Pulling Together for Alaska: Fairbanks Volunteers Fight Leafy Invaders

Submitted by Roxanne Creamer
Phone: (907) 474-5406
07/09/03

Volunteer efforts in Alaska communities will feature weed warriors armed with bright green garbage bags and thick gloves pulling spiny invaders and roadside weeds posing as pretty purple flowers as part of Alaska Invasive Weeds Awareness Week July 14-20, 2003.

Most invasive plants have been introduced to new areas where the plants’ natural enemies such as seed eating beetles or fungal diseases are absent. Such plants are often referred to as invasive weeds because they are undesirable. They cause damage in agricultural, recreational, or natural areas. Impacts include increased costs of food production, injury to humans and animals, or destruction of wildlife habitat.

Managing invasive weeds has been likened to fighting alien invaders. Unlike movies where a single hero eradicates the invaders, preventing the spread of invasive weeds requires a community effort. Community partners include the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Municipality of Anchorage, soil and water conservation districts, Juneau Invasive Plants Action, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension, the Master Gardeners, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the State of Alaska Department of Transportation.

Many volunteer efforts concentrate on shared public lands. There is help on the home front. Tips on controlling and preventing weed infestations for homeowners are available through the Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) at local Cooperative Extension Service offices.

Local cooperators participate in the Committee for Noxious and Invasive Plants Management (CNIPM), a statewide organization with multiple private and public agencies cooperating on weed management issues. The goal is to heighten the awareness of the problems associated with non-native invasive plants and to bring about greater statewide coordination, cooperation, and action to halt the introduction and spread of undesirable plants.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Anchorage efforts are on Monday, July 14 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Bird vetch, Vicia cracca, will be removed on the outbound side of the Seward Highway between the two DeArmoun Road signs. Work will continue on the inbound side from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. The vine-like purple flower is smothering landscape plantings in the area. Patricia Joyner, Division of Forestry, leads the volunteers. She can be reached at (907)269-8465 or patricia_joyner@dnr.state.ak.us.

Fairbanks area efforts start on Tuesday, July 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Perennial sowthistle, Sonchus arvensis, will be removed from Van Horn Road starting at Lathrop Street and continuing toward South Cushman Road. The dandelion-like yellow flower is spreading from the roadsides into adjacent equipment yards. Seeds and roots can be spread into new areas by machinery and cause new infestations elsewhere. Marta Mueller is coordinating this effort and can be reached at (907)474-2428 or ftmrm@uaf.edu .

Juneau efforts are Saturday, July 19 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Garlic mustard, Allaria petiolata, will be removed on the steep slopes near Fireweed Place, 415 Willoughby. The white-flowered plant is spreading through the forest understory in the area. Samia Savell, Natural Resources Conservation Service, leads the volunteers. She can be reached at (907)586-7220 or samia.savell@ak.usda.gov.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE WEB:

The CNIPM website www.cnipm.org features information and links on community partners, materials for this event, and a photo gallery of "WANTED" weeds.

The IPM Program website at www.uaf.edu/coop-ext/ipm/ features local phone contacts for Alaskans seeking tips on fighting weeds on the home front.

The university’s latest online feature story covers these topics at www.uaf.edu/news/index.html.

Contact: Marta Mueller, Program Assistant, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension Service. 474-2428. e-mail ftmrm@uaf.edu