Noxious weeds are the number one threat to Montana natural resources because they are destroying the productivity of the land, devastating the economic viability of farms and ranches, decimating wildlife habitat and populations, and diminishing the quality and quantities of our water. 27 weeds are listed as noxious across Montana.
To fight the spread of weeds, ranchers and landowners across the state are pulling together to form weed management groups. These groups — with the help of their county weed coordinators, extension agents, Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Noxious Weed Trust, administered by the Montana Department of Agriculture, State and Private Forestry, and local land management agencies — are creating plans designed to stop weed spread and in some cases, eradicate weed infestations.
Generally, plans include a combination of effective methods like herbicide treatments, hand-pulling, grazing, insect releases, tight vehicle controls and revegetation. The approach of combining methods that work in their areas on their specific weed issues
is working well.
For example, in the Big Hole, ranchers and summer residents are managing weeds along 84 miles of the Big Hole River. In Whitehall, local high school students started an insectary to raise insects for biological control in the area. Up near the Sweet Grass Hills, ranchers have created a plan that informs and enlists hunters who hunt on their land. And these are just a few of the success stories you will find inside these calendar pages.
We hope you’ll consider the many ways of managing weeds illustrated inside and contact your County Weed Coordinator to find out how you can join in or form a cooperative weed management group in your area. Call 888-488-9376 or go on-line to http://www.weedawareness.org to find your county weed contact information.
We invite you to promote ZERO SPREAD on your spread by joining with your neighbors. Here are some photo highlights of the 2006 Calendar.
You can pick up your copy of the 2006 Calendar at your local weed district.
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2006 CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
January - Students create an insectary and raise knapweed flower weevils
for distribution on spotted knapweed.
Learn how curriculum can inspire students to learn
about the environment.
February - Landowners use their land for income.
Learn how certified weed seed free forage and bedding works
in the Upper Elbow-Clear Creek
Cooperative Weed Management Area.
March - One saltcedar plant can drink
up to 200 gallons of water per day.
Learn how inventory and treatment can reduce infestations
and return natural flood cycles to benefit cottonwood,
aspen, willows and other native vegetation.
April - Irrigation canals go hand in hand with productive lands
in the Glasgow Irrigation District.
Learn how landowners and agencies are working together
to stop the spread of Canada thistle along 55 miles
of canals and lateral ditches.
May - Some folks throw noxious weeds a goodbye party.
Learn how Dean Stanchfield and his neighbors
control weeds along 84 miles of the Big Hole River.
June - Reservation lands mingle with private and public lands
along the Rocky Mountain Front.
Learn how landowners are managing leafy spurge and
working towards healthy plant communities to reduce
the risk of invasion by sulfur cinquefoil.
July - Neighbors within 1.5 million acres of the Blackfoot Challenge
look at things from a watershed perspective.
Learn how to identify and prevent yellow toadflax
from establishing.
August - A diversity of partners make it possible to stop
the spread of tansy ragwort across two national forests
and in Lincoln County.
Learn how private landowners and government
are working together.
September - Hunters and hikers in the Sweet Grass Hills work
with landowners to minimize weed spread.
Learn how landowners work together to eliminate Canada thistle
along Little Sage Creek.
October - Noxious weeds follow a variety of pathways
including waterways, railways, animal and human movement, and wind.
Learn how neighbors work together to manage leafy spurge
along the Marias River.
November - Leasing State lands carries a big responsibility
for weed management.
Learn how the Miller Ranch manager improves forested
and productive lands with a variety of integrated methods
on private and leased lands.
December - Saltcedar spreads along streams and creeks that feed
Fort Peck Lake.
Learn how landowners cooperate
with county, state, and federal agencies
to detect, treat, and monitor saltcedar infestations.
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