WILDLIFE PRESERVE
Nature is not a static force; change is inevitable. Wyoming's big game and bird populations have survived for centuries by continually adapting to their changing surroundings, food sources and water supply. But human intervention enormously impacted the speed at which their habitat changes, and many species can't keep up with this rapid pace. Realizing that many native species are in peril, one Wyoming group is working to protect the state's natural habitat and native species.
Ryan Amundson has worked with Wyoming Game and Fish as a habitat extension biologist for 11 years, focused on Region 6 in southeastern Wyoming. He's seen the landscape and wildlife populations change and survive with each passing year. But one change especially worries him. The native Wyoming grasslands have slowly transformed into one huge flammable field of invasive cheatgrass. This not only decreases habitat for native species, but during the dry season, one tiny spark can quickly destroy some of the country's most cherished wildlife habitat.
Realizing the potential damage to Wyoming wildlife in the region, Amundson and his WG&F team launched a plan leveraging both Amundson's invasive weed eradication expertise and the department's relationships with other regional wildlife champions. The coalition uses integrated techniques to eradicate invasive cheatgrass and other weeds and restore native habitat for wildlife, starting in Region 6.
“This part of Wyoming is crucial to habitat throughout the Intermountain West,” Amundson says. “It's not easy to find solutions for weed problems, but when you harness the know-how and resources of many different groups, you can make a difference.”
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, nearly 200,000 acres burned in Wyoming between January and October 2006, destroying habitat for elk, mule deer, sage grouse and other animals. Cheatgrass, one of Wyoming's worst invasive weeds, fueled many of these fires.
Before invasive weeds took over, fire was a healthy part of Wyoming's ecosystem. Some species of native brush, including mountain mahogany, need fire to remove old growth and spur new growth. Traditionally, most areas burned every 60 years on average, allowing slow-seeding brush species to establish and complete a full life cycle. These quick-burning fires blistered the bark of old growth without killing the vital growth at the plant's center, prompting new growth with a high-protein and habitat value.
“A healthy habitat contains plants of varying ages,” Amundson says. “Without intermittent fire, older sagebrush won't properly regenerate, and new plants can't gain a foothold.”
But a century of well-intended fire suppression has disrupted the natural fire cycle and created a massive, easily-ignited fuel load. The density of cheatgrass increases the severity of the fires that burn each season and the burning cycle has now dropped to every two years. In this short time, native plant species can't establish or survive.
Joe Vollmer, who works in professional vegetation management, has been trying to control cheatgrass for many years. “The stuff is absolutely amazing,” he says. “In areas infested with cheatgrass, fires burn at higher temperatures and spread faster — sometimes faster than a man can run. This makes conditions even more dangerous for our firefighters.”
On barren land after a fire, hearty cheatgrass is the first to return, kicking off a new cycle of damage. Each season, cheatgrass produces thousands of seeds, which are hardy enough to survive fires. The plant germinates early in the growing season, absorbing a great deal of soil moisture and nutrients before other plants, such as sagebrush or antelope bitterbrush, have a chance to establish.
“Ranchers, conservation groups and public landowners all face the cheatgrass challenge,” Amundson says. “What they might not have been doing before was talking to each other about solutions. I thought we could benefit from a little collaboration.”
Private citizens and ranchers own nearly 85% of the land in Region 6. Many of them approached Amundson for recommendations on cheatgrass control. He and his team started conducting research to develop a control plan that would help landowners map and control cheatgrass, restore native vegetation and decrease the fire load.
“Most landowners don't have the money for large-scale cheatgrass control projects, even if it helps stem the tide of wildfires blazing out of control on their land,” Amundson says. “We want landowners to benefit from the resources and expertise that our agency and other organizations can provide.”
Knowing that WG&F could not implement Amundson's new plan alone, the team recruited partners, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, BASF Professional Vegetation Management personnel, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Pheasants Forever and the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep. Their goal was to share knowledge and pool resources to fund cheatgrass control projects in Region 6 and in other areas of Wyoming.
“Industry and conservation groups like to support projects that make a real, on-the-ground difference for wildlife in Wyoming,” Vollmer says. “The group's work actually protects and restores acres, improves herd health and viability, and teaches landowners what they can to do to protect their own land from wildfire.”
Amundson worked with BASF and the National Park Service to test an integrated vegetation management program in Medicine Bow National Forest and Sybille Canyon. A typical IVM program features multiple tools used to control cheatgrass, such as mechanical and physical weed removal, prescribed burns, herbicide treatments and even grazing.
“The control solutions we identified may take a few years and a number of steps to complete, but together, they have the best chance of long-term success,” Amundson says.
Amundson is already finding success. In their research areas, the team is effectively controlling cheatgrass with a combination treatment of a prescribed burn (or a wildfire) and an application of Plateau herbicide, in the fall immediately following the fire. For maximum control, herbicide applications are made before any cheatgrass re-emerges.
To help the residents of Region 6, Amundson first meets with each landowner to assess the landscape and determine which combination of treatments might be the most appropriate.
“We look at the type of wildlife in each area to make sure we time our treatments around key nesting or forage times,” Amundson says. “This way we can avoid any unnecessary intrusions with equipment or people.”
The landowners work with Amundson to map cheatgrass infestations before any burning is done.
“We prefer to map before burning so that we can use existing plants as a guidepost for the herbicide treatments,” Amundson says. “If we know exactly where there is a risk for re-infestation due to an already-present seedbank, we can easily treat that area and avoid wasting energy and herbicide.”
Careful mapping of the original acreage and condition of the land also allows Amundson's team to measure the successful restoration of each area once the project is complete.
In areas where there hasn't yet been a fire, Amundson uses an expert crew such as FireTrax Inc. to conduct a prescribed burn. He notifies the public of scheduled burn times and does a final scout for nests and herd locations to avoid damage to any wildlife in the areas. The prescribed burn crew uses WG&F maps to design an efficient and safe burn plan for the land. During the burn, they carefully monitor wind, temperature and humidity to make sure that conditions remain ideal for keeping the fire contained to the prescription area. They also bring equipment to extinguish the fire and stay in constant contact throughout the day by radio.
The crew first creates a “blackline”, or fire barrier, around the perimeter of the prescription zone to keep the fire from escaping the target area. Sometimes roadways or natural borders such as rocky ridges also can be used as barriers. Drip torches are used to ignite a mosaic pattern, mimicking a natural fire pattern. This pattern allows some vegetation to survive for new germination and also prevents erosion.
“We often burn in early spring to take advantage of remaining snowpack, which enhances the mosaic pattern,” Amundson says. “Also, it is early enough that we don't disturb nesting birds or germinating seeds of desirable plants.”
After a spring burning, the site is left alone for the summer, which allows native plants to start their regeneration process. Fall is the best time for Plateau herbicide treatments, because the existing cheatgrass has completed its growth cycle and new plants have not yet emerged.
Because of the Wyoming landscape, aerial application is the most efficient way to spray large areas. The aircraft spray based on GPS maps, and fly at very low altitudes to decrease any impact to non-target land. According to Amundson, Plateau is typically applied at rates of 4 ounces per acre, depending on the degree of infestation.
“Plateau is great for rangeland because you can cover a lot of ground with a very low rate of active ingredient,” Vollmer says. “Despite the low rate, Plateau has great residual efficacy, so one treatment can control cheatgrass for years.”
Although there are no grazing restrictions with Plateau, Amundson recommends that cattle not graze any treated areas in the spring. This gives desirable brush species time to establish healthy new growth. Amundson also suggests drill-seeding any large barren areas with native plants such as sagebrush, mountain mahogany and antelope bitterbrush, to encourage new these species to spread.
“Drill-seeding is not usually needed, but can be effective. It's amazing how easily native plants take control when we remove the cheatgrass,” Amundson says. “Without the damage cheatgrass does to the ecosystem, there is a good chance that habitat can restore itself.”
Ideally, Amundson is aiming for a mix of brush species, in a healthy variety of ages and plant types with little or no cheatgrass. In restored areas, he is seeing this new mix establish itself. And, the wild life is returning. Bighorn sheep, sage grouse, mule deer, elk and pronghorn have started grazing in restored areas and are nesting once again in the native brush.
“Witnessing recovered ecosystems makes us all proud to be a part of this group,” Vollmer says. “Ryan has really moved the needle in this area and the proof is in the variety of wildlife that have returned to southeastern Wyoming since he and his team started working on habitat restoration.”
“I know that we'll never completely get rid of cheatgrass, but I'm happy to keep giving it a black eye,” Amundson says. “If we treat private lands, government agencies will see the benefits and jump on board with their own treatments. Before you know it, thousands of acres will be restored.”
As with any conservation program, funding for treatments continues to be a challenge. But the results have been so successful that many organizations keep finding a way to contribute. “As long as dollars are available, we'll continue our treatments,” Amundson says.
Jennifer Vollmer is an environmental resource specialist for BASF ProVM, where she serves as the public lands technical specialist working with federal and state government agencies on noxious and invasive weed control in rangeland and other non-industrial settings. Vollmer also serves on the Invasive Species Awareness Council, where she represents a broad range of stakeholders that are affected by invasive species. Vollmer received a bachelor's degree in agronomy from the University of Wisconsin, a master's degree in plant and soil science from Southern Illinois University and a doctorate in weed science from Virginia Tech.
