WEED WACKERS! K-6 Educators Guide to Invasive Plants of Alaska By Katie L. Villano and Christine P. Villano WEED WACKERS! K-6 Educators Guide to Invasive Plants of Alaska By Katie L. Villano and Christine P. Villano October 2008 Fairbanks, Alaska With Generous Support from: Salcha-Delta Soil and Water Conservation District 2 WEED WACKERS! K-6 Educators Guide to Invasive Plants of Alaska Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... 4 Preface .................................................................................................................... 5 Why Use WEED WACKERS? .............................................................................. 7 How to Use WEED WACKERS ............................................................................ 9 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 13 Lessons by Grade Level ...................................................................................... 15 Lesson Activities .................................................................................................. 17 Unit 1: Invasive Plants in Alaska ...................................................................... 19 Introduction to Plants ........................................................................................................... 21 Invasion in Alaska!? ............................................................................................................. 35 Weedy Definitions ............................................................................................................... 39 On the Case: Investigating Alaska’s Alien Invaders ........................................................... 49 Native or Non-Native? ......................................................................................................... 81 Invader Weapons: Roots, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds ......................................................... 89 Invasives in the Food Web ................................................................................................... 97 Unit 2: Experimenting with Invasive Plants .................................................. 111 Weed Seed Germination .................................................................................................... 113 Weed Seeds and Alaska’s Changing Climate .................................................................... 123 The Great Plant Contest: A Competition Experiment ....................................................... 139 New Territory for Weeds: Disturbance and Re-growth in Alaska’s Forests ..................... 151 Invasive Plants and Disturbance Field Study ..................................................................... 159 Invasive Plants and Disturbance Classroom Experiment................................................... 171 Unit 3: Humans and Invasive Plants-What can Alaskans do? ..................... 190 Not All Non-Natives Invade .............................................................................................. 193 Invasive Plant Management: .............................................................................................. 199 A Race Against Time ......................................................................................................... 199 “Love the Weeds” Invasive Plants and Human Values ..................................................... 213 Community Perspectives on Invasive Plants ..................................................................... 225 Weed Wear ......................................................................................................................... 233 Service Learning Weed Pull............................................................................................... 237 Alaska State Standards Correlations by Standard ....................................... 243 Alaska State Standards Correlations by Lesson ............................................ 247 Invasive Plant Resources for Alaskan Teachers ............................................ 249 Alaskan Invasive Plant Scientists Interested in Using Student Data ........... 251 WEED WACKERS! K-6 Educators Guide to Invasive Plants of Alaska 3 Acknowledgements Authors: Katie Villano, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology Christine Villano, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, Denali Elementary School Illustrators: John P. Smelter, University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fine Arts Erin Anderson, University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fine Arts Katie Villano, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology Pilot Teachers: Christine Villano, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, Denali Elementary School Deana Martin-Muth, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, Denali Elementary School Katie Villano, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology Reviewers: Helen Cortés-Burns, University of Alaska Anchorage Alaska Natural Heritage Program Gino Graziano, Alaska Association of Conservation Districts Kristi Kantola, Conservation Education Specialist, USDA Forest Service Dr. Christa Mulder, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology Stephanie Rudig, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Dr. Elena Sparrow, University of Alaska Fairbanks International Arctic Research Center James Villano, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Funders: Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research in partnership with the Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research United States Forest Service Joint Fire Science Program (outreach component of grant 05-1-2-06) Salcha-Delta Soil and Water Conservation District Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Program Schoolyard LTER (NSF grant DEB-0620579) Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Education Foundation Publication: Katie Villano, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology Special Thanks: Elena Sparrow, Teresa Hollingsworth, Jill Johnstone, Terry Chapin, Susan Sugai, Bryce Wrigley, Trish Wurtz,, the Alaska Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plant Management, and the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District for helping to secure funding for this project, and the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District Current Trends in Science Education and Curriculum Revision Committees for their helpful comments. 4 WEED WACKERS! K-6 Educators Guide to Invasive Plants of Alaska Preface construction and maintenance) have Biological invasions are a key increased the likelihood of invasive species element in global change (Vitousek et al. spread throughout the state. Alaska’s non- 1997). Invasive species are among the top native plants have largely been restricted to causes of losses in native biodiversity human population centers and roadsides worldwide (Sala et al. 2000), and play a (Shephard 2004). Several species, however, role in the imperilment of nearly half the have recently established and spread into extinct and endangered species in the U.S. areas of natural disturbances adjacent to (Wilcove et al. 1998). Due to the vast roads such as wildfire scars (Cortes-Burns undeveloped areas of the state, Alaska has et al. 2007; Villano 2008) and glacial river remained relatively less affected by floodplains (Wurtz et al. 2006). Alaska invasive species than the rest appears to be at the start of the United States. of the invasion In the contiguous process that states and Hawaii, occurred in the few areas are left that rest of the United have not been States about five disturbed by humans decades ago and invaded by (Carlson and exotic species Shephard 2007). (Shephard 2004). In Alaska is in the order to protect our unique position to unique Alaskan take preventative biodiversity and measures against prevent invasion- invasive outbreaks mediated change in in our pristine Alaska, it is essential “We hope that WEED WACKERS ecosystems. To that we educate will reach thousands of Alaskan students at protect our unique Alaska’s youth about their most impressionable ages, and inspire native plant the growing issue of them to go from the classroom to teach their communities we invasive plants in must control existing Alaska. families about invasive plants.” invasive plant Up until five years ago, populations in places where factors such as climatic constraints on they are likely to spread into natural areas invasive plant growth and minimal human and reduce the influx of invasive plants in disturbance had led land managers and developed areas (Carlson and Shephard researchers to believe Alaska’s boreal 2007). The most cost-effective way to ecosystems were relatively impenetrable to achieve these imperatives is through invasives (Shephard 2004). It has become continued research and education on increasingly apparent, however, that Alaska invasive plants in Alaska, both informing is not immune to exotic plant invasions. precise control efforts and building public Warming climate (longer growing seasons, awareness and cooperation. warmer winters and increased natural This educator’s guide will focus on disturbances) and increased human three primary themes important to disturbance (increased transport, road understanding and preventing invasive WEED WACKERS! K-6 Educators Guide to Invasive Plants of Alaska 5 spread in Alaska: 1) Identify and Works Cited: investigate non-native and invasive plants Carlson, M. L., and M. Shephard. 2007. Is the in boreal and arctic