CCT Fish and Wildlife Hellsgate Mitigation Program

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CCT Fish and Wildlife Hellsgate Mitigation Program
Weed Control
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Purpose For Mitigation

• Over 83,000 tribal acres impacted by hydropower
  projects
• 1980 Power Act launches mitigation projects
• Mitigate for Fish and Wildlife Losses from Chief
  Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams
• Restore and protect critical habitat for wildlife
  species
• Enhance and preserve biodiversity

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Current Management Areas
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Acquired Management Lands
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Past to Present

• 1991- started with William Kuehne lands
• with 4,800 acres - 127,000
• Personnel 1 FTE, 2 seasonal
• 2008 57,418 acres - 928,000
• Personnel 5 FTE, 11 seasonal, 8 Admin
• Additional 500,000 per year for OM as for
• BPA for CCT agreement

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BPA Contract Responsibilities

• Construct and Maintain Management Unit Fence
  Boundaries
• Conduct Noxious Weed Control
• Prevent and Remove Trespass Livestock

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Integrated Weed Management
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Restoring Native Vegetation
Seeding
Cultivating
Planting
Seeding
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Planting Shrubs
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Planting Plugs
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Before
After
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Physical/Mechanical Weed Management

• Hand Pulling
• Tilling
• Mulching
• Mowing
• Controlled burning

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Burning
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Chemical Weed Management

• Using herbicides to remove noxious weeds and
  undesirable vegetation
• Due to cultural subsistence practices by
  membership, any spray used is dyed blue and has
  little or no residual left in the soil
• Only use chemicals that target specific noxious
  weeds

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Methods

• Boom spray applications
• Spot spray applications
• Backpack spray applications

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New Invaders
Hoary Aylssum
Hawkweeds
Buffalobur
Common Bugloss
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PROBLEM WEEDS
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Dalmatian Toadflax

• Dalmatian Toadflax has been observed in all
  mitigation units

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Houndstongue
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Knapweed Species
Spotted Knapweed
Diffuse Knapweed
Russian Knapweed
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St. Johnswort
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Rush Skeleton Weed
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Biological Treatment

• The use of living organisms to suppress the
  population of a pest to an acceptable level

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Advantages

• Can be used in hard to reach areas
• Bioagents only effects specific weed species
• Great alternative for use in chemically sensitive
  areas
• Has the potential to be very effective in
  controlling a targeted weed species
• Offers weed control at times of the year other
  methods cannot

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Limitations

• Can Take years for a viable population to
  establish
• Bioagents are subject to predators
• May not establish at all sites
• May not be readily available
• Will not eradicate a weed species
• Not all bioagents have been approved for use in
  the United States

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Bioagents We Use

• Mecinus janthinus
• Dalmatian Toadflax bioagent
• Larvae feed on vegetative shoots decreasing
  foliage and reducing root reserves
• Larinus minutus
• Knapweed weevil
• Attacks seed heads feeding on actual seeds
• Chrysolina species
• St. Johnswort bioagent
• Feed reduces foliage and lowers root reserves

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Bioagent for the suppression of Dalmatian
Toadflax

• Mecinus janthinus Stem-boring Weevil

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Before
After
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Invasive Weed Success! Larinus minutus at work on
the Colville Reservation
Before
After
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St. Johnswort Beetle
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Bio-agents do not work in all areas
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Each Management Unit Is Divided Into 160 Acre
Sections
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Monitoring and Evaluation

• All mitigation units have been surveyed for the
  presence or absence of weed species
• Monitoring will be conducted on an annual basis

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Questions ?