by environmental conditions. Steep hillsides and riparian areas both pose issues that make treatment difficult with existing technology. There are concerns that weed control programs can impact beneficial plant communities.
In Montana we have many kinds of wasps. It is important to distinguish between the various kinds of wasps because some are problems, but most are not. Here are some quick wasp facts: Most wasps develop by feeding on insects, often insects that are pests of garden and landscape plants, such as caterpillars that eat holes in vegetable leaves and fruits. Almost all the wasp stings that occur in western Montana result from yellow jackets and European paper wasps.
Yellow jackets are yellow, or orange, and black. Unlike honey bees, they are more intensely colored and lack the hairy body. They build underground nests and nests in dark, enclosed areas of buildings, like wall voids or crawl spaces. Yellow jackets love ripe fruit and can be serious nuisance pests around outdoor food sources and garbage.
HEALTHY ACRES
3. New knowledge is the key to keeping land managers interested and willing to take the needed steps to manage invasive species.
Yellow jacket queens start a new colony each spring. They build new nests as soon as they emerge. Yellow jacket colonies thrive after mild winters and dry springs. As soon as they emerge is the time to start trapping yellow jackets, before populations build. Commonly sold yellow jacket traps are effective, if the traps are emptied and the bait replaced often. Traps work well when baited with meat and fruit juice. Unfortunately, most traps only capture yellow jackets. Most traps do not capture hornets or paper wasps
Here is a review of some of the research projects supported by the weed district in 2014:
European paper wasps are slender bodied and marked with shiny black and yellow bands. Paper wasps are important predators. Like hornets, they only eat live insects. They crush these insects with their jaws and make “bug-burger” to feed their young. Research in the Fort Collins area suggests that European Paper Wasps, a new species in 2001, are now the most prolific predator in home gardens. We have observed paper wasps the attacking cabbage worms that make holes in broccoli and cabbage leaves. You can eliminate paper wasp nesting sites now by sealing up all openings that allow access to hollow tubing or similar materials. Paper wasps build flattened, pappery nests that hang down. If paper wasps have begun to build their nests already, remove them in late evening or early morning when it is cool and wasps do not fly so readily. Wash the area with soap and citrus oil to discourage them from rebuilding. You may also find products containing mint oil, which has been reported to control paper wasps.
SUMMER
2014
A RESOURCE TO P ROM OTE H EA LTH Y L A ND S A ND H EA LTH Y COM M U NI TI E S
ENVIRONMENTAL –DNA FOR AQUATIC INVASIVE PLANT SPECIES
Baldfaced hornets are different from other yellowjackets because of their white and black color as opposed to the more typical yellow and black pattern. The most notable feature of this wasp is the white or “baldface” head. They also have three white stripes on the end of their body. Compared to other yellowjackets, baldfaced hornets are extremely large. Adult workers vary in size, but average about 3/4 inch long. Baldfaced hornet nests often hang in trees and shrubs where they go unnoticed until the leaves have dropped in the fall. Nests can also be built on eves ofbuildings, on windows, in attics or on other artificial structures. They are often pear or egg shaped and can be as large as 14 inches in diameter and over 23 inches in length. Baldfaced hornets can be considered a beneficial insect in that they reduce MONTANA’S populations of unwanted insects (including WASPS other yellowjackets) and will help pollinate flowers when they are searching for nectar.
THE BEGINNING OF THE HEALTHY ACRES, HEALTHY COMMUNITIES FOUNDATION
T
his year will mark the beginning of the Missoula County Weed District & Extension’s new foundation, the Healthy Acres, Healthy Communities Foundation, that will create new avenues of support for the many programs and services that our office provides to Missoula County and Western Montana. If you didn’t already know, the Weed District and Extension offices are administered jointly in Missoula County, with a shared mission to provide coordination, educational outreach and training using current researchbased information and resources to address the needs of the public in the areas of Land Management, Youth Development, and Family and Consumer Sciences. Let’s take a look at some the programs related to these areas… Land Management The horticulture program, plant clinic and weed district all work to assist landowners in reaching the goals they have set for their land. Horticulture works to support the production and marketing of local food crops and native and ornamental plants, to increase the knowledge of growing healthy plants that
By Bryce Christiaens
clinic provides assistance to the community regarding plant diseases and pests, soil testing services, plant identification, and growing advice and resources. The clinic also maintains the Pest Alert Hotline for up to date information on garden pests and their control. The weed district works to promote and maintain healthy vegetation by providing landowners with site visits for plant identification and management recommendations, cost-share assistance for weed management and revegetation, providing education workshops and field tours and bringing landowners and researchers together to find new and better ways to manage for healthy plant communities. Youth Development 4-H provides youth development programs and resources to promote positive engagement, reduce at-risk behaviors, combat youth obesity, and develop career/life skills through a “learning by doing” approach via 4-H clubs, school enrichment programs, after-school programs and out-of-school programs. Horticulture and the weed district also provide youth education to schools and
I
n Montana we have many kinds of
Family and Consumer wasps. It isSciences important to distinguish between the various kinds of wasps The major focuses of Missoula County’s because some are problems, but most family and consumerare sciences programs not. Most wasps develop by feeding on include food (safety,insects, preservation and often insects that are pests of nutrition), families (parenting and garden and landscape plants, such as that eat holes in vegetable caregiving), housingcaterpillars (sustainable living, leaves and fruits. Almost all the wasp stings that occur and in western Montana result from maintenance and health) finances yellow jackets and European paper wasps. (money management, retirement andor orange, and Yellow jackets are yellow, black.Expanded Unlike honey bees, they areand more estate planning). The Food colored and lack the hairy body. Nutrition Educationintensely Program, or EFNEP, They build underground nests and nests in dark, enclosed areas of buildings, also strives to work with low income like wall voids or crawl spaces. Yellow jackets love families to teach skills andandattitudes that pests ripe fruit can be serious nuisance food sources and garbage. result in better dietsaround andoutdoor health. Yellow jacket queens start a new colony So why create a Foundation? each spring. They buildWhile new nestswe as soon emerge. Unfortunately, have been successfulasonlythey incapture creating a widemost traps yellow jackets not hornets or array of programs and in Missoula paperservices wasps. Commonly sold yellow jacket traps are effective, if the traps are emptied County, a Foundation will allow us to and the bait replaced often. Traps work develop a diverse and expanded setand offruit juice. well when baited with meat Unfortunately, most traps only capture partnerships and collaborators that will yellow jackets. Most traps do not capture hornetssuccess. or paper waspsIt will ensure their continued European paper wasps are slender also allow us to continue to create new bodied and marked with shiny black and yellow bands. Paper are important programs to meet the needs thatwasps Missoula predators. Like hornets, they only eat live County will face in the future. If you are interested in learning more about this new step for the Missoula County Weed District & Extension programs, contact Paper Wasp Bryce Christiaens at 258.4217, or
Yellowjacket
insects. They crush these insects with their jaws and make “bug-burger” to feed their young. Research in the Fort Collins area suggests that European Paper Wasps, a new species in 2001, are now the most prolific predator in home gardens. We have observed paper wasps attacking cabbage worms that make holes in broccoli and cabbage leaves. You can eliminate paper wasp nesting sites by sealing up all openings that allow access to hollow tubing or similar materials. Paper wasps build flattened, pappery nests that hang down. If paper wasps have begun to build their nests already, remove them in late evening or early morning when it is cool and wasps do not fly so readily. Wash the area with soap and citrus oil to discourage them from rebuilding. You can also try products containing mint oil, which has been reported to control paper wasps. Baldfaced hornets are different from other yellowjackets because of their white and black color as opposed to the more typical yellow and black pattern. The most notable feature of this wasp is the white or “baldface” head. They also have three white stripes on the end of their body. Compared to other yellowjackets, baldfaced hornets are extremely large. Adult workers vary
in size, but average about 3/4 inch long. Baldfaced hornet nests often hang in trees yellowjacket and shrubs where they go unnoticed until the leaves have dropped in the fall. Nests can also be built on eves of buildings, on windows, in attics or on other artificial structures. They are often pear or egg shaped and can be as large as 14 inches in diameter and over 23 inches in length. Baldfaced hornets can be considered a beneficial insect in that they reduce populations of unwanted insects (including other yellowjackets) and will help pollinate flowers when they are searching for nectar.
Baldface Hornet
For more information contact Sandy in the Plant Clinic at 406-258-4213
paper wasp
2014 marked the completion of the first phase of development of genetic markers for Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) and hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata). With funding from the Missoula County Weed District, Teton County Weed District ( WY ) and the Noxious Weed Trust Fund, researchers with the USGS, University of Montana and the Annis Water Resource Institute at MSU were successful in developing markers for these two species and successfully test for them in a lab setting. This is the first time Environmental–DNA has been used for plants. Next steps include field tests along a gradient of abundance where native and invasive milfoils occur and will most likely occur on Holland Lake.
Collecting eDNA on Holland Lake
USE OF SEARCH DOGS FOR DETECTION OF DYER’S WOAD AT LOW DENSITIES
2014 was the third and final year of research into the use of search dogs to detect dyer’s woad (Isatis tinctoria) at low densities in comparison to human searchers. With funding from the Missoula County Weed District, City of Missoula, University of Montana and the Noxious Weed Trust Fund, search teams with Working Dogs for Conservation were able to successfully prove the increased efficacy of dog detection over human searchers. Only 20 plants were found in 2014 (down from 135 in 2013 and close to 500 in 2012) and as a result of these efforts, dogs will now be incorporated into Montana’s dyer’s woad eradication efforts across the state.
MITCHELL PLOTS RE –SURVEY
With support of the Missoula County Weed District, the city of Missoula worked to re-survey Missoula area vegetation plots that were first established and read by William Warren Mitchell for his thesis work at the University of Montana in 1958. The project digitized historical records, and provides a reference for land managers seeking to restore native bunchgrass communities in the Missoula area. The 1958 thesis, including photos and location descriptions of vegetation, was utilized to revisit the locations studied and make comparisons. Side by side photos and plot data from 1958 and 2014 can now be used to estimate practical ecological restoration goals for typical grassland communities in and around the Missoula Valley.
TARGETED CATTLE GRAZING AND BIOLOGICAL CONTROL
With the support of the Missoula County Weed District, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the USDA, researchers with Montana State University have begun looking into the integration of targeted cattle grazing and biological control to increase efficacy in the control of spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe). Researchers were able to show that through timing and targeted grazing, cattle will utilize spotted knapweed more than perennial grasses. They will be building on this information to determine if the combination of cattle grazing and biological control will decrease spotted knapweed fitness and increase plant community fitness over grazing or biological weed control alone.
NEW STUDENT RESEARCH GRANT OPPORTUNITY
In an effort to encourage more college students at both the University of Montana and Montana State University to do research into the management of invasive species and the management of healthy plant communities, the weed district introduced a new grant program to support their field research. The first grants will be awarded in early 2015.
BIO CONTROL MONTANA BIOLOGICAL WEED CONTROL COORDINATION PROJECT The purpose of the Montana Biological Weed Control Coordination Project is to provide the leadership, coordination, and education necessary to enable land managers across Montana to successfully incorporate biological weed control into their noxious weed management programs. Educational workshops, insect distribution, and monitoring training were identified as high priority by survey respondents. Therefore, in the summer of 2014 with funding assistance provided by the Montana Noxious Weed Trust Fund, we focused on coordinating or participating in a variety of workshops throughout Montana. Workshop content focused on the high priority topics but varied from location to location based on the interests of the land managers in that given area. Monitoring was at a minimum mentioned at a majority of the workshops. We anticipated being a part of approximately 7 workshops a year but we were asked and took part in 19 workshops at 17 locations! If a collectable insectary was in the area, the workshops included a collection component. If not, insects were collected and brought to the workshops or shipped at a later date. The Project also utilized volunteers and youth crews to assist in insect collections to fill requests not associated with workshops. In addition to the collections associated with workshops, agent collections were held for yellow and Dalmatian toadflax, leafy spurge, and spotted knapweed. Approximately 500,000 agents were distributed as a result of the collection activities participated in or coordinated by the project. This total includes 5 agents (Mecinus janthiniformis, Mecinus janthinus, Aphthona spp, Oberea erythrocephala, and Cyphocleonus achates) for 4 weed species (yellow and Dalmatian toadflax, leafy spurge, and spotted knapweed). Grant writing to help fund the Project has also been a focus. In addition to the Noxious Weed Trust Fund Grant that was awarded for conducting workshops, the Project received a HB 223 Grant through the Missoula Conservation District. Fundraising and grant writing are an ongoing and necessary component of the Project. “The contribution the MT Biological Weed Control Coordination Project has made across Montana is invaluable to weed managers, extension agents, wildlife managers and agricultural producers alike.� Jason Badger, Sanders County Agriculture and Natural Resource Extension Agent
MAPPING MEDUSAHEAD MAPPING The Missoula County Weed District coordinated the mapping of the medusahead infestation discovered just north of Arlee late in 2013. The infestation site, located on the Flathead Indian Reservation, lies in both Lake and Sanders County. Over the course of six days in late May and early June crews from the Missoula County, Lake County and Sanders County Weed Districts, The Salish and Kootenai Tribe, the National
KELLY ISLAND For three years we have been mapping and treating perennial pepperweed on the Clark Fork River from its confluence with the
YELLOWFLAG IRIS We had another successful year hunting yellowflag iris along the waterways of Missoula County. This year we mapped and treated Iris on: • The Bitterroot River - Florence Bridge to its confluence with the Clark Fork River • The Clark Fork River- confluence with The Blackfoot River to the County Line in Alberton • The Clearwater River – Salmon Lake to its confluence with the Blackfoot River These are all of the waterways in the County with known infestations of yellowflag iris. We were very thorough this year, checking every spot where iris has been found in the past and
Bison Range, the Montana Conservation Corps and the Missoula Youth Crew covered approximately 2,000 acres mapping around 400 acres of medusahead in that area. MCWD processed all of that data and produced paper and online maps that enabled tribal and county weed managers to get a handle on the extent of the medusahead and where control efforts would need to be concentrated.
Blackfoot to Alberton. In 1999 when we first found perennial pepperweed on the Clark Fork River, this stretch only had a few patches of pepperweed. We’ve watched that number rapidly increase as perennial pepperweed spreads down river. Last year we found a large patch on a gravel bar across from where Kelly Island’s main channel splits off from the more navigable northern channel in a massive logjam. We grew concerned that the many channels of the Clark Fork that wend their way through Kelly Island would be infested with pepperweed as well. This summer we were able to map all of those channels and are happy to report only three small patches were found. For some reason the pepperweed is working its way down the main northern channel but has been unable to penetrate the more complex habit of Kelly Island.
getting into areas we have never been able to check before. On the Bitterroot and Clark Fork Rivers the vast majority of past iris treatments appear to have been successful. Almost all of the iris we are finding are new seedlings or infestations in areas we haven’t checked before. We are optimistic that we are holding the line on yellowflag iris as it moves down the Bitterroot River and onto the Clark Fork. OTHER MAPPING PROJECTS • Five Valley’s Land Trust Rock Creek Confluence property (247 acres) • River Estates Homeowners Association (83 acres) • Clearwater Watershed project with the Missoula and Ravalli County Youth Crews (211 miles of roads)
PREVENTION BUILDING BRIDGES INVASIVE GRASSES WORKSHOP
Medusahead Seed Head
In late 2013, Medusahead wildrye grass (Taeniatherum caput-medusae) was found in Montana for the first time. Medusahead has been able to successfully invade around 2.5 million acres of the intermountain west. This species is of particular concern because it is capable of outcompeting cheatgrass. Meadusahead is a highly invasive annual grass with a high silica content which is slow to decay leading to the creation of dense layers of thatch. As it invades an area the thatch medusahead generates inhibits the seeds of other species from establishing, while its seeds continue to flourish within the dense litter layer. Medusahead is unpalatable because its seed heads are armored with stiff awns that can injure the eyes and mouths of grazing animals. If medusahead is allowed to establish and spread in Montana it will degrade wildlife and livestock habitat while altering fire regimes as it has done in California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah where it is listed as a noxious weed.
In 2014 the Missoula County Weed District (MCWD) worked collaboratively to address the immediate challenges associated with medusahead by coordinating mapping efforts of the infestation and conducting an educational workshop. The MCWD worked in partnership with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes, Montana Conservation Corp., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Weed Districts in Sanders and Lake County to map the roughly 400 acres which compose the current medusahead infestation. Timing is important to effectively control this new invader. This mapping effort will ensure targeted management treatments are effectively directed at medusahead. In addition the MCWD’s Building Bridges Workshop was focused on medusahead and similar annual invasive grasses. These workshops aim to bring together our research community to improve dialog and support around management-based research needs. Montana’s noxious weed list does not include any invasive grasses, making it difficult for managers to recognize and prioritize these species of concern. During the spring, the MCWD brought 4 researchers together to discuss with the public four of the West’s most invasive annual grasses: cheatgrass, ventenata, medusahead and bulbous bluegrass. Presentations covered how these species disperse, the damage they can cause, how to identify them and strategies to manage for them once they show up. Over 60 landowners and managers from across the state, representing a broad range of public and private interests, came together to discuss and learn about these invasive grasses. Building on the momentum from 2014, we will remain involved in the development of a long-term management plan to control and hopefully eradicate medusahead from Montana. To ensure our control efforts are effective it is vital that people know how to identify this new invading noxious weed. To learn how to distinguish medusahead from other grasses please read the following MSU publication - store.msuextension. org/publications/AgandNaturalResources/EB0218.pdf. The challenges associated with effectively addressing medusahead have provided the MCWD with the opportunity to continue to build and strengthen partnerships with public and private organizations across the state. As we have learned over the years, our collaborative approach to weed management allows the MCWD to successfully respond to any new challenges the New Year might present.
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Thanks again for your visit and your time. Really appreciate the information provided. As promised, here are some pictures of the weed afflictions our pond has. Looking forward to any additional information you may be able to help us with. Jack Huson, MT
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Medusahead Litter Layer
WEED MANAGEMENT AREAS LOLO FIRE
The Lolo Complex Fire burned approximately 11,000 acres in 2013 and in the fall of 2013 the Montana Noxious Weed Trust Fund awarded $25,000 in emergency funding to help combat noxious weeds post fire. With that funding landowners in the Lolo Creek Watershed that were affected by the fire have been able to treat 397 acres of noxious weeds and re-seed 857 acres. The funding for this project will conclude in 2015.
MILL CREEK FIRE
Approximately 800 acres in the Mill Creek drainage in Frenchtown was burned in the summer of 2013. The Montana Noxious Weed Trust Fund awarded $25,000 to the landowners affected by the fire. In 2014 the landowners were able to treat 600 acres aerially and 36 acres were re-seeded. The grant funding concludes in 2015.
LOLO WATERSHED WMA
The Lolo Watershed Weed Management Area was awarded an to a Montana Noxious Weed Trust Fund Grant in 2012. The grant funding concluded in the fall of 2014 with 906.3 acres of noxious weeds treated and 32 acres re-seeded. There were 14 landowners and land managers that were able to participate in the group.
WOODWORTH WMA
The Woodworth Weed Management Area is a long established group that came together this year to apply for a Montana Noxious Weed Trust Fund Grant. The group received a $29,000 grant from the NWTF to perform noxious weed treaments on public and private land, targeting spotted knapweed, leafy
spurge, yellow toadflax, houndstongue, and Canada thistle. This spring a Mecinus Janthinus population was discovered on one of the participating landowner’s property and multiple collections happened as that piece of property is scheduled to be treated. Mecinus Janthinus is a rare, yet effective biological control insect for yellow toadflax. This is the only known location in Missoula County. Insects will be collected again in the spring of 2015 and moved to new yellow toadflax locations around Montana.
SWAN WMA
The Swan Valley Cooperative Weed Management Area is another one of our well established groups. This year the group received its 5th Noxious Weed Trust Fund Grant for controlling noxious weeds in the Swan Valley. This active group is supported by the Swan Ecosystem Center and they assist in dispersing funds to dozens of landowners each year. In 2013 the SVCWMA was awarded a $19,000 grant from the Noxious Weed Trust Fund, the grant concludes in 2015.
NINE MILE/ REMOUNT WMA
The Ninemile Weed Management Area originally created in the 90’s has recently become very active again. The group received a Noxious Weed Trust Fund Grant in 2011 and again in 2013. Things are really ramping up and the group has re-applied for grant funding for 2015. Efforts in this watershed have been aided by the Nine Mile Wildlife Working Group. New WMA’s for 2015: • Petty Creek • Evaro WMA
MISSOULA WEED DISTRICT PARTNERS • Allied Waste • America’s Great Outdoors Crown of the Continent Initiative • Bitterroot Biocontrol Project • Blackfoot Challenge • Blaine County Weed District • Bureau of Land Management • Bureau of Land Management – Missoula • Butte Silverbow County Weed District • City of Helena • City of Missoula – Conservation Lands • Clark Fork Coalition • Clearwater Resource Council • Daniels County Weed District and Extension • Fergus County Weed District • Five Valleys Land Trust • Flathead County Weed District
• Granite County Weed District • Hill County Weed District • Jefferson County Weed District • Lake County Weed District • Lewis & Clark Conservation District • Lewis and Clark County Weed District • Liberty County Weed District • Lolo Ranger District • Mineral County Weed District • Missoula Conservation District • Missoula County Community and Planning Services • Missoula County Parks • Missoula Valley Land Managers • Montana Biological Weed Control Coordination Project Partners • Montana Department of Transportation
• Montana Environmental Education Association • Montana State University Extension • Montana Weed Control Association • MPG Ranch • MT Department of Natural Resources • MT Fish Wildlife and Parks • Natural Resource Collaborative Working Group • Ninemile Ranger District • Northern Rockies Invasive Plant Council • NRCS • Park County Cooperative Weed Management Area • Park County Weed District • Powell County Weed District • Ravalli County Weed District • Sanders County Weed District • Seeley Lake Ranger District
• Stillwater County Weed District • Swan Ecosystem Center • Sweet Grass County Weed District • The Nature Conservancy • Toole County Weed District • UM School of Forestry • University of Montana – Natural Areas • US Fish and Wildlife Service – PRISM • US Forest Service • USDA - Agricultural Research Station • USDA –Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Wheatland County Weed District • Whitehall School Project • Working Dogs for Conservation • Yellowstone County Weed District
406.258.4217 WWW.MISSOULAEDUPLACE.ORG 2825 SANTA FE COURT MISSOULA, MT 59808-1685