LOCAL
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Mark Porter/Oregon Department of Agriculture
Blueweed (Echium vulgare) was recently just listed by the state as a noxious weed.
A7
Mark Porter/Oregon Department of Agriculture
Hoary alyssum can be toxic to horses if baled in their hay. It has been found near Wallowa.
Vegetation Department gears up for spring
County continues
battle against
noxious weeds
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — As
spring arrives, the Wallowa
County Vegetation Depart-
ment is gearing up to con-
tinue the ongoing battle
against noxious and invasive
weeds in the county.
Vegetation Department
Manager Andy Marcum
presented the updated 2022
Noxious Weed List to the
Wallowa County Board of
Commissioners at its meet-
ing Wednesday, March 16.
The weed list consists of
20 species on the “A List,”
another 37 on the “B List”
and another 58 on a “Tar-
get List” and a “Watch List,”
some of which are included
on multiple lists.
On the lists
Among the most con-
cerning, Marcum said, are
three that have been “creep-
ing toward” or are already in
Wallowa County.
He said hoary alyssum
was found around 2002 near
Wallowa at the bottom of
Tick Hill. Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture Nox-
ious Program staff monitors
and treats this site each year.
Last year there were only a
few plants left. He said it is
deadly toxic to horses when
mixed into hay due to their
inability to sort it out.
“It’s really hard to fi nd,
too,” Marcum told the com-
missioners. “It blends in
well with the bunchgrasses
in the areas it grows in.”
Also of concern, he said,
are two species of wild
roses: sweet briar rose and
dog rose. They are prevalent
in canyonlands, such as the
Imnaha area. They’re eas-
ily identifi able, but some-
what diffi cult to distinguish
between the two species.
“They’ve been on the
radar for over 20 years,”
Marcum said.
Commissioner
Todd
Nash asked how those rose-
bushes are controlled. Mar-
cum said usually with a
herbicide such as garlon,
picloram, triclopyr or even
pelletized herbicides that are
applied prior to rain, which
can then soak down into the
roots of the bush. They can
also be controlled by dig-
ging up the entire root sys-
tem early on in the plants
growth.
Nash also was curious
if biological controls, such
as livestock, can be used.
Marcum said the thorns in
rosebushes prevent goats or
sheep from eating them to a
controllable level.
“They’re just too hard on
(the animals),” he said.
Some of the noxious
weeds are toxic to livestock,
which Wallowa County is
full of.
Biocontrols are eff ec-
tive, Marcum said, such as
insects.
“We’re beginning to ramp
up educating people on the
diff erent kinds of herbicide
we use,” he said. “It’s not all
about spraying Roundup. In
fact, we rarely use Roundup
in our treatments outside of
our right of ways. … Spray-
ing is part of it, livestock’s
part of it, biocontrols are
a big part of it — there are
more biocontrols that are
nearing approval for release
in the state of Oregon, which
are species of insects that
only target specifi c plants.
Knapweed, for example,
there are several biocontrols
here in the county that are
used on knapweed.”
Some of those insects
include species of weevils,
beetles and fl ies, he said.
“And there’s more com-
ing down the pipe,” he said.
“One issue right now is the
state’s ability to grow them
fast enough for release
throughout the state.”
Educational eff orts
Commission
Chair-
woman Susan Roberts asked
about Marcum’s educational
eff orts.
“Are there pictures of
these things around?” she
asked. “A lot of people go out
and they dig up these won-
derful-looking things and
they bring them to town.”
Marcum said he plans to
continue to get photographs
of the noxious weeds circu-
lated as part of the depart-
ment’s education and out-
reach eff orts. In coordination
with the Wallowa County
Weed Board and Wallowa
Resources, a monthly arti-
cle in the Chieftain, which
will highlight a noxious
weed of the month, educa-
tional letters on various her-
bicides and noxious weeds to
the Wallowa County Cham-
ber of Commerce and con-
tinued work with Wallowa
Resources, SWCD, NRCS,
ODA and Oregon State Uni-
versity Extension.
“And as always, if folks
are out on a hike, moving
cows or even driving down
the road and see something
suspicious, call any of our
local natural resource orga-
nizations and report it,” he
said.
Marcum noted that the
county Weed Board also has
added people who are not
necessarily noxious weed
experts, but are members of
the public and vital to have
included on the board.
At the March 16 meeting,
the commissioners approved
the Weed Board’s Annual
Plan, the 2022 Noxious
Weed List and appointed
members to the Weed Board.
Some of the members were
already on the board.
Appointed or reappointed
were Teresa Smergut, Kelly
Birkmaier, Marci Schreder,
Chris Cunningham, Mike
Hale, Joe Sims, Beckijo
Smergut, Mike Beachy, Janet
Hohmann, Shanda Zettle and
Ingrid Cook.
VISIT US ON THE WEB AT: www.Wallowa.com
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Wallowa County Chieftain
Contact Jennifer TODAY!
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Barbara Ertter/Contributed Photo
Native and nonnative roses appear throughout Wallowa County. The nonnatives are listed
both in the state and the county as noxious invaders.
YOUTH
TURKEY
HUNT
The Nature Conservancy would
like to offer a turkey hunting
opportunity to the youth of
Wallowa County. Two youth hunters
will be chosen via random draw.
Hunters must be between the ages
of 12-17. Chosen youth hunters must
be accompanied by an adult
(21 yrs or older) during their hunt.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: 4/3/22
To sign up for the random draw,
email Chad Dotson at
chad.dotson@tnc.org
Protecting nature. Preserving life.™
541-426-3458 • 906 S. River Street
Enterprise, OR 97828