This past week, BMWF’s WCC Crew experienced a less than glamorous, but hugely important conservation job — noxious weed mapping and removal. We hiked into the Badger Two-Med area to bust up a patch of Spotted Knapweed. When we arrived we found that this patch had invaded and expanded to a size that would be better controlled using herbicide treatments. Alas, we did our best to knock out the Knapweed by pulling tap-roots and bagging seed heads for two days!
Crewmembers hand pulling and bagging up Knapweed at the Confluence of Badger Creek and Lookout Creek
When we ran out of trash bags, we hiked along Badger Creek looking for more weed infestations. Utilizing a GPS we recorded the exact location of Spotted Knapweed, Hounds tongue, and Canada Thistle. Spotted Knapweed was found on several gravel bars and in creekside meadows.
Crew members crossing Badger Creek to survey the other side
We learned that management of noxious weeds is incredibly important to protect biodiversity. Our workplace, the “Crown of the Continent” is home to thousands of native plants and a list of plant and animal species that has remained largely unchanged since Lewis and Clark first explored the area. Noxious weeds have the potential to out-compete these natives, some of them exuding toxic chemicals through their root systems while others have extremely effective mechanisms for seed dispersal.
Blanketflower, seen among several other native wildflowers that could be threatened if invasive weed populations continue to thrive in this area.
Everyday on our commute to the work site we enjoyed the vast, open views of sharp peaks and rocky reefs, iconic to the East Side of the divide
The Bob Blog 