From Green Mountain to Togwotee Pass,

from Sinks Canyon to Wind River Canyon,

Fremont County Weed and Pest is working

to protect our lands from invasive species.

2015 End of Year Report

Inside Page 2

Supervisor’s Page

Page 3

County Maps & Tracks

Page 4

Roads & Highways

Page 5

Irrigation Districts

Page 6

Biological Controls

Page 7

Reservation Work

Page 8

Oxeye Daisy: Forest Invader

Page 9

Designated & Declared Species

Page 10-11

Weed Management Areas

Pages 12-13

Early Detection Rapid Response

Pages 14-15

Agency Contracts

Page 16

Weed-Free Forage www.fcwp.com Fremont County Weed and Pest — Lander office 307-332-1052 — Riverton office 307-856-2192 — fcwp@wyoming.com

Dear Reader:

I am pleased to present the Fremont County Weed and Pest District’s 2015 year-end report. The year came with some unique challenges,

as well as new opportunities.

In 2015, Fremont County Weed and Pest continued to offer valuable services to our stakeholders while updating our Special Management

Program, was challenged with the retirement of our Lander Assistant Supervisor, and added two new invasive plants to our declared species list.

As allowed by Wyoming law, Fremont County’s Special Management Program provides additional cost shares for

In April, Lander’s Assistant Supervisor Tom Massey retired from the District after supervising since 1999 and working with the District since

1978. During his time, Tom motivated many crews of weed warriors — teaching them about the harm invasive species cause to the economy and

environment — while providing valuable services to Fremont County. I’d like to thank Tom for his dedication to the District and for setting

an example of effective weed and pest management.

In June, FCWP hired Paul Cohen as Lander’s new Assistant Supervisor. Paul’s education in Rangeland Management from the University of

Wyoming gives him the foundation for understanding the ecosystem dynamics that are important to weed management. Paul’s previous experi-

ences with land management and weed management consulting are an asset for the District in both prescribing weed management plans and

communicating with landowners. We are looking forward to Paul’s innovative ideas in the years to come.

State-designated noxious weeds and pests are species that have a statewide impact. Every county Weed and Pest District must have an

effective program for their management. Counties have the option to declare species with local impacts. Fremont County currently has four

species declared noxious. In 2015, the county Weed and Pest Board approved a resolution to add two additional species to the county declared

list: baby’s breath and cheatgrass. With Wyoming Department of Agriculture approval, the action will go into effect in 2016. Baby’s breath is an

escaped ornamental which invades sandy soils and competes for water and resources with desirable plants. Its tumbleweed nature improves its

spread potential and creates hazards for landowners when dead dried plants drift into shelter belts and fence rows. In Fremont County, baby’s

breath is limited to just a few locations and has limited impact: We intend to keep it that way. Cheatgrass poses significantly more management

challenges. It is likely our most severe and widespread invasive plant in the county, yet much of our landscape is not yet or only moderately

affected. In addition to decreased grazing value and increased fire hazard, cheatgrass has the potential to change ecosystem structure and

function. Its effects can be seen firsthand in the Great Basin states of Utah, Nevada and Idaho, where over the past 100 years millions of acres

have gone from diverse sagebrush steppe to unproductive annual grasslands. Fremont County has thousands of acres infested with cheatgrass,

however, we still have an opportunity to limit its effect on the landscape. An effective program for cheatgrass in Fremont County will limit the

effects of cheatgrass and preserve the valuable intact sagebrush steppe habitat found here.

Thank you for your interest in our programs. This 2015 year-end report highlights our accomplishments and the benefits they provide to the

county. We continually review our programs to adapt to challenges while also seeking innovative opportunities to improve the services we

provide. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions or want to learn more about Fremont County Weed and Pest.

Sincerely,

Aaron Foster, supervisor

Page 2 Supervisor’s Introduction

Infestation Sites & Coverages Page 3

Where we mapped or treated weeds in 2015.

Where our crews went in 2015.

Roadside weed work

Knapweed control on Green Mountain

Can you spot the musk thistle in this photo?

Roadside spraying can be considered the front line in the war on weeds. Roads are major vectors for

spreading infestations, so treating roadsides helps to prevent weeds from invading other lands around

the county and beyond.

Highways & County Roads

The FCWP highway crew treated annual

weeds on 1,000 lane-miles of roadsides from

mid-May to July 1, including bare-ground

spraying 22,000 delineator posts, in a

contract with WYDOT.

From July to September, the road crew

controlled noxious species within highway

right-of-ways in a contract with the Wyoming

Department of Agriculture.

FCWP crews controlled nearly 2,000 acres of noxious weeds on county

roads in 2015. Whitetop was the most common species, accounting for

more than half of the treatments.

2015 fall and winter work included clearing sagebrush and other

vegetation from highway right-of-ways with the FCWP skid steer. The crew

also uses the skid steer to restore riparian areas infested with Russian

olive and salt cedar on U.S. Bureau of Reclamation lands and other areas.

Page 4

Page 5

Like roadways, irrigation systems are major vectors for spreading invasive plants. FCWP treats weeds

along the waterways of the LeClair, BIA and Midvale Irrigation Districts.

The weed control strategy for the extensive Midvale Irrigation District is to manage annual weeds

in the spring, then control noxious weeds throughout the summer. FCWP also treated canals that

had become overgrown with cattails to improve water delivery to users.

Leafy spurge was detected for the

first time on the LeClair Irrigation

District last summer.

Puncturevine is a noxious weed

of growing concern on

the Leclair District.

Irrigation Districts

A crew uses a pair of UTVs to control noxious weeds

along the canal systems of the BIA Irrigation District.

The BIA system is divided into three contract areas:

Crowheart Water Users Association, Lower BIA and Ray

Canal Water Users Association.

Russian knapweed, whitetop and Canada thistle are the

most common invasive plants on the systems.

Page 6 Biological Controls

Spraying for mosquitoes is conducted by

cities and tribes. Total cost for the Fremont

County Municipal and Tribal Mosquito

Abatement Program was $121,780. A grant

from the Wyoming Department of

Agriculture paid for $48,851 of the total,

while five municipalities together contributed

$55,421, and FCWP provided $17,508.

Mosquitoes & Grasshoppers

FCWP monitored mosquito populations from June 3 to

September 9, trapping roughly 35,000. Of 194 trap nights,

77 pools of adult Culex tarsalis were tested for West Nile

virus. Only three of those pools tested positive: two from

Riverton in July and one from Arapahoe in August.

FCWP conducts grasshopper field surveys in the spring

to detect outbreaks and in the summer for the Wyoming

Department of Agriculture.

2015 surveys did not yield any

significant findings. Populations

have not reached damaging levels

in Fremont County since 2012.

FCWP has a long history of success in using biological agents for the control of invasive plants.

Biological controls are, in most cases, insects which suppress the growth and spread of specific species

of noxious weeds, either by feeding on them directly or other means.

Fremont County has more than a dozen types of well established bio-control agents, including the first

time trial of a natural soil amendment used to suppress cheatgrass.

One of FCWP’s successful bio-control programs is the Russian knapweed gall midge,

Jaapiella ivannikavi. The insect lays its eggs on the growing tip of a plant, galling that

growing point, which reduces seed production and plant height.

First released in Fremont County in 2009, Jaapiella is now well established and spreading

to new areas on its own. FCWP collects hundreds of galls each summer for redistribution

to other county weed and pest districts and to establish new sites within Fremont County.

Damage from Russian knapweed gall wasp

Aerial release for cheatgrass control

Red-headed leafy spurge stem borer

Oberea erythrocephala

Reservation Work Page 7

BIA projects of 2015 included:

FCWP worked in some remote

reaches of the WRIR in 2015

controlling leafy spurge, Russian

knapweed and other invasive

weed species.

FCWP controlled more

than 4,000 acres of

weed infestations on

the Wind River Indian

Reservation in 2015.

Russian knapweed is

the most common

noxious species on

tribal lands.

Mapping on the WRIR focused on tribal

lands north of Lander as part of FCWP’s

weed inventory program.

At Crow Creek, crews continued treatments of

Russian knapweed and began work in some

new areas.

9

407

49

10

925

60

125

15

1982

14

23

391

1

109

14

Black henbane

Canada thistle

Field bindweed

Houndstongue

Leafy spurge

Musk thistle

Perennial pepperweed

Perennial sowthistle

Russian knapweed

Russian olive

Saltcedar

Spotted knapweed

Swainsonpea

Whitetop

Other

ACRES TREATED BY SPECIES - BIA

Russian knapweed

At Burgess,

crews continued

treatments of

in Morrison

Canyon in the

Owl Creek

Mountains.

Page 8 Oxeye Daisy: Forest Invader

FCWP crews based in Dubois have been battling oxeye daisy in the

mountainous terrain of the Absarokas for over a decade.

Almost all known infestations are on the Shoshone National Forest

and on Wyoming Department of Game and Fish properties along the

Wiggins Fork and East Fork of the Wind River.

A native of Eurasia, oxeye daisy is a flowering perennial that spreads

by seed and a creeping root system.

Because so much of the terrain is in a roadless and

remote area, most of the work is done by a horse pack

crew. Chemical treatments of Milestone have been

effective in containing its spread.

Black henbane

Canada thistle

Common burdock

Common St. Johnswort

Common tansy

Dalmatian toadflax

Diffuse knapweed

Dyers woad

Field bindweed

Houndstongue

Leafy spurge

Musk thistle

Oxeye daisy

Perennial pepperweed

Perennial sowthistle

Plumeless thistle

Purple loosestrife

Quackgrass

Designated and Declared Species Page 9

Fremont County has four

declared noxious weeds: baby’s

breath, cheatgrass, puncturevine

and swainsonpea.

Baby’s breath and cheatgrass

were added to the declared list in

2015.

Wyoming State Designated Noxious Weeds

The state of Wyoming has six designated pest species: grasshoppers, Mormon crickets, prairie

dogs, ground squirrels, mountain pine beetles and beet leafhoppers. Fremont County also has two

declared pests: mosquitoes (Culex tarsalis) and oystershell scale.

Cheatgrass is an annual that thrives on

disturbed sites and can outcompete

more desirable perennial range grasses.

Baby’s breath is an escaped ornamental

that forms dense stands and is difficult to

control.

Wyoming has 26 plants listed as designated noxious weeds — which is a legal classification of plant

species that are considered detrimental, destructive, injurious or poisonous to humans. The list is

formed by joint resolution of the Wyoming Board of Agriculture and the Wyoming Weed and Pest

Council. The designation provides statewide legal authority to regulate and manage those species,

an action that is carried out by county weed and pest districts.

species called declared noxious weeds that are consid-

ered “detrimental to the general welfare of persons residing

Page 10 Weed Management Areas

Fremont County has three Weed Management Areas, each with its own unique management challenges,

characteristics and priorities.

Dubois-Crowheart Weed Management Area

Weed control work in northern Fremont County was primarily on

county roads, Wyoming Game and Fish Department properties and

U.S. Forest Service lands. FCWP staff in Dubois also spends many

hours consulting with private landowners on weed control.

A FCWP mapping crew surveyed more than 15 miles

of the East Fork of the Wind River. The mappers

daisy, as well as

. The surveys of

state and private lands are paid for by a federal grant

that is administered by the Wyoming Department of

Agriculture.

New infestations that were found and treated

in 2015 included spotted knapweed, pictured

above, a perennial that is important to detect

as soon as possible.

Horse pack crews continued treatments of

oxeye daisy on USFS and Wyoming Game

and Fish Department lands.

Knapweed work

Lower Wind WMA

Clearing beetle-killed blowdowns

Dubois-Crowheart WMA

Spurge in pasture

Popo Agie WMA

A forest infestation of musk thistle

Page 11 Weed Management Areas

Popo Agie Weed Management Area

FCWP contracted an aerial applicator to treat hundreds of acres for cheatgrass.

An airplane was used at the Weiser Knoll and V-1 Road areas, and a helicopter

in Sinks Canyon.

Lander crews and a contractor sprayed infestations of leafy spurge

on BLM lands south of Hudson with Panoramic, an herbicide that

can give extended control of leafy spurge and is considered safer

for desirable forbs and shrubs than some alternatives.

FCWP also treated high-priority infestations of Dalmatian toadflax

and Scotch thistle south of Hudson.

About 20 workers from FCWP and other agencies pulled together

to treat leafy spurge and musk thistle at the annual PAWMA Work

Day on June 28. FCWP also treated spotted knapweed and other

noxious species in Sinks Canyon last summer.

There is growing interest from small-acreage landowners of

the Riverton area to become cooperators in FCWP’s

Special Management Program for Russian knapweed.

Lower Wind River Weed Management Area

The Riverton office added a crew of backpackers

to its seasonal staff last summer. The new crew

can get into places that trucks and UTVs can’t

reach.

Riverton crews treated all known sites

of leafy spurge along Badwater Creek

from Lysite to the county line. They

also worked on thousands of acres of

BIA, state, Bureau of Reclamation and

private lands. Working to control Russian knapweed

Roadside leafy spurge

Page 12 EDRR-Mapping

GIS Online

New for 2015 was the addition of a Web-

based interactive Geographical Information

System (GIS) where certain customers can

view FCWP spray crews’ progress of their

projects online. Maps showing track logs and

waypoints are updated weekly during spray

seasons.

Go to our Web site at www.fcwp.org for

links to our GIS Online pages.

GPS track logs are a vital part of FCWP’s Integrated

Pest Management strategy.

FCWP crews keep GPS track logs running while they

work to record coverage of the work area. While the

crews mark waypoints and polygons to show the sizes

and locations of noxious weed infestations for the FCWP

mapping database, it is also important for the maps to

reflect where crews have looked for but not found weeds.

Keeping track logs gives us a clearer picture of the

extent of a weed infestation, which helps with treatment

planning and monitoring efforts.

Mapping by GPS is a key component of Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR).

Surveying and inventory mapping help to detect new infestations early.

In addition to spray crews recording their work on GPS units, mappers surveyed for

noxious weeds from spring to fall, recording their findings with a GPS or ESRI GIS

software on a laptop computer.

Special mapping projects of 2015 included:

WRIR tribal and private lands west of Arapahoe

South Hudson-Government Draw BLM and private lands

Leafy Spurge Special Management Program cooperators

Crowheart perennial pepperweed

Oil Springs Road-Ore Road saltcedar

The Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) program is designed to find new unknown infestations.

The strategy is to locate infestations before they become large and more expensive to control. We are

also on the lookout for new invaders from surrounding counties and states.

Monitoring is another aspect of the EDRR program. Past treatments are evaluated to determine their

effectiveness. Below, before and after photos illustrate a successful treatment of Scotch thistle with

Milestone at a rate of 5 ounces per acre.

EDRR-Treatment Page 13

The EDRR program consists of two teams. One is tasked with mapping

and finding weed infestations, while the other is focused on controlling

infestations that are found.

Perennial pepperweed Scotch thistle

Page 14 Agency Contracts

230

4

1

63

83

1286

12

493

27

60

307

50

Canada thistle

Field bindweed

Houndstongue

Leafy spurge

Perennial pepperweed

Russian knapweed

Russian olive

Saltcedar

Spotted knapweed

Swainsonpea

Whitetop

Other

TREATED ACRES BY SPECIES - BOR

FCWP treated 2,616 acres of

BOR lands in 2015, including

505 acres of saltcedar and

Russian olive.

Restored cottonwood-willow

habitat at Boysen State Park

Cheatgrass treatments at

Sinks Canyon State Park

FCWP controlled nearly 4,500 acres of weed

infestations on State Land leases. Whitetop,

pictured below, accounted for more than half.

FCWP works to control

noxious weeds in Red

Canyon and other

Game and Fish habitat

and access areas.

A combination of chemical treat-

ments and bio-agent releases for

cheatgrass control were applied

aerially for the first time in Sinks

Canyon, while the FCWP skid

steer crew continued work along

the shore of Boysen Reservoir.

1282062

14550

5123

392288

3113

2013000

Babys BreathCanada thistle

CheatgrassField bindweed

Leafy spurgeMusk thistleOxeye daisy

Perennial pepperweedRussian knapweed

Russian oliveSaltcedar

Scotch thistleSpotted knapweed

SwainsonpeaWhitetop

TREATED ACRES BY SPECIES - GAME & FISH

686

75

4

51

1

489

5

78

587

29

47

12

2336

Canada thistle

Cheatgrass

Dalmatian toadflax

Field bindweed

Houndstongue

Leafy spurge

Musk thistle

Perennial pepperweed

Russian knapweed

Saltcedar

Spotted knapweed

Swainsonpea

Whitetop

TREATED ACRES BY SPECIES - STATE LANDS

FCWP treated more than 1,000 acres of noxious

weed infestations on BLM lands in 2015.

FCWP and the BLM continued

collaboration on a long term

noxious weed treatment and

survey project south of Hudson.

The area is prime sage grouse

habitat and a portion of funding

for the project comes from a

grant from the Wind River-

Sweetwater River Sage Grouse

Working Group.

142

11

15

2

45

107

1

4

296

178

94

98

2

8

Black henbane

Canada thistle

Dalmatian toadflax

Field bindweed

Houndstongue

Leafy spurge

Musk thistle

Perennial pepperweed

Russian knapweed

Saltcedar

Scotch thistle

Spotted knapweed

Swainsonpea

Whitetop

TREATED ACRES BY SPECIES - BLM

In 2015, FCWP recognized Jeremie Artery,

Natural Resource Specialist (Range/Weeds) of

the BLM-Lander Field

Office with an

Appreciation Award

for his outstanding

contribution to the

management of

invasive plants.

FCWP controlled more than 1,800 acres of

infestations on USFS lands in 2015. 1498

8

7

1

19

202

13

4

22

13

2

38

Canada thistle

Cheatgrass

Common tansy

Houndstongue

Leafy spurge

Musk thistle

Oxeye daisy

Russian knapweed

Spotted knapweed

Whitetop

Yellow toadflax

Other

TREATED ACRES BY SPECIES - USFS

While Canada thistle is the most prevalent noxious weed on the Shoshone National Forest, oxeye

daisy is the species of most concern in the Dubois area. Lander personnel are keeping a watchful

eye out for spotted knapweed along Louis Lake Road and forest recreational sites.

Agency Contracts Page 15

Page 16 Weed-Free Forage

FCWP has three locations where chemical inventory is stored: Dubois, Lander, and Riverton. Each

location supplies its spray crews with herbicides. FCWP also sells chemicals to the public for use on

designated and declared noxious weeds and pests.

Backpack sprayers are

available for rent for $1

per day.

Chemical Inventory, Sales and Rentals

To qualify a field as certified,

the inspector searches for

any prohibited weeds and

marks any findings with a

GPS. An inventory map is

then provided to the

cooperator along with a

Weed Management Plan to

assist in bringing the field

into compliance.

FCWP does not charge for this service with the belief

that certified hay is a value-added product that helps

improve weed awareness and control in the county

and prevent spread.

FCWP completed 127 field inspections during

the 2015 growing season — certifying 11,589

tons of alfalfa, grass and oat hay, and 630 tons

of barley, oat and wheat straw as weed-free,

following North American Invasive Species

Management Association standards. That’s

more than 6,600 acres of weed-free fields.

Last year, FCWP-certified Weed Free Forage from a Fremont County producer was fed to

horse racing’s 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

FCWP rents out vehicle-mounted and tow-

behind sprayers, as well as grasshopper bait

spreaders and sprayers, and live traps.

Demand for sprayer rentals is high. Often

two weeks’ notice is needed to reserve one.