Sunlight/Crandall Weed Management Area

Background

The Sunlight/Crandall Weed Management Area Sunlight Basin and the Crandall area of northwestern Wyoming is one of our state's most scenic and pristine environments.

Lands within the Sunlight/Crandall Weed Management Area include the headwaters of the "Wild and Scenic" Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River. Recreational use by hunters and fishermen, wildlife watchers, hikers, ATV and horseback riders, and campers has increased dramatically over the past decade. Vehicle traffic on the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway (WY SH 296) has increased steadily in recent years, carrying tourists to the northwest gate of Yellowstone National Park or to U.S. Highway 212, the Beartooth Highway.

The Weed Problem
With increased motor vehicle activity, the presence of non-native, invasive plant species has also increased along our transportation corridors. 2002 weed inventories indicated that previously uninfested trailheads, camping areas, stream and riverbanks, and highways and Forest roads are now infested with noxious weeds.

It is imperative that we inventory and control those noxious species already present, and identify, control and eradicate new noxious weed species' threats before the cost of control and eradication is economically impossible. Most of the land within the Sunlight/Crandall Weed Management Area (SCWMA) is public land administered by the USFS-Shoshone National Forest and used for recreation, wildlife habitat maintenance, and livestock allotments. The North Absaroka Wilderness Area represents approximately one-third of western portions of the SCWMA. Private lands are interspersed through two-thirds of the eastern portion of the WMA, predominantly high basin meadows or along riparian corridors. Mountain ranchers raise cattle and horses in the 17-21 inch precipitation zone. Private, year-long dwellings and summer cabins make up the balance of the private landholdings.

SCWMA Organization
A steering committee composed of public agency representatives and private landowners has been formed to address weed issues in the Sunlight/Crandall area of northwestern Park County, Wyoming, under the leadership of the Cody Conservation District and the Park County Weed and Pest Control District.

The Sunlight/Crandall Weed Management Area Steering Committee includes:

• Cody Conservation District
• Park County Weed & Pest Control District
• Shoshone National Forest
• Bureau of Land Management-Cody Field Office
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Wyoming Game & Fish Department-Cody Regional Office
• Sunlight Landowners Association
• Crandall Landowners Association.

During our February 2003 meeting, a Sunlight Basin/Crandall Weed Management Area draft plan was accepted and approved, a draft MOU (memorandum of understanding) agreement was approved, and financial commitments to the WMA were made by various SCWMA member agencies to control noxious weeds. In February, a newsletter was produced and sent to all private landowners within the WMA; a Spring 2003 newsletter was mailed in May or June to provide updated information to landowners and land managers.

Targeted Species Houndstongue, Diffuse, Spotted, and Russian knapweeds, Oxeye daisy, Common tansy, Leafy spurge, Dalmatian and yellow toadflax, Common burdock, and non-native thistles.

Mapping efforts will pay particular attention to the potential invasion of weeds found in adjacent areas, including Orange hawkweed, Sulfur cinquefoil, St. John's wort, and Dyers woad.

Project Management Plan

Purpose The purpose of the SCWMA is to control and suppress the noxious weed populations already established and to prevent additional populations from starting or new weed species from establishing. By pooling available partnership resources and by ignoring political boundaries, we hope to prevent, contain, reduce, suppress, and eradicate noxious weeds in the Sunlight Basin/Crandall Weed Management Area.

Goals. The Sunlight/Crandall Weed Management Area will:

1. Complete a comprehensive weed inventory of the WMA, with special emphasis placed on remote, backcounty habitats. Spot treatment and eradication of any remote infestations will be a priority
2. Chemically treat and monitor already identified weed-infested locations
3. Hold two or more "Weed Workshops" for residents and land managers of the SCWMA
4. Write and mail two additional "Weed News" newsletters
5. Create a SCWMA GIS database that is consistent with the USFS and GYCC
6. Hold a SCWMA Weed Tour.

The long-term goal is preventing or eliminating any new invasive noxious weeds from establishing in the SCWMA. Elimination of established noxious weed infestations throughout the SCWMA and overall reduction of total infested acres will also be a long-term goal.

Inventory Early in the WMA process, an inventory will be developed from existing databases, prior knowledge of weed infestations, and other relevant information. Weeds will be mapped and documented using GPS units, and the inventory will be maintained in a GIS format. Maps will include weed locations, weed species, and spray locations.

Education and Awareness Weeds present a real risk for many people. Livestock producers find that weeds will compete with more nutritious plants that their livestock depend on. Hunters, fishermen, and hikers are concerned about the encroachment of weeds and the potential loss of habitat and feed for wildlife. Species identification improve the reporting of the size and location of weed infestations. Control measures will be addressed by providing informational resources, seminars, and training workshops.

Disturbed Areas Weed infestations usually begin in disturbed areas that have had significant groundwork, such as gravel pits, new home construction sites, pipelines, utility right-of-way work, road construction, wildfires, or any other activity that disturbs the ground and existing vegetation. Such sites are prime for invasion because the soil has been disturbed and the equipment used could be contaminated with weed seeds.

Trailheads Horses and livestock are loaded and unloaded from trailers and deposit droppings or drop weed seeds from their fur or tack at trailheads. Weed seeds easily germinate in these areas because of an abundance of droppings and bare ground. Once weeds germinate and mature, seeds are easily consumed or transplanted onto animals or equipment and transported elsewhere.

Integrated Weed Management will be used to manage weeds in the SCWMA. Every infestation will be evaluated by location, species of weed, proximity to water and sensitive non-target vegetation, intended land use, topography, and time of year. A combination of tools may be used on a single infestation. The tools used will be dependent upon the management goals for that site.

• Biological control agents will be established with a buffer zone to keep them away from any pesticide treatments. They will be plainly marked, and catalogued in a database for further information purposes.
• Chemical treatments will be conducted according to the chemical label and all laws that govern its use.
• Other treatments could include grazing, cultural, or mechanical treatments which will be incorporated into the overall plan.

Weed Priorities Each weed species will be evaluated separately based on its individual biological and ecological characteristics. High priority areas will be monitored after treatments to ensure that reinfestation does not occur. High priority for treatment will be given to:

• Weeds with a propensity to spread to uninfested areas .
• Weed populations located on high traffic or transportation corridors, such as rivers, streams, highways, roads, heavily grazed areas, trails, and trailheads.
• Small, but remote weed infestations will undergo attempts at eradication, even if the weed has many different infestations located in the SCWMA.

Action Plan

Chemicals A variety of herbicides will be used for weed treatment and retreatment in order to reach management goals and to avoid development of chemical resistance in the treated plants. Spray adjuvants such as spreaders, surfactants, and dyes will also be used to increase the effectiveness of the chemical treatments. All herbicides will be used according to the recommended label rates.

• All highways and county roads will be treated in the WMA using a truck-mounted boomless sprayer.
• ATV crews will be used to treat individual plants and infestations along side roads later in the season, on Forest Service roads and trailheads, and other lands that are accessible only with ATVs.
• Private property will be surveyed and weeds will be treated. Backpacks will be loaned to private landowners for use on their property. The WMA will assist landowners in identifying, spraying, or managing weeds on their properties
• Backcountry surveys will be conducted using both horses and people. Surveys of weeds may be conducted at the same time as spraying operations to save on labor.
• All chemical applications will address fisheries issues.

Mechanical Control Mechanical control will be limited to areas where single plants or small patches of rare or worrisome plants occur. Because mechanical control is so expensive due to labor costs, it will only be used in very sensitive areas or as an educational tool.

Preventative Methods The Weed Free Forage program will remain in effect during the life of the WMA. The Forest Service and the Wyoming Game & Fish Department require certified weed-free hay and straw on their lands.

Biological Control Biological control agents (insects or pathogens) approved by USDA-APHIS will be released on appropriate weed infestations in the WMA. Biocontrol efforts will be aimed at widespread infestations or large populations. Biocontrol is not a fast process, but it's well suited for long-term control. Biocontrol also may be used in conjunction with chemical control, with bioagents used in the middle of the infestation and chemical control on the edges of the infestation to limit its outward spread.

Subdivisions and Cabins Plans will be developed to monitor and treat weeds for subdivisions and other residential areas. The high level of disturbance in these areas offer weeds a foothold, or weeds may be kept as ornamentals. Landowners will be educated on weed identification, chemicals, and other management techniques by the WMA, and through cost share programs available to residents of Park County.

Program Effectiveness

• Directors of the WMA will evaluate the performance of the WMA at the end of each year, and adjust goals and strategies as needed.
• Revegetation has always been an integral part of our overall weed management strategy. The Shoshone National Forest requires rehabilitation and revegetation of highway rights-of-way, and requires weed-free hay or straw on all Forest lands. The Beartooth Highway project will also require strict adherence to Forest standards for soil disturbance, heavy equipment usage, and certified weed-free seed procurement. No revegetation for our small infestations are required at this time.
• At this point, without a complete and accurate inventory, it is difficult to establish an accurate acreage for weed infestation. Since most individual infestations are still relatively small, treatment and control has been accomplished with broad-jet sprayers on highways, and back-pack sprayers on isolated infestations. It has been estimated that we have several hundred acres of total weed infestation, varying from point infestations to areas with dense canopy covers of various noxious weeds.

Product: Comprehensive Weed Inventory & GIS Database Efforts to inventory were initiated prior to the 2003 weed season. Individual weed mapping efforts were undertaken by both the Shoshone National Forest and Park County Weed and Pest Control District. Compilation of these individual data sets were included in the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee's Noxious Weed inventory.

More attention was given to an up-to-date noxious weed inventory in 2002. With financial assistance provided by the Shoshone National Forest and Park County Weed and Pest Control District, Walter Hartung and Dave Henry provided extensive mapping of previously unmapped noxious weeds. Three hundred twenty-nine (329) weed points were mapped. The data, however, contained no weed polygons that indicated larger, continuous infestations. Large infestations of Spotted knapweed, Diffuse knapweed, Oxeye daisy, and Houndstongue were only recorded as points or several points were recorded and grouped together.

New technologies allowed the Sunlight/Crandall Weed Management Area to map small and large weed infestations with greater accuracy and efficiency. On March 4th and 5th, 2003, Dave Henry, Walt Hartung, and Kent Houston attended a Forest Service GPS/GIS training session in Thermopolis, Wyoming. The two-day training provided hands-on experiences with PDRs and ArcPad GIS software. Base maps, map projections, and DOQQs were provided to each Forest.

To begin the 2003 weed season, Kent Houston, Shoshone National Forest Weed Supervisor, loaned the SCWMA an HP IPaq 5450 PDR to begin our data collection and mapping efforts. With financial grant support from the Center for Invasive Plant Management, the SCWMA was able to purchase a Dell Axim PDR with ArcPad GIS software. Previously collected ArcPad coverages were transferred to the Dell Axim by downloading 256K SD memory modules created on the HP IPaq. Compiled 2002 ArcView noxious weed shapefiles produced by the GYCC's Noxious Weed Subcommittee were also downloaded to the PDR.

Dave Henry uses the HP IPaq to map weeds during the 2003 weed season. Photo: Walter Hartung

Weed mapping and documentation is now much more efficient and precise. Real-time GPS coordinates overlaying projected base maps (or photos) allows field crews to collect and edit point, polygon, or line data on site and in real-time. In 2003, Walter Hartung and Dave Henry were able to map the SCWMA for both large and small noxious weed infestations with greater efficiency and precision than had been accomplished in previous years.

The Clarks Fork Weed Management Area 2003 Weed Location Map was compiled by Kim Johnson for the Shoshone National Forest, Cody, Wyoming. The map represents the compilation of all weed points and polygons as identified by the SCWMA, Shoshone National Forest, BLM, and other field investigators through 2003. Dave Henry uses the HP IPaq to map weeds during the 2003 weed season. Photo: Walter Hartung

Product - Chemical and Mechanical Treatment Chemical and mechanical control for noxious weeds were provided by the Shoshone National Forest, Park County Weed and Pest Control District (PCW&P), and private landowners.

In the SCWMA, roads, trailheads and trails, camp sites, and gravel pits provided the largest infestations. Logging sites and livestock pastures also contained larger and more noticeable weed infestations. Spotted, Diffuse, and Russian knapweed infestations previously identified were chemically treated and re-mapped. Monitoring activities will continue during the 2004 season specifically targeting highways, Forest roads and Forest trailheads.

New infestations of Oxeye daisy were detected, recorded, and treated; older infestations were monitored and chemically treated. The infestation occurs predominantly along U.S. 212, south from the Montana-Wyoming State line and then south along the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. Several separate infestations occur in and around Crandall. One large infestation occurs above the Chief Joseph Highway at the Camp Creek Timber Sale site. This infestation was treated in 2002 and 2003.

Houndstongue was previously identified in several locations and a few new locations were mapped. All of the known Houndstongue infestations received chemical treatment for first-year rosettes and hand-pulling and bagging for the second-year mature plants. Imazapic has proven to be an extremely effective herbicide for Houndstongue. Used at recommended rates, imazapic controls almost 100% of the noxious weed with little or no damage to surrounding grasses, forbs, and shrubs. Applicators were pleasantly surprised to see the release of native grasses where imazapic had been applied to Houndstongue rosettes.

New infestations of Bull, Canada, Musk, and Scotch thistle were identified and mapped. Both new and older infestations were treated with triclopyr/clopyralid, dicamba, and 2,4-D herbicides. Thistle infestations mapped and treated during the 2001 and 2002 season exhibited excellent control from these herbicides. These applications were most effective on biennial thistles in the rosette stage and very effective on perennial thistles.

Three additional noxious weeds have made a small, but distinctive appearance in the Upper Clarks Fork watershed. are present and their populations occur more frequently. Each known site of Yellow and Dalmatian toadflax site was controlled with dicamba and imazapic respectively. At the Fox Creek infestation, Dalmatian toadflax was chemically treated and after several weeks, the plants were pulled, bagged, and the remains incinerated.

Herbicides were applied on approximately 182 acres in the Sunlight/Crandall Weed Management Area. Herbicide costs were shared by public land managers, private landowners, and Park County Weed and Pest Control District. Herbicide applications were provided by partners of the SCWMA.

Product: Weed Workshops & SCWMA Weed Tour On Saturday, July 12th, 2003, the SCWMA conducted a "Weed Workshop & Weed Tour." The morning weed tour started at Pilot Creek and concluded at the Sunlight Fire Hall. Dr. Whitson and others conducted a weed workshop in the afternoon at the Wyoming Game & Fish Habitat Area. Postcards were sent to area residents, land managers, and special guests. Participants met at the Sunlight Basin Fire Hall at 9:00 a.m. and the agenda for the day's activities reads as follows:

Nine 8.5 in. x 11 in. laminated, color posters were produced for the Weed tour and Weed Workshop. Some of the posters were located at the stops made during the tour. The other posters were available at the Wyoming Game & Fish Sunlight Habitat Unit. Weed identification booklets were also given to the participants. Our message was to have each of the participants be especially aware of these noxious weeds.