Invasive plants wreak havoc on native ecosystems worldwide and cost the U.S. economy more than $122 billion annually. Invasive plants are established on the Kenai Peninsula and are quickly beginning to expand.
Other conservation districts, nonprofit orga-nizations and federal agencies also will be “pulling together” from Friday through June 30 in an attempt to foil noxious weeds throughout the state. The Friends of Alaskan Refuges has organized weed-pull efforts at several wildlife refuges from Kanuti to Kodiak. In Anchorage, Cooperative Extension will mobilize volunteers to get their hands dirty and be involved in weed pulls in and around the city.
From backcountry areas to metropolitan Anchorage, invasive plants are creeping their way from cultivated areas into native habitats in Alaska. Butter and eggs (Linaria vulgaris) is one such plant that is commonly propagated as an ornamental.
This showy plant has proven itself an aggressive invader of pasturelands throughout the western United States. It is mildly toxic to humans, livestock and wildlife alike and is considered a noxious weed by legal statute in nine western states. This species, along with Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), is being targeted in local removal efforts.
However, as with many invasive plants, the removal effort of invasive weeds is a long-term commitment. Many adaptations, such as prolific seed production, make these plants very successful invaders. They also make them particularly difficult to remove. For example, butter and eggs, which is also known as yellow toadflax, can produce up to 30,000 seeds annually. Resprouts must be pulled for years following the initial removal.
Alaskans can take a lesson from the mistakes made elsewhere in controlling invasive weeds. The Province of Alberta in Canada has more than 65,000 acres of toadflax to struggle with. On the Kenai Peninsula, most sites are still small and reasonable for hand removal, but this becomes less the case with each passing year.
By identifying and removing infestations early on there is still hope for avoiding the many problems caused by invasive flora.
With a dedicated community effort and vigilance you can help to protect Alaska’s diverse and abundant natural resources.
Volunteers should bring gloves, their favorite digging tool and meet at the parking lot behind the college on Heath Street at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Get involved, pull some weeds and spread the word about the problem of invasive plants.
Caleb Slemmons is the invasive plant program coordinator for the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District. He welcomes your questions either by phone, 235-8177 ext. 5, or via e-mail, caleb@homerswcd.org.
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