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Michigan's Invasive Species Community

Katie Grzesiak

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Everything posted by Katie Grzesiak

  1. I don't know of a resource like this, but maybe a CISMA has made one? Or perhaps an informative treatment (as used for other treatments) sign could be adapted. @Audrey Menninga @Vicki Sawicki @Elise Desjarlais @Shaun Howard @Shikha Singh any ideas?
  2. PCG is always a great resource. ISN also created a bootbrush sign a while back, based on the NPS bootbrush stations; it's in the Downloads section here:
  3. We'd really like to do the cut-and-return, but can't spare the staff time. We time so we treat when the plant is smaller the first year (it's usually shorter after the first year of spraying) and bring a ladder just in case. That said, if you CAN do the cut, or if the landowner can do it responsibly and leave the cut stems in place (we have a few that do!), research shows that it can be a lot more effective.
  4. Wow! I'm actually super encouraged that there's nothing on that list that makes me want to throw up! Nice work, Lowe's. Thanks for looking into it, Nor!! @EmilyCook_ISN @Shelly Stusick check it!
  5. Attached is a Request for Bids ISN has used in the past. Feel free to steal verbiage (I think our was stolen from work in the UP) and improve upon it! NER RFB Project Summary.pdf
  6. We've done printed (or PDFs, which we then print for record-keeping purposes); our policies require a signature. If your policies are different and grant requirements allow it, Google Forms could be a great streamlining tool! @Audrey Menninga is also a great resource at ISN, as she deals with our permission forms, and may have some streamlining tips.
  7. ISN re-did our prioritization in 2019, and I wanted to share the tools we used with you all. Attached is: Our list of species (far from complete, but certainly enough there to keep you busy) in the worksheet we used to record our scores The original (rc'd from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, though apparently they adapted it from elsewhere) priority ranking system & rationale The priority ranking edited for ISN's outlook Our method was, after checking in with the Steering Committee for approval, to get ISN's staff together and go through the species with the ranking system. Any data point we knew offhand (e.g. garlic mustard IS allelopathic) we'd fill in, otherwise someone would be assigned to dig through the internet for data right then. It was great to have 4 of us, because it let us rotate through without our brains melting. It still took two half-days (and we ended up not fully evaluating a few species, particularly prairie weeds and aquatics), and was a bit mind-numbing. If you don't have staff, it could be really nice for the Steering Committee or some gung-ho volunteers to pitch in so you don't die. It could easily be done via Zoom, assuming participants have two screens so they can look at the list & questions AND do searches at the same time. If you're physically together, project the questions/worksheet for all to see, and have folks search on their personal computers (or phones? though that sounds horrible). Once we had all the ratings, we used them to inform our new prioritization, which was tweaked and approved by the Steering Committee and Partners. Folks have been especially appreciative of the Awareness Species, and how they're listed by habitat. Let me know if you have questions! And if you did something different, please share! There's no wrong way to eat a Reese's. SLBE Priority Ranking .docx SLBE Priority Ranking_ISN edit.docx SLBE ranking rationale.docx species brainstorming 2019.xlsx
  8. ISN uses Elite Premier Ultra, which we got through Red River: https://rrsi.com/product/elite-premier/
  9. Unfortunately, I can't; it wasn't official, so I don't have records (plus it was like 7 years ago). However, it was probably equivalent to the standard concentration we use for broadleaf weeds--1.5% Garlon 3A.
  10. Looks about right; I've only treated it privately, and I used triclopyr so it wouldn't kill grasses. Clipped seedheads, sprayed non-bolted rosettes, left follow-up to the friend whose land it was. Seemed to work pretty well.
  11. Hi Susan, ISN also uses the state guidelines Nor referenced above--treating with triclopyr and an increased surfactant. However, we've actually seen the best control in the smaller patches where we were able to hand-pull/dig as you describe. Hopefully you don't run into a big patch! Thanks for your work.
  12. During today's discussions at the Funding Tips and Tricks breakout, there were questions about how permanent-nut-grant-dependent positions were advertised. In the "compensation" portion, I just have this line: "The [position] is a full-time, salaried position for the duration of the grant ([end date]), with the possibility of extension if continued funding is obtained."
  13. Here are three resources I'll be referencing and screen-sharing during my portion of the "Tips and Tricks for Managing Funding" concurrent session (B1). Budget and salary map examples are attached, match tracking is a view-only (feel free to save a copy) Google Sheet. budget_example.xlsx salarymap_example.xlsx
  14. We do a lot of praying! Cut-stump works well, but with large populations, it's a lot to wade through, and will take multiple years. The best effort I've ever been a part of actually used a bobcat with a forklift on to rip tons up, we walked through after and sprayed any stumps we saw. 95% kill in Year 1. BUT it was in a field, not a river bank, and we had a bobcat literally onsite doing other work. Not an option for most projects. Also, don't pull down the vines--unnecessary work. They'll fall down as they rot.
  15. It's in a weird grey zone for us. It's technically an EDR species in our region, but it also seems to be growing exclusively in road ROWs and not spreading into higher-quality areas. We're encouraging removal. We were hoping to have a better handle on our actions this year... but it's 2020.
  16. I've had lots of questions about this plant this year for the first time! I don't have any professional experience with it, but personal. My mother planted some as a ground cover in a part-shade spot, and it was aggressive. We worked hard to remove it years later (physical only, dig/pull), and eventually mostly got rid of it, though a sprout or two comes up each year. I haven't seen evidence of it escaping into natural areas--yet. I would expect similar risks regarding compost/dump piles in woods turning into escapees as other, more obviously identified as invasive ground covers. The one thing that may be saving it from being truly invasive is that it seems to be more patchy than truly covering--one of the reasons we ripped it out in the first place. That's only my experience in one location (literally one spot in one yard), so it could be very different overall.
  17. We have some up north, though we haven't worked very hard on it yet. Apparently treatment is similar to garlic mustard: pull before seeds or try glyphosate or triclopyr sprays. Our reports from volunteers are similar to garlic mustard too: thick patches are harder to knock back (and an ebb-and-flow of dense and lighter years), and smaller ones may be "won" in a few years.
  18. The good news is that the seeds are still green and tight in their siliques (those long thin pods)--you can pull! Be sure to bag it and send it to a landfill or tarp a big pile on-site (or other disposal options) so those ripening seeds don't escape. Once the seeds are brown and dry, the siliques will open up when you pull the plants; at that point, it's no longer a good idea to pull the plants because of the risk of spread. Thanks for your sharp eyes and dedication to habitat!
  19. Hmmm, unfortunately, nothing is springing to mind. @DGregori, would you be able to post a photo a little later in the year? Flowers or additional leaves may be of use. Your local MSU Extension office may be able to help too!
  20. I'm sure we're all creating lots of outreach stuff or ideas for how to reach people while we can't hang out with them, and wanted to share some of what ISN's cooking up. Please share yours too! Coloring pages: https://www.habitatmatters.org/education.html--I know others are doing this too! Let's share! Video work (in progress), particularly about decontamination and species ID We're going to have a mini-garlic mustard challenge in our service area, probably? Our spring partner meeting will be held online via Zoom Outreach to swap groups and other local groups on Facebook etc. regarding invasive species (thanks for the idea from Renee Penny of Kalkaska CD/CAKE CISMA) Probably other things I'm forgetting!
  21. ISN is hoping to work more with TOH for exactly this reason--our updated prioritization is still in the works, but (spoilers!), TOH has moved up to a higher priority for us. Funding-depending, we're hoping to work with growers of all kinds (especially in an area like ours with lots of fruit trees). I like the idea of the wineries/breweries too! The biggest challenge we see is actually killing the tree. Literature suggests frill-cuts (instead of cut-stump) is the best treatment, and a lot of the trees we know of in our region are close to structures. Combine that with TOH's already brittle wood, and that could be a yucky situation! We're hoping to partner with and/or train some arborists on treatments.
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