Jackson, Wyoming: The Jackson Hole Weed Management Association (JHWMA) hosted the first ever Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee’s (GYCC) noxious weed spray days on July 31 and August 1, 2012. Nearly 70
volunteers came from all around the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) to team up for invasive weed control at the Laurance S. Rockefeller (LSR) Preserve and along the Snake River within Grand Teton National Park. Organized by
Jason Brengle, vegetation biologist at Grand Teton National Park, the group targeted St. John’s wort, hound’s-tongue, and musk thistle, all invasive weeds that compete with native vegetation and adversely impact wildlife
habitat.
“This was a great opportunity to team up with partner organizations and highlight the importance of managing invasive species across the GYA”, said Mary Cernicek, JHWMA President. “Working across jurisdictional boundaries
for the betterment of the entire ecosystem is what the JHWMA and the GYCC Terrestrial Invasive Species Committee are all about”.
Crews treated roughly 14.5 acres of 1,106-acre LSR Preserve and about 31 acres along the Snake River. On the LSR Preserve, herbicide spot treatment was used on St. John’s wort. Mechanical treatment of a variety of invasive
plants was the primary method used along the Snake River.
Agencies and organizations that assisted with the project were:
Teton County Weed and Pest, Natrona County Weed and Pest, Sublette County Weed and Pest, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Shoshone National Forest, the National Park Service’s Northern Rockies Exotic Plant Management Team, National Elk Refuge, Teton Science Schools, the University of Wyoming, Triangle X Ranch, and Hold the Line.
“We were so pleased with the large turnout and all of the hard work that the volunteers contributed,” said Jason Brengle. “We hope this will become an annual event that will rotate around the ecosystem each summer, allowing
the federal, state and county agencies, as well as private stakeholders, to team up, help one another, and collectively reduce the spread of noxious weeds in the GYA.”
The GYCC was formed to allow representatives from the National Park Service, US Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management to pursue opportunities of mutual cooperation and
coordination in the management of core federal lands in the Greater Yellowstone Area.
The GYCC Terrestrial Invasive Species Committee includes invasive species coordinators from each GYA unit, county weed and pest staff, BLM and other state, county and federal weed managers who work together on the creation
of common inventories, establishment of cooperative weed management areas, promotion of best management practices, and development of education and information materials and integrated management plans to manage and prevent the spread of noxious weeds.
To learn more about the GYCC and the various sub-committees, please visit www.fedgycc.org.
volunteers came from all around the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) to team up for invasive weed control at the Laurance S. Rockefeller (LSR) Preserve and along the Snake River within Grand Teton National Park. Organized by
Jason Brengle, vegetation biologist at Grand Teton National Park, the group targeted St. John’s wort, hound’s-tongue, and musk thistle, all invasive weeds that compete with native vegetation and adversely impact wildlife
habitat.
“This was a great opportunity to team up with partner organizations and highlight the importance of managing invasive species across the GYA”, said Mary Cernicek, JHWMA President. “Working across jurisdictional boundaries
for the betterment of the entire ecosystem is what the JHWMA and the GYCC Terrestrial Invasive Species Committee are all about”.
Crews treated roughly 14.5 acres of 1,106-acre LSR Preserve and about 31 acres along the Snake River. On the LSR Preserve, herbicide spot treatment was used on St. John’s wort. Mechanical treatment of a variety of invasive
plants was the primary method used along the Snake River.
Agencies and organizations that assisted with the project were:
Teton County Weed and Pest, Natrona County Weed and Pest, Sublette County Weed and Pest, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Shoshone National Forest, the National Park Service’s Northern Rockies Exotic Plant Management Team, National Elk Refuge, Teton Science Schools, the University of Wyoming, Triangle X Ranch, and Hold the Line.
“We were so pleased with the large turnout and all of the hard work that the volunteers contributed,” said Jason Brengle. “We hope this will become an annual event that will rotate around the ecosystem each summer, allowing
the federal, state and county agencies, as well as private stakeholders, to team up, help one another, and collectively reduce the spread of noxious weeds in the GYA.”
The GYCC was formed to allow representatives from the National Park Service, US Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management to pursue opportunities of mutual cooperation and
coordination in the management of core federal lands in the Greater Yellowstone Area.
The GYCC Terrestrial Invasive Species Committee includes invasive species coordinators from each GYA unit, county weed and pest staff, BLM and other state, county and federal weed managers who work together on the creation
of common inventories, establishment of cooperative weed management areas, promotion of best management practices, and development of education and information materials and integrated management plans to manage and prevent the spread of noxious weeds.
To learn more about the GYCC and the various sub-committees, please visit www.fedgycc.org.