Eastern Nevada Landscape Coalition LANDSCAPE NEWS Volume 16, Issue 2: February-March 2017

Weather Doesn’t Slow Winter Weed Conference

On January 11-12, 2017, ENLC and Tri-County Weed successfully hosted their 12th Annual Winter Weed Conference. We had over 90 registered participants, and even though Mother Nature decided to throw some wicked weather at the West, the majority of registrants and presenters made it through blizzards and floods to attend the conference. We were fortunate to have generous presenters who were willing to fill in and do additional presentations for presenters who were unable to get through the weather to make the conference. Instead of detailing the highlights of the conference, we have included several of the presenter’s abstracts below. If you would like a copy of their PowerPoint presentations please contact the ENLC office. The presentations covered a wide range of topics from updates by the Nevada Department of Agriculture and laws and regulations to mapping and control Jani Ahlvers (right) and John Watt of ENLC. presentations on curly dock, Russian olive, tamarisk, ventenata, and viper grass. increasing infestations are wide-ranging, but all have one thing in common: the need to know the location Spatial Imagery Solutions for Identifying, and extent(s) of the invasives of interest. One very Mapping, and Monitoring Invasive Species in the effective, and efficient, solution for addressing this Great Basin, Jeff Campbell spatial need is the utilization of multi-spectral spatial Contact: [email protected] imagery. The plethora of satellite and aerial based Over the last century, increased human activity sources of imagery affords resource managers of today across the west, and particularly throughout the Great a valuable set of tools for mapping invasive species Basin, has resulted in an ever-changing landscape. distributions, designing strategies of treatment, and Endeavors to utilize, enhance, and restore the monitoring their effectiveness of those treatments. abundant natural resources in the Great Basin have Coupling digital image analysis of multi-spectral and had the collateral effect of introduction and spread multi-temporal imagery with good old boots on-the- of invasive species that have had a detrimental impact ground and ecological expertise, millions of acres of on many ecosystems and habitats. Efforts to mitigate landscapes have been successfully mapped, evaluated, these adverse impacts and stem the tide of new and Continued on pages 4-5 Eastern Nevada Thoughts From the Barn Landscape Betsy Macfarlan, Executive Director Coalition As I write this the vernal equinox is just days away. Thanks to a wet winter and several unusually warm weeks this month Nevada is once again experiencing an explosion of vegetation. Reservoirs throughout the state are filling up, if they aren’t already full, and for the first time in many years water Our Mission managers are worrying about what to do The mission of the Eastern Nevada when the snow pack really starts melting. Landscape Coalition is to restore the ENLC has had a busy winter. We have had a three-person dynamic, diverse, resilient landscapes of crew inventorying noxious weeds in the Mojave Desert since the the arid and semi-arid West for present beginning of March. We also started monitoring Sage Grouse leks in and future generations through education, partnership with the Ely BLM and Nevada Department of Wildlife research, advocacy, partnerships, and the this month. Our Elko and Ely staff have been busy hiring seasonal implementation of on-the-ground projects. crews, and in 2017 we will have the largest number of seasonals that we have employed in several years. In Elko two crews will work on Our Vision the Emergency, Stabilization, and Restoration (ESR) projects for the We envision a future where the BLM and a third crew will inventory and spray noxious weeds. In ecosystems of the arid and semi-arid West Ely we will have two crews working in the ESR program, as well as thrive. Functioning, diverse ecosystems a recreation technician working closely with the will be the result of restoration achieved ENLC is starting two new and maintained with naturally occurring Ely BLM District. Our projects with the Forest disturbances such as fire, in combination staff botanist, ecologist, with other management prescriptions, biologist, and minerals Service this year. The first including traditional uses. The Eastern and lands specialists will is a selective thinning Nevada Landscape Coalition, a 501(c) also be busy over the next project in phase two and (3) non-profit, will be a recognized several months working phase three Pinyon and contributor and leader in this effort for on a variety of projects. Juniper stands, with a future generations of Americans. Our summer hoped-for goal of increasing conference is three pinenut harvest.... Board of Directors months away. We had The second project will be to cancel last year’s Robert Koch, Chair a four-year education and conference, so we are Rhonda Hornbeck, Vice Chair outreach program focused going with the same Jerry Martin, Treasurer on noxious weeds. Laurie Carson, Secretary theme of “Climate Carol Ferguson • John Hiatt Change in the Great Kent McAdoo • Bill Wilson Basin.” I have been following up with the presenters who committed to present last year and recruiting additional presenters. You can read Betsy Macfarlan, Executive Director more about the conference in this edition of the newsletter. Pre- registration materials will be available in April. The Landscape News is published four Check out ENLC’s website. After a long and arduous process times per year. Design and layout by we were able to migrate our website away from Yahoo web hosting Tempra Board & Associates. and underwent a complete design overhaul. The new site was just [email protected] • www.envlc.org Continued on next page

Page 2 Landscape News Mindy Seal Takes Reins as BLM Bristlecone Field Manager

Ely, Nev. – Mindy Seal until assuming responsibility as is settling into her new Associate District Manager in position as Bristlecone Field June 2015. This past summer Manager for the Bureau of she served as advisor to the Land Management (BLM) Ely BLM Director in Washington, District. D.C. Seal knows eastern Nevada’s “Mindy’s breadth of public lands and issues having knowledge and experience grown up on family ranches in with grazing management, Lincoln, Nye and White Pine minerals, and the National counties. She and husband Environmental Policy Act make Tyler raised their children here her the ideal choice to help lead and continue to make this their and direct the Bristlecone Field home. Office forward into the future,” Seal began her BLM career said Michael Herder, BLM Ely in 2005 as an administrative District Manager. assistant in the Ely District Office. She “It is a privilege to work with people who value subsequently held several positions, including that and cherish our public lands and I look forward of natural resource specialist, while simultaneously to working together to fulfill today’s demands and performing as the lead for several projects and tomorrow’s dreams,” said Seal. programs. In 2013, Seal was selected as Assistant Field Manager for Non-Renewable Resources in Editor’s Note: Mindy Seal was also ENLC’s first the then Egan Field Office, a position she held administrative assistant in 2001 and 2002.

Thoughts, Cont. Continued from previous page hosting our Winter Weed Conferences and teaching about invasive species in our Great Basin Kids unveiled and has some great new features. We will Workshop—now incorporated into the White Pine work to keep the calendar of events current. If you have County 4-H Camp program. something you would like on our calendar please don’t Lastly I would like to welcome Paula Day to ENLC as hesitate to e-mail it to me. our new administrative assistant. Paula started working ENLC is starting two new projects with the Forest for us in late December. She generally works three days Service this year. The first is a selective thinning project a week, but is always willing to jump in and help with a in phase two and phase three Pinyon and Juniper project if needed. Paula retired from Tri-County Weed stands, with a hoped-for goal of increasing pinenut last January after seven years as their office manager. In harvest. We will be working closely with both the Forest November she dropped by the office because she was Service and their pinenut contractors on this project. “bored” and I took advantage of that and offered her a The second project will be a four-year education and part-time position. She brings a very diverse and strong outreach program focused on noxious weeds. ENLC background in administration to ENLC. will once again be running Weed of the Week ads in Until next time, the local papers and on our website, in addition to Betsy Macfarlan

February-March 2017 Page 3 Highlights from the 12th Annual Winter Weed Conference

Continued from page one treated, and monitored throughout the Great Basin and price. Curly dock spreads primarily by water is a brown to red band at the stem node and adjoining ecological regions. Imagery sources and contaminated with seed produced by plants growing that also is characteristic. Ventenata application examples from these landscapes will be along rivers, irrigation canals, and ditches. emerges primarily in the fall, often about discussed. In 2009, the Sevier County Extension two weeks after cheatgrass. We know Agricultural Advisory Committee and county conditions need to be above 47 F and one Russian Olive and Tamarisk Control, Curt Deuser commissioners asked for help with the problem. inch of rainfall to trigger germination. Contact: [email protected] Extension began mapping weed populations using Litter seems to protect seedlings through Information included in this presentation is GPS-capable digital photography. In January 2010 the winter and then above ground based on a compilation of 27 years of practical the Sevier County Soil Conservation District growth resumes in late winter. In early experience involving tamarisk and Russian olive brought together agriculture and land management summer, ventenata produces seed heads control at multiple sites in several western states. Some interests to discuss the problem and develop a plan characterized by an open panicle and information is based on experimental studies and then to address it. A USU Extension agent and specialist twisted awns as the plant matures. The applied broadly across numerous implementation worked with participants and developed a short and seeds have a longevity of about three project sites over two decades forming a large spatial long-term strategy. Extension provided educational years in soil. In sage steppe we are finding and temporal sample size. Various woody perennial information including: newspaper and newsletter ventenata where medusahead wildrye tree control methods and slash management options articles, radio programs, and presentations to groups is found. We have noticed ventenata will be described including pros and cons based on and growers. We also provided technical assistance typically starts along roadsides and then various factors. Tamarisk control methods appear to by identifying treatment options, developing spreads to the surrounding grasslands. be better established and standardized with better canal treatment logistics, implementing the plan, In our canyon grassland system in Idaho, results compared to Russian olive. Some plot work and monitoring results. The Sevier and Piute County (above) Paula Day (ENLC); (right) ventenata is associated with cheatgrass. and experience has found that frill cut (or hack and Chris McVicars (BLM) and Paul commissioners formally declared curly dock as a county Podborny (ENLC). In Nevada, you may want to attempt squirt) method using high concentrations of glyphosate “noxious” weed. Extension initially obtained $6,000 to eradication. In northern Idaho and a produces very good results on Russian olive, and is less fund the short-term plan. In 2011 Extension secured a few counties in eastern Washington the labor intensive compared with cut stump method, with $200,000 grant from the USFS Secure Rural Schools economic injury to forages totals about potentially less herbicide impacts. program (SRS) to treat waterways in the Upper Sevier $22 million each year. River drainage in Sevier, Piute and Garfield Counties. Ventenata dubia is actually quite rare in northern Africa. Curly Dock, an Emerging “Noxious” Weed, The specific focus was to control curly dock growing in It is found more commonly in eastern Europe and in Establishment of Native and Introduced Jody Gale, Contact: [email protected] Perennial Grass Species in Rangeland Seeding, canals, ditches, and other water ways to slow the spread some floristic descriptions this annual grass is associated Curly dock (Rumex crispus) is a hardy perennial weed with cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and medusahead Kevin B. Jensen, Contact: of seed to crop land by controlling populations in water [email protected] common in the intermountain west. It is also known ways. Other noxious weeds encountered while treating (Taeniatherum caput-medusae). Seedlings are hard to commonly known as “Indian tobacco.” It prefers for curly dock were also controlled. This project was distinguish but they have a long ligule (membrane As a result of wildfire, livestock, wildlife, human moist soil sites and is adapted to streams, ditches, completed in 2015. USU Extension has participated where the grass leaf leaves the stem) and often the seed activities, and drier, hotter growing conditions, lower- roadsides, and fields. It is a native of Europe and is is still attached if you carefully dig the plant up. There with 17 partners in the South Central Cooperative Weed Continued on page 7 characterized by a deep, woody taproot and a tall, erect Management Area in securing an additional $471,500 to seed head capable of producing over 60,000 seeds. control other “noxious” weeds in the region including: As the seed matures, the inflorescence turns a brick leafy spurge, yellow toadflax, spotted knapweed, musk ENLC Recognizes Winter Weed Conference Supporters red color in midsummer that persists through the thistle, scotch thistle, hoary cress, tall whitetop, Russian winter. It is considered to be a relatively unpalatable olive, saltcedar, and others. This year’s Winter Weed Conference was a success in part due to the fiscal support we receive from a plant, but livestock and wildlife will eat it when more number of businesses and individuals. This support helps us keep our registration fees down, which in turn desirable forage is scarce. Populations and distribution Ventenata, Dr. Tim Prather encourages a greater participation in the conference. We would like to thank the following businesses and of this introduced species have steadily increased in Contact: [email protected] individuals for their support this year: Central Utah’s Sevier Valley. For decades it has been Ventenata (Ventenata dubia; North Africa grass) is an • BRB Farms and Equipment • Crop Production Services • Sherburne Macfarlan a nuisance weed in permanent pastures, but more exotic annual grass that has become a significant pest • Bristlecone Motel • Dow AgroSciences • The Prospector Hotel recently it has become a serious weed problem in of forage systems and conservation lands in the Pacific • Ciscar Rentals • Newmont Mining • Wilbur-Ellis LLC Co. cultivated crops, especially alfalfa. Its leaves, stems Northwest in the past decade. North Africa grass is not • Comstock Seed and seeds contaminate alfalfa hay, reducing quality a descriptive name that reflects origin of the species.

Page 4 Landscape News February-March 2017 Page 5 BLM, NDOW Complete Seeding of Eastern Nevada’s Fire-Scarred Public Lands ELY – An effort by the Bureau of Land Management and Nevada Department of Wildlife to stabilize and rehabilitate thousands of acres of eastern Nevada’s fire-damaged public lands concluded successfully yesterday. Chris McVicars, BLM Ely District natural resource specialist, gives partial credit to the weather, which was suitable for aerial seeding. “It was a combination of high moisture content and temperature,” he said. The agencies in just over three weeks applied a seed mixture consisting of grasses, forbs, shrubs and legumes to approximately 12,700 acres that burned in last summer’s Line, Overland, Pinto, and Strawberry fires, as well as along the east bench of the Schell Creek Range which suffered multiple fires in the 1980s. The Schell Creek Range provides a picturesque backdrop to the aerial seeding of public lands in north Spring Seeded were nearly all of the 832 acres burned in Valley. North Schell Peak (the snow-covered mountain July’s Line Fire southeast of Caliente, most of the behind the helicopter) is the highest mountain in the 7,695 acres consumed by August’s Overland Fire range, rising 11,884 feet above sea level. south of the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, 1,252 of the 1,900-plus acres charred in July’s Pinto If all goes as expected, the resulting vegetation will Fire southeast of Eureka, approximately 1,450 of the help to stabilize soils and prevent erosion, stem the 4,600-plus acres burned in August’s Strawberry Fire in spread of invasive plants and noxious weeds, such as and around Great Basin National Park, and 1,500 acres cheatgrass; improve wildlife habitat, including that of along the Schell Creek Range. the Greater Sage-Grouse; and restore watershed health. Summer Conference – Climate Change in the Great Basin 2.0 Due to circumstances beyond ENLC’s control in Climate-Tree Growth Relationships by Dr. Franco 2016, we had to cancel our conference themed Climate Biondi Change in the Great Basin. Because we feel this is an • Landscape-level Considerations of Climate Change important issue that warrants continued conversations in Public Land Management by Brian Ammie we kept the same theme for this year’s conference. • Changes in Plant Size in Response to Climate The 2017 Summer Conference will be held June Warming by Dr. Beth Ledger 14-15 in Ely at the Bristlecone Convention Center. • Creosote and Blackbrush Response to Shifting Pre-registration materials will be available on ENLC’s Climatic Envelopes and New Disturbance Regimes website and through the mail in April. by Dominic Gentilcore A few of the confirmed topics for this year are: • Examining Relationships Among Plants, Pikas, • Packrat Middens and Climate Changes by Dr. and Climate Change in the Great Basin by Jennifer Robin Tausch Wilkening • A Great Basin Ecological Observatory for Studying Stay tuned for more information, but please mark your calendars for the conference now. Page 6 Landscape News Great Basin National Winter Weed Park 2017 BioBlitz Conference

By Gretchen Baker, GBNP Continued from page 5 First off, thanks so much to everyone who has helped with elevation Basin and Wyoming big previous BioBlitzes at Great Basin National Park! We have learned sagebrush rangelands have undergone so much with your assistance about taxa that we normally don’t large-scale conversion from a diverse, get to spend much time or money on. healthy perennial plant-dominated Last year’s Centennial Bird BioBlitz was our largest BioBlitz ecosystems to near monocultures of effort to date in the park. Dr. Elisabeth Ammon from the Great invasive annual grasses, particularly Basin Bird Observatory was joined by over 20 experts and 130 cheatgrass and medusahead. Seedling citizen scientists to help document what birds were in Great establishment and plant persistence Basin National Park May 20-22, 2016. A total of 1,843 birds are of paramount importance to representing 73 species were recorded over the course of the a successful rangeland seeding. weekend. Mountain Chickadees were the most abundant species Historically in the early 1900s and recorded. Clark’s Nutcrackers, Pine Siskins, Cassin’s Finches, continued through much of the 19th and American Robins were also very common. In addition to century, revegetation efforts focused many guided bird walks to various areas of the park, the BioBlitz on the use of introduced grasses such also featured an afternoon of great talks and demonstrations, art as crested wheatgrass and Siberian workshops, and more. We also added vouchers to the park list, wheatgrass because of their superior and after everything was all done, Great Basin Bird Observatory stand establishment, plant persistence, helped the park go through all the BioBlitz, breeding bird, and competitive ability to suppress Christmas Bird Count, eBird data and more and added 36 species invasive annual grasses under dry, to the NPSpecies list! hot environments receiving less than This year we’re going to shift taxa and have a Lichen BioBlitz 300mm average annual precipitation. from July 17-19, 2017. We already know of over 50 species that are With the increased emphasis in the found in the park from research in recent years. Come learn about last decade to utilize native species these amazing life forms, some of which may be just as old as the in rangeland restoration seedings, bristlecones--or even older! We have several types of lichens in the plant breeding efforts have focused park, from crustose to squamulose to foliose to fruticose. They on seed yield, seedling establishment, grow on rocks, soil, trees, and more. If you don’t know anything persistence, and competitiveness in about lichens, that’s okay, this will be an opportunity to learn! Dr. the following species; bottlebrush Brad Kropp from Utah State University has volunteered to be our squirreltail, basin wildrye, slender lead taxonimist, with assistance from Dr. Steve Leavitt and Dr. wheatgrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, Larry St. Clair from Brigham Young University. Snake River wheatgrass, thickspike To learn more, visit the park’s BioBlitz page, where you can wheatgrass, Sandberg bluegrass, download a tentative schedule for the event. Or email GRBA_ and western wheatgrass. Across [email protected]. multiple rangeland locations, the We can plan better if we know how many people are coming, newer varieties in most instances so if you’re interested please reply to this email with your name, had increased seedling frequency vs. how many people are in your group, and if you’d like to camp at older varieties. Examples will be given the Wheeler Peak campground (which will be our main camping that describe plant selection and area this year). subsequent improvement compared with the unimproved plant materials.

February-March 2017 Page 7 Eastern Nevada Landscape Coalition

PO Box 150266 Ely, NV 89315 775.289.7974 [email protected]

Calendar of Events

April 5 ENLC Board conference call, 7:00 a.m. April 27 Southern Nevada CWMA meeting, Logandale Extension Office, 10:30 a.m. May 1 ENLC Celebrates 16th Anniversary! May 1 Nevada Weed Management Association Board meeting, Fallon, NV May 8 ENLC Board meeting, ENLC office, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. June 9 White Pine County CRM meeting, BLM office, 9:00 a.m. January 12 Applicator Exam offered at Bristlecone Convention Center 1:00-4:00 June 14-15 ENLC Summer Conference – Climate Change in the Great Basin June 16 ENLC Great Basin Kids Program, White Pine County 4H Camp

ENLC Membership Name Business/Organization

Student (enrolled in school) $ 15 Address Senior (60+) $ 25 City State Zip Code Individual $ 35 Associate Restoration Partner Phone Email and/or Nonprofit Organization $ 100-$999 Membership Level Corporate $ 250 Lifetime Restoration Partner $ 1,000+ Membership contributions are tax deductable. Send your check and this form to: ENLC • PO Box 150266 • Ely, NV 89315