Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee Noxious Weed Subcommittee

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Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee
Noxious Weed Subcommittee
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GYCC
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Greater Yellowstone Area
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The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

• 14 million acres public land
• 10 million acres private land
• 78 of public lands considered
• backcountry
• 3 States
• 21 Counties
• 7 Federal Agencies represented
• including 2 National Park Units, 6 National
  Forests, and 2 National Wildlife Refuges

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Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee

• Formed in 1964
• Originally comprised of 7 forest supervisors
  
• and 2 park superintendents
• Fish and Wildlife Service manager joined in
• 2000
• Facilitates cooperative management

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GYCC Noxious Weed Subcommittee
Formed in 1991 Includes vegetation and invasive
species specialists from Idaho, Wyoming, and
Montana counties, Cooperative Weed Management
Areas (CWMA), local ranchland groups, federal and
state agencies, and universities
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GYCC Noxious Weed Subcommittee

• Goals
• Address noxious weed management at a landscape
  scale
• Identify and recommend noxious weed management
  priorities within the GYA
• Coordinate management activities between units
  within the GYA
• Minimize duplication of efforts
• Learn and benefit from each others efforts and
  expertise

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Cooperative Weed Management

• Control and Management
• Prevention
• Education and Public Awareness
• Information Management and Mapping

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Cooperative Weed Management Associations (CWMA)
2001 CWMAs 2007 CMWAs Jackson Hole Jackson Hole
Henrys Fork Henrys Fork Upper Snake Upper
Snake Highlands Highlands Upper Madison
Madison South Fork Grass Creek Beartooth
Cooke City Beartooth Upper Clarks Fork
Upper Gallatin Continental Divide Green
River Basin Popo Aggie Dubois North
Fork Park County Total 6 Total 16 CWMAs now
cover nearly 95 of the GYA
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Control and Management

• Develop cost effective, environmentally sound
  practices
• Share information treatment analysis and
  planning
• Best Management Practices equipment, wash
  stations, fire management practices,
  sand/gravel certification
• 78 GYA is backcountry strategic planning to
  reduce seed sources to protect these
  areas through frontcountry treatment

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Prevention

• Prevent the establishment of new invaders and
  spread of existing infestations, including tools
  such as risk assessment, early detection and
  rapid response protocols

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Education and Public Awareness

• Developed Weed Pocket Guide
• Homeowners Guide to Noxious
• Weed Management developed
• Why Should I Care? brochure
• developed
• Idea for Weed Free Forage
• Certification Markings brochure
• poster
• Developed a Lessons Learned
• PowerPoint for member use
• Gravel pit certification program
• Dedicated the Spring 2006 Meeting
• to Education programs, ideas, and

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Information Management and Mapping

• Development and application of mapping, inventory
  and assessment information, and data management
  products for the GYA

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Accomplishments

• Thanks to increased cooperation
• Improved communication between Federal, State,
  and Local entities
• Control efforts are improving
• Improved ability to obtain grant funds
• Raising awareness among public and all
  agencies/groups involved
• Increase ability to finance publications and to
  produce quality publications
• Avoid duplication of effort

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Challenges

• Consistent strategic approach to research,
  planning, prevention
• and data management
• Resources needed for a fully integrated
  program
• Keep funding and expertise current with need

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Challenges

• Unprecedented growth in the GYA
• Prevention of weed movement into backcountry
• areas
• GYA is an area with many conflicting interests

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The County Perspective

• Benefits
• Interaction with Federal
• Agencies other Counties
• Everyone on the same page
• Were not in it alone!
• Work with agencies we may
• not normally see ie. Federal
• Highways State DOTS
• Cooperate on Weed Free
• Forage Issues
• Partner on grant proposals

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The County Perspective
It certainly has allowed county people to find
out what the feds were doing and attach a name
and face to the people at the federal level.
We also got a chance to challenge these people to
do a better job and they have the same
opportunity. Marty Malone, Park County, MT
Extension Agent I like it because it is people
that actually do the work. When you talk to them
about the different treatment methods,
biocontrol, education, other parts of our jobs
you are talking with people that have the same
issues in their daily jobs, no matter what agency
they are with. - Kim Johnson, Fremont County
Weed and Pest, Wyoming
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The Federal Perspective

• Benefits
• Counties are another avenue/bridge between
  federal agencies and the public
• GYA wide weed mapping effort could not have
  been accomplished without all groups
• Increase effectiveness through cooperative
  planning
• Grants Nonprofits (501 c 3)

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Why has the GYCC been successful?

• Long term employee commitment
• expertise
• Support encouragement from Park
• Superintendents, Forest
• Supervisors, and Refuge Managers
• Support from State Counties-
• Commissioners, Weed Districts,
• Conservation Districts
• Dedicated on the ground people
• who make it happen
• Creative Thinking/Problem Solving

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Why has the GYCC been successful?

• Two meetings (Spring/Fall) each year with focus
  topic
• Flexibility Ability to grow and adapt to
  changing demands on the resources
• Strong education programs
• GYCC seed monies for CWMA start up
• Weed management provides common ground for
  diverse stakeholders
• Round Robin Sessions

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Thanks to our Cooperators
Dept of Game Fish-WY, ID, MT
Dept of Ag WY, ID, MT
Yellowstone National Park
Dept of Transportation- WY, ID, MT
NRCS
Caribou-Targhee National Forest
Idaho Dept of Lands
Montana Counties Park, Gallatin, Madison
Grand Teton National Park
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
Red Rock Lakes Wildlife Refuge
The Nature Conservancy
Bureau of Reclamation
Shoshone National Forest
National Elk Refuge
Idaho Dept of Parks and Rec
Teton Conservation District
Custer National Forest
Rocky Mountain CESU
Gallatin National Forest
Bridger-Teton National Forest
Fremont County, Idaho
Wyoming Counties Park, Fremont, Sublette, Teton
Federal Highways Administration
Bureau of Land Management WY, ID, MT
Center for Invasive Plant Management
Highcountry R, C D
WY Weed Pest Council
Jackson Hole Land Trust
MT State Nox. Weed Awareness Educ. Campaign
MT Weed Control Assoc.
Henrys Fork Watershed Council
National Fish Wildlife Foundation
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DISCUSSION