Meeting Notes from January 21, 2009

Recap on “Why spotted knapweed?”:

National Invasive Species Council (NISC) met in Anchorage last May and there were five recommendations. One of the recommendations was for USDA and USDI in Alaska should focus on eradication 10 invasive plant species in the state. Two species were chosen by Forest Service specialists in the state, i.e., garlic mustard and spotted knapweed.

The Situation

• We do not have spotted knapweed in abundance in any once place.

• Summarized information about the seven generalized known locations in the state

1. Kenai (two sites) Janice Chumley probably the lead contact. Rob D will contact Janice and the Kenai Cooperative Weed Management Area folks to insure that there is control and monitoring work done on these populations in 2009.
2. Seward Highway/Turnagain Arm (seven sites) Michael Rasy is lead contact.
3. Valdez (four locations) Trish Wurtz will be lead contact and will coordinate with Erin Cooper and maybe Kim Kiml of the Cordova RD
   
4. Haines Highway (two sites) Melina Lamb will be lead contact working in partnership with the community.
5. Kake (one site) Mary Clemons has worked on the population. Perhaps Mary or Jackie deMontigny would lead. Barb will follow-up.
6. Prince of Wales Island (five sites, the largest was found by Susan Wiseagle in 2008) Kristen Lease or Jackie deMontigny lead? Barb will follow-up
7. Ketchikan (one site). Tom Heutte lead.

• Summer of 2009 treatments will include:

• Mark each site with pink paint
• Ensure that there is a GPS point at each site with sub-meter accuracy (if possible)
• Pull plants at each site in late June
• Pull plants at each site in August
• Survey around the site and along the road as far as time will allow.

• Need to monitor for at least eight years to ensure seed bank fully depleted. In general, successful control of the species at the site (eradication) will be considered as achieved when no occurrence of the species has been documented for five consecutive years of annual monitoring.

• Surveys for new populations (Spotted knapweed is probably better adapted to the interior boreal system, but it hasn’t shown up there yet). Perhaps a formalized statewide inventory and monitoring effort should be established. But until that occurs we need to stress citizen monitoring.

• Try to work with the Alaskan Railroad and the Department of Transportation on these weeds so that we can work safely at the site near the railroad bound by the retaining wall. Contact DOT and AKRR to see if those agencies would be supportive of our project.

• Michael Rasy suggested that a revegetation project would be appropriate on the Seward Highway and the soil there would really benefit. We should also consider the appropriateness revegetation work at other sites.

• We should also consider interpretive signs in locations like Beluga Point (may be managed by Chugach State Parks)

The Databases:

• All statewide data through 2007 is in AKEPIC.

• All Forest Service inventories are only to be entered in NRIS from 2008 forward.

• Must coordinate with both databases to ensure that all sites are identified and if new sites are found we need to readdress where the data is stored so we can be certain that information is recognized in this project.

• AKEPIC won’t include the large (0.5 acre infestation) they found in 2008 at Beluga Point. He did collect GPS data and submit it to AKEPIC, but that is not likely to be uploaded by now.

Additional Topics

• Plan work for 2010 to incorporate in the FS plan of work which would receive dedicated funding

• There is going to be a regional leadership team meeting on POW in September or October, include a trip to a spotted knapweed site or mention of the project.

Is hand pulling the appropriate control method for all the sites?

• Michael suggests that hand pulling has been quite effective.

• Trish noted that seed in the seed bank has been reported as being viable for up to 8 years.

• Hand pulls have gone on for 4 or 5 years at the Falls Creek site. There hasn’t been many working on these pulls, but the population is definitely been reduced. However, the seed bank still exists there so there is continued recruitment. The treatments have been done before the plants go from seed.

• It’s important to stay active in the pulling efforts and in surveys to find new populations.

• Michael suggests pulling the plants before they have gone to flower (mid to late June) and then return later in the season (late August, before going to seed) for a second pull. The Haines populations and the southcentral populations have reported similar stages for flower development.

• Melinda mentioned a population near Skagway that the Park Service reportedly eradicated.

• Michael is willing to collect some seedling specimens and send them around. He says they are distinctive-looking.

• Michael Rasy feels that all the patches along Turnagain Arm can be handled by hand-pulling.

• All sites in southeast Alaska are currently thought to be small enough to be managed by hand pulling.

• One of the sites off the Seward Highway has a retaining wall that makes it difficult to stay away from the train tracks. If you get caught there you are probably 20’ from the actual train.