Getting Things Done

slamdunk · Nov 12, 2020

News from Idaho! The Wagonhammer Aerial Herbicide Application project concluded on Friday, October 30th, after treating 2,060 acres for cheatgrass and spotted knapweed over the course of three days. Treatments are intended to decrease invasive annual grasses and noxious weeds to improve essential big game winter range and decrease hazardous fine fuels. Herbicide drift monitoring was carried out during treatments and showed that there is essentially no drift beyond 50 feet of unit boundaries.

This project is part of an ongoing joint effort between the North Zone Fuels and Botany, Invasive Species, and Pollinators Programs along with partners at Idaho Fish and Game (IDFG), the U.S. Forest Service - Salmon-Challis National Forest, and the Bureau of Land Management to manage cheatgrass in the Salmon River corridor at a landscape scale. We would like to thank our volunteers for their help and the public for their cooperation in making this project a big success!

hawkbill · Nov 12, 2020

I was out last night looking at pioneer mountains, none of the Elk heards have moved down onto last years burn, the reason, cheatgrass and skeleton weeds

slamdunk · Nov 12, 2020

Yep, we need an all out assault on Noxious Weeds and Invasive Grasses throughout the West if we ever want to rebound or game, especially deer.

zpooch · Nov 12, 2020

Cheatgrass is a losing battle. Too widespread and too prolific, I don't know what the answer is. Are they planning to spray that again? If not, it will makes its way in

hawkbill · Nov 12, 2020

I’m interested Slam why the fish and game keeps saying that these burns bring a lot of grocery’s to the wildlife. It maybe so where it opens up an overcrowded forest, but where it has burned the sage and big open southern exposers they seem to be full of weeds. The Desert between Twin Falls and Bellevue looks dead compared to the Owhee Desert.Thank You to volunteers and the Groups that participated.

slamdunk · Nov 12, 2020

Ya it's frustrating here in Utah's burns as well.
The new growth after a fire is only beneficial if it's edible instead of destructive.
But as mentioned in this post, new measures are being taken to combat the Noxious Weed problems and there is great optimism with it.

tylercreek2 · Nov 12, 2020

Are they planning to spray that again?

that is the key question.

slamdunk · Nov 12, 2020

tylercreek2 said:
Are they planning to spray that again?

that is the key question.

This is site specific based on effectiveness

BrianID · Nov 14, 2020

This is something we should have started more than 20 years ago. I can think of multiple places in Southern Idaho that would benefit from cheat grass control. In my opinion, habitat is the biggest reason for decline in mule deer numbers in Southern Idaho.

Bluehair · Nov 15, 2020

What is the second photo showing? Has the left side of the fence been treated and not the other?

I hate weeds and cheatgrass, but the deer who live here seek out young cheatgrass and bindweed. All the animals (except me) appear to love the russian olives also. Just a couple days ago there was a flock of turkeys in the tops of the trees eating the seeds.

That said, I think it's great that these rangeland improvement projects are happening.

BrianID · Nov 17, 2020

Mule deer do feed on cheat grass in the early spring when it is green. Unfortunately deer don't have as efficient of a stomach as elk do. It has been well documented that mule deer will die from malnutrition in late spring even though they have a full stomach of cheat grass. Deer stomachs have difficulty transitioning from winter browse to fresh cheat grass

If the cheat grass is controlled, the sage brush, bitter brush, and other plants that are better for deer and other wildlife will grow better. Limiting cheat grass will provide much better winter range habitat for deer.