With Spring Training behind us, its time to get out of the office and back into the field. Though some of us have already been active for a month or longer, with Colorado's dramatic landscape some of us are just getting into the weeds.

The CWMA Board of Directors and committees have been hard at work this spring and have a new membership type, technician training, and an updated resource library for members...scroll down for more information!

During the strategic planning sessions, the CWMA Board of Directors identified a new membership category to provide more member benefits to agencies and businesses with multiple employees. In line with our work in weed management and restoration, this new category was dubbed as 'Sustaining Partner'. It provides a first 'agency member' an account with access to all CWMA member benefits: discounts, the resource library, board eligibility on top of new benefits: listing in the business directory, discounts on sponsorships, ability to post job listings, and more. It also provides a discount for additional staff memberships with the same benefits as an individual member. This exciting new membership category will increase the perks of membership while elevating your business in the fight against invasive species!

On March 23, 2022, Congresswoman Lauren Boebert and the Southwest Colorado Regional Director, Naomi Dobbs, came to Cortez, CO for a roundtable meeting about non-native phreatophytes. Representatives from the BLM Tres Rios field office, Boulder County, Archuleta County, Natural Resources Conservation Services, Montezuma County, Ouray County, San Miguel County, Huerfano County, Garfield County, and Rivers Edge West attended the meeting.

The discussion of impacts Russian olive and salt cedar have on our land included water consumption, salinity, native vegetation displacement, wildlife habitat, agriculture, wildfire danger, flood plain encroachment and recreation. All impacts have severe consequences to the Western United States, and requires immediate action.

The population growth of these species has been exponentially increasing since they escaped cultivation in the 1930’s. The habitat suitability map created by the National Invasive Species Information Center, shows that only 10% of potential spread has been obtained so far. It is very likely the population growth we have seen over the past 90 years will continue.

According to the Colorado Department of Agriculture data, there are currently about 30,000 acres of salt cedar and 65,000 acres of Russian olive in CO. If the population continues to grow, at the rate it has been, it is very possible to see those numbers double by 2060.

We know the impact will be severe, and the longer we wait to control these species the harder it will be to do so in the future. The phrase ‘one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ is very accurate. However, we already have a huge problem that will cost a lot of time and money. Preventing any more will definitely be worth a pound of cure, but we still need to control what we currently have and prevent expansion at the same time.

One step for prevention would be to declare Russian olive and salt cedar as a noxious weed on the federal level, in order to inhibit the sale of both species throughout the United States. Currently only 11 states have salt cedar designated as a noxious weed, and 18 states have Russian olive designated as a noxious weed. 

The representatives of the different organizations also discussed the importance of a collaborative plan for controlling these species. Russian olive and salt cedar extend over all types of land ownership, which adds to the complexity of restoring the land. It is essential to future success to have many partners, representing different land ownership. All land owners need to be involved.

The management processes for removing these species and rehabilitating the land will require a considerable amount of long term funding. The initial control will need to involve upfront capital to purchase equipment such as excavators with mulcher attachments, woodchippers, and chainsaws. Labor will be the second largest expense for the project (equipment being the first). Herbicide cost, repair and maintenance, fuel, insurance, PPE, and other costs also need to be included in a budget.

There was discussion about the importance of follow-up and long-term restoration. Even if the project consists of cut-stump treatments, meaning applying herbicide to the stump within five minutes of felling a tree, follow-up sprout management is crucial. It is very unlikely that the entire root system of the phreatophytes will be killed after a cut stump treatment. Ongoing sprout management and monitoring needs to occur at least up to three years after initial phreatophyte removal. Incorporating these follow-up costs into the management plan is essential.

Following sprout treatments, it is essential to make sure the native species will recover either on their own or with help from re-seeding. If no rehabilitation is done either the phreatophytes will eventually move back into that area, or other non-native invasive plants establish in that area. Soil samples may be incorporated into some area’s management plans, to determine if the soil will need any amendments. If salinity levels are high, the manager may have to plant salt tolerant species.

The final outcomes of this meeting were identifying the necessary steps including the need for accurate inventory of Russian olives and salt cedars, future plans to prevent more introduction of these species, large-scale collaboration, and long term funding to support management and restoration.

Sit down and relax while training both new hires and returning technicians with these two new training offerings. These courses take the weight off the supervisor and cover all of the categories required by the Colorado Department of Ag for classroom instruction. Some additional training is required and a licensed applicator must be available to answer questions during the training.

These courses give you on-demand access to credible, curated and convenient online training activities. We currently have two options: one for those seeking CE credits and one for people who are not. Click here to see the full list of courses and their registration links.

Recently my crew and I needed to put pre-emergent down to control Russian thistle and Kochia. We sprayed three different properties, one being one of our biggest properties. Sandstone Ranch is a property we have in the city limits of Longmont. It is a beautiful property on the East side of the city. Due to weather restraints we had fallen behind on our applications. So we were in a rush to finish our properties before the Kochia and Russian thistle started emerging.

With prescribed burns also scheduled to be done, we only had one day to finish the property. This had never been accomplished before. So we were really pushed into the corner to get it done. My crew and I got loaded up early that morning, and headed out to Sandstone Ranch. We were in a hurry so we unloaded and got our chemical mixed as fast as we could.

We had three ATVs and our ag sprayer attached to our tractor to work with. Our ATVs were calibrated at 4mph and the tractor was calibrated at three miles per hour. We split up the property among us and got to work. Our tractor focused on the flatter areas of the property, while the ATVs took on the rougher terrain.

We all were determined to finish, but were taking safety into account. I had one close call when the side of my ATV sank into a clump of matted down tumbleweeds. My ATV didn’t fully tip over, but my heart was in my throat when it happened. I was able to easily get my ATV out of the position it was in. It is scary that those moments can happen in a split second. That is why we all need to be so diligent when we are spraying on ATVs.

As the crew and I loaded and mixed tank after tank. It became more of a reality that we were going to finish the property in one day. We kept plugging away as the day flew bye. Tank after tank was being mixed and sprayed out. Despite the challenges we were facing, we managed to keep up a great pace. As the day came to an end we finished up the property. Amazingly we even had time to triple rinse our tanks, and get back and unload our equipment before the end of our shift.

It was a great day and a great accomplishment. It was a very satisfying feeling to accomplish our task at hand. We started spraying at 7:30am and finished up at 2:30pm. When it was all said and done we had sprayed a total of 36 acres. It proves when you set your mind on a goal, you can accomplish great things. So how many acres can you spray in a day?

April Weed of the Month: Houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale)

prepared by Alicia Doran, Jefferson County Invasive Species Management Coordinator and Pest Inspector

Learn more about the campaign 

Are you looking for some education for your staff, the public, or even children? Check out our new Education Library and choose what's best for you. We have a ton of new resources from weed identification, weed management and more.

Check out our new member portal! You can use the members-only online portal to search for other members in the directory, renew your membership, register for CWMA events and update your contact information.

Native Plant Spotlight: Calochortus nutallii

Calochortus nutalli, or the sego lily, is a cool season perennial plant that can be found in Colorado's sagebrush foothills and valleys as well as ponderosa forests. Sego lilies sport few grass-like basal leaves and a showy, goblet-shaped flower supported on a long singular stem.

Sego lily has little to no forage value due to its sparse stands and relative lack of herbaceous material, though sheep and cattle may occasionally graze it. The bulbs are eaten by pocket gophers and humans alike. In fact, Western Native American tribes taught the Mormon settlers to eat the bulb which resulting in the sego lily's designation as the State Flower of Utah.

Email submissions to the Communications Committee. Please limit pieces to 500 words.

Do you want to make a difference with CWMA? Would you like to influence the direction that CWMA is leading? Join a committee by reaching out to the chairs and co-chairs listed below.

Training and Education 

Ethan Proud

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