22
Wednesday, August 5, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
RECOVERY: Search and
rescue teams came
together for effort
KNAPWEED:
Weeds must be
disposed of properly
Continued from page 1
Continued from page 1
for the arrival of a helicop-
ter from Leading Edge Avia-
tion to transport Freepons to
Metolius Meadows in Camp
Sherman where family and
friends were waiting.
<My heart aches for David
Freepons9 family and friends
during this most difficult
time,= the sheriff stated. <I
can9t imagine the pain of los-
ing a friend in such a man-
ner and being helpless to
help or recover David from
such a remote and precari-
ous location, and having to
wait so long to get him off the
mountain.=
Atkins said, <I want to per-
sonally thank Sergeant David
Pond for his caring and tire-
less pursuit to gather so many
experts from other counties
to get the job done. When he
reached out to other search
and rescue coordinators in
Oregon, their expertise and
knowledge were able to put a
recovery plan into action. I9m
so thankful for our working
relationship with other sher-
iff9s SAR teams.=
Leading Edge Aviation of
Bend provided a helicopter
for the effort.
Teams involved included:
Corvallis Mountain Rescue
Team with Benton County
SAR; Eugene Mountain Res-
cue with Lane County SAR;
Mountain Rescue Team with
Deschutes County SAR;
Lane County amateur radio
operators; Linn County Posse
members (shuttling gear for
teams); and volunteers of
the Jefferson County SAR
team who were support and
command.
The remote location where
the accident occurred is
located on the east side of Mt.
Jefferson, within the Mt. Jef-
ferson Wilderness area, within
the Confederated Tribes of
Warm Springs Indian Reser-
vation, in Jefferson County.
<I9m proud to be able to
help our friends from the
Warm Spring Police Depart-
ment who don9t have a moun-
tain rescue crew, but were
able to assist financially to
make this operation happen,=
Sheriff Atkins stated. <Thank
you to Chief William Elliot
and tribal council.=
Oregon is the adopted
home of six different knap-
weeds and here in Sisters the
spotted knapweed is the one
causing trouble. It is tough
to control, spreads its seeds
easily, and requires aggres-
sive eradication efforts. The
best time to deal with them
is when they are nothing
more than a small broadleaf
rosette and can be pulled. If
they have already gone to
seed, if there are only a few,
very carefully pull them by
hand so as to not spread the
seed.
There is a great deal of
knapweed information on
the internet. For larger areas
of knapweed, biological con-
trol using insects is proving
very effective. Each knap-
weed species has biologi-
cal enemies (insects) that
attack different parts of the
knapweed at different times
of the year. For example,
knapweed flower weevil lar-
vae feed in the seed heads,
destroying the knapweed
seeds before they mature.
The biological control agents
can be ordered online.
Spotted knapweed is a
perennial herbaceous plant
that grows two- to three-feet
tall and produces light purple
flowers. People who don9t
know what a noxious weed
they are have been known to
cultivate them in their yard.
Knapweed is a native
of Europe and Asia. It was
introduced to North America
in the 1890s as a contami-
nant in agricultural seed and
through soil discarded from
ship ballast. It has become
a serious problem in pas-
tures and rangeland in the
western U.S. and Canada.
Cattle avoid eating it and,
if it invades, it will reduce
usable grazing land. What
we do or don9t do can have
consequences for people we
don9t even know.
Spotted knapweed can be
found growing in places like
gravel pits, railroad beds,
and field margins, from
where it can spread to adja-
cent intact woodlands and
prairies. A prime example
of a knapweed infestation
can be seen in Sisters in the
field at the corner of Camp
Polk Road and West Barclay
Drive. The City is currently
working with the property
owner to find a way to miti-
gate the situation.
The City of Sisters
addresses noxious weeds
like spotted knapweed in
the Sisters Municipal Code,
8.15.060 (2) (a) (i and ii)
which reads:
(2) Weed and Brush
Removal. The owner or per-
son responsible for the care
of any property located in
the Sisters city limits shall:
(a) Remove or destroy
all invader weed species,
including but not limited
to knapweed, Russian and
domestic thistle, Scotch
broom, and cheat grass from
private property, as follows:
(i) All invader weed spe-
cies that are in flower shall
be hand-pulled and bagged,
and subsequently removed
from the premises.
(ii) If not in flower, by
using the most efficient and
practical means available.
[Ord. 479 § 3 (Exh. A),
2017; Ord. 444 § 1 (Exh. A),
2014; Ord. 282 § 1, 1997.
Code 2002 § 8.12.042].
Superior
Escrow
Execution
Ultimate
Service
if you do use them, be sure
you have the right one for
your purposes and follow
the directions on the con-
tainer to the letter.
Don9t till the weeds into
the soil. Hand pull them
when they first appear. Don9t
wait until they have gone to
seed to do something about
them. Use of good thick
mulch can keep some weeds
from ever sprouting.
Don9t put spotted knap-
weed that has gone to seed
in the yard-waste bin. Bag in
black plastic bags and put in
trash.
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Sisters, OR 97759
541-549-6000
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Comments? Email
editor@nuggetnews.com
Knapweed is a perennial
herbaceous weed (returns
every year) that is on full
display around Sisters,
ready to release 1,100
seeds per plant, to be car-
ried by the wind to sur-
rounding areas. Seeds can
remain viable for seven to
10 years before they produce
another plant. So, what can
the ordinary citizen do to
help quell its spread?
In the broadest sense,
weed management strate-
gies have three objectives:
to prevent the introduction
of new weeds; to discourage
weeds so they can9t compete
with desired plants; to stop
weeds from going to seed,
thus reducing, over time, the
weed seed burden in the soil.
Cultivate a relationship
with your neighbors that
allows for a coordinated
approach to creeping peren-
nials like spotted knapweed
and cheat grass. Good weed
management can be done
without using herbicides, but
Jim Goodwin, 541-214-1297
SUDOKU
SOLUTION
for puzzle on page 20
Stopping the spread
of knapweed
291 W. Cascade Ave. Sisters, OR
541-549-6000 | www.reedbros.com
Licensed in the State of Oregon
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