Wild Horse Island Cheatgrass Plots

[BigHornRam]

WSF is helping develope a promising cheatgrass remedy on Wild Horse Island. Results should be out by later this year. This could definitely lead to more sheep on the mountain. Interesting article on the island and the project.

World Record Ram Puts Wild Horse Island State Park in Spotlight - Prairie Populist

A bighorn sheep discovered on Wild Horse Island is the world record holder -- and it is continuing to draw attention to the park from a variety of visitors.

prairiepopulist.org

 

[mtmiller]

Made me chuckle.

This record-holding sheep died of natural causes. A couple of hikers found the animal. Hunting on Wild Horse Island is illegal, as is harvesting the horns of a dead animal on state lands. Park staff stored the ram in a freezer until they were prepared to study it further.

 

[Schaaf]

Made me chuckle.

This record-holding sheep died of natural causes. A couple of hikers found the animal. Hunting on Wild Horse Island is illegal, as is harvesting the horns of a dead animal on state lands. Park staff stored the ram in a freezer until they were prepared to study it further.

Can’t make that up. Amazing.

 

[BigHornRam]

I would have preferred to have posted a link that dealt more with the cheatgrass plots than the bighorn deadheads. Haven't found one yet. Any positive comment on the cheatgrass remedy Craig or Schaaf?

 

[mtmiller]

I will be interested in the research. The location would not be my first choice, as it will limit tools in the tool box.

 

[Schaaf]

I would have preferred to have posted a link that dealt more with the cheatgrass plots than the bighorn deadheads. Haven't found one yet. Any positive comment on the cheatgrass remedy Craig or Schaaf?

Lighten up Paul. I’ll support damn near anything that results in more Sheep.

 

[BigHornRam]

It's an initial test plot funded by WSF. If it proves itself there it will be expanded upon. All indications so far are very positive.

 

[BigHornRam]

Lighten up Paul. I’ll support damn near anything that results in more Sheep.

Who needs to lighten up? I Just asked you a question.

 

[mtmiller]

WSF is supporting a cheatgrass study in Wyoming in BHS habitat on BLM. Currently grazing and herbicide it being utilized. IMO, that would be a great place to include the new research. I am not against the Wildhorse study, just answering your question.

 

[BigHornRam]

The person that stumbled upon this remedy is a mine reclamation specialist that noticed that cheatgrass would not grow around certain reclaimed areas. He is concerned about being able to upscale the production of the fertilizer and is working that issue right now.

Here's the patent application.

US9096478B2 - Low-concentration phytotoxic micronutrient compounds for selective control of invasive plant species - Google Patents

This invention provides low-dose, low-concentration formulations of phytotoxic trace inorganic compounds for use in methods and systems for selectively and effectively controlling invasive plants.

patents.google.com

 

[Irrelevant]

I still think ACK55 is the future for cheatgrass management. https://www.hcn.org/articles/researchers-find-formidable-foe-for-invasive-cheatgrass

 

[Ben Long]

Glad to see this. Wild Horse is a rare fragment of palouse-prairie habitat. Probably more rare than bighorns, in the big picture. No place for cheatgrass. Great place for bighorns.

 

[El Jason]

A remedy for cheat grass would likely have even bigger long term impacts on mule deer and sage grouse management.

 

[mtmiller]

Big picture indeed.

 

[rtraverdavis]

A remedy for cheat grass would likely have even bigger long term impacts on mule deer and sage grouse management.

It’s kind of mindblowing to see what cheatgrass has done to many parts of eastern Oregon. What should be thick sage brush sea is scraggly wasteland. It would be a miracle on par with a functional government to get rid of the damn stuff.

 

[kansasdad]

It’s kind of mindblowing to see what cheatgrass has done to many parts of eastern Oregon. What should be thick sage brush sea is scraggly wasteland. It would be a miracle on par with a functional government to get rid of the damn stuff.

While cheatgrass is no laughing matter, I laughed aloud at your comment rtraverdavis.

 

[SixPoint]

There was an encouraging presentation in Dillon a few months ago reviewing the test plots on the Red Rock refuge. They’ve found that Imazapic applied at 6ozper acre in the late fall for 3 consecutive years will reduce cheat grass substantially. Timing is everything to ensure a good kill on the cheat and not the natives.

 

[MThuntr]

There was an encouraging presentation in Dillon a few months ago reviewing the test plots on the Red Rock refuge. They’ve found that Imazapic applied at 6ozper acre in the late fall for 3 consecutive years will reduce cheat grass substantially. Timing is everything to ensure a good kill on the cheat and not the natives.

Imazapic aka Plateau was used up near Great Falls in some older CRP fields that a farmer didn't want to put back into crop. I forget the full circumstances of the project but I remember it worked ok but since the stand was old Crested wheatgrass it required interseeding between the clumps to fill in the bare ground. Not sure if the seeding ever took. I could see where if you had a good mix of native grasses (both bunchgrass and rhizomatous) it would work.
I foolishly skipped the Cheatgrass presentation hoping to have Shawn give me a detailed tour this spring. The guys at the refuge wanted to talk sagebrush anyway so maybe I can squeeze a full day out of it.

 

[BigHornRam]

Whether or not this remedy is a success will boil down to how much per acre it will cost to apply. I haven't heard any per acre application costs yet.

 

[El Jason]

Whether or not this remedy is a success will boil down to how much per acre it will cost to apply. I haven't heard any per acre application costs yet.

Right. We’re talking some pretty large scale applications.