Eagle River Coalition: Noxious weeds and our watershed
If you’ve been out enjoying the local landscapes this summer, you’ve probably come across more than one spiky purple thistle during your adventures. Found everywhere from along hiking trails to those that somehow find their way into cracks of sidewalks, thistles have come to be fairly pervasive, and they are especially noticeable at the summer’s end when they bloom. Many — though not all — types of thistles are considered noxious weeds.
Noxious weeds can be found all over Eagle County. There are more than 35 different noxious weeds that grow throughout the Eagle River Valley. Each noxious weed poses a risk to our beautiful and fragile mountain ecosystems. All of these weeds can out-compete native plants and reduce biodiversity — along with other consequences.
A noxious weed is a species that has established, persisted and spread within an ecosystem outside of its native range. These plants often have migrated from Europe and Asia, either by accident or on purpose. Some of the plants were brought for landscaping, windbreaks and riparian restoration techniques.
Tamarisk is a prime example of a plant introduced by humans for its sturdy root system and thick foliage, originally intended to stabilize riverbanks and act as windbreaks. Unfortunately, it rapidly spread through riparian areas, displacing native plants like cottonwoods and willows, along with the wildlife that depended on them.
Tamarisk also presents a significant challenge to water availability in the West. An acre of this plant can consume up to 2.8 million gallons of water per year — enough to cover eight football fields with a foot of water. In a region where 40 million people depend on an already scarce water supply, preserving the flow of water in the Colorado River and its headwaters is more vital than ever.
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Invasive weeds and noxious weeds aren’t necessarily the same thing. Noxious weeds are a specific category within invasive species. An invasive weed may be classified as noxious if it poses a significant risk to agriculture, recreation, wildlife, property, or public health. Once this designation is made, more decisive measures can be taken to control its spread in affected areas. Some of the most problematic noxious weeds that have taken hold in high-altitude regions include various thistles, knapweeds, tamarisk (salt cedar), Russian olive, and hoary cress (whitetop).
Tamarisk, like many noxious weeds, is notoriously difficult to remove, often requiring significant effort, persistence and methods. As summer winds down and you prepare your property for winter, it’s an ideal time to identify noxious weeds and plan how to manage them next spring and summer. Fortunately, there are many resources to assist with weed identification, removal strategies, funding for eradication efforts, and recommendations for replacement plants.
One great resource is the Eagle County Conservation District, which offers a cost-share program to help with noxious weed removal expenses, in addition to site visits to assist with weed identification. For more information, visit their program website at EagleCountyCD.com/noxious-weed-cost-share-1.
For guidance on native plant selection when planning ahead for next season’s landscaping efforts, check out BeyondLawn.org. This site provides plant lists and tips for incorporating native species into your landscape. Every action you take in your yard affects our local watershed, and your efforts are an important step in ensuring that we’re working together to protect it.
Rose Sandell is the education and outreach coordinator for Eagle River Coalition, which has a mission to advocate for the health and conservation of the Upper Colorado and Eagle River basins through research, education, and projects. Learn more at EagleRiverCO.org.
