Lassen County Special Weed Action Team (SWAT) (inactive)

 

Chair: Carolyn Gibbs, Bureau of Land Management, Eagle Lake Field Office

General contact: Carolyn Gibbs, 530-252-5325, carolyn_gibbs@ca.blm.gov

Mapping contact: None

Meetings: Committee meetings twice a year, subgroup meetings for discussing specific weeds more frequently. Held at the Bureau of Land Management, Eagle Lake Field Office

Associated Website for the Special Weed Action Team

 

Outreach Summary:

   Publications

  • Perennial Pepperweed brochure
  • Yellow Starthistle brochure
  • Scotch Thistle brochure
  • Spotted Knapweed brochure
  • Flyer called Stop the spread of noxious weeds

   Events

  • Booths at Lassen County Fair and Chico State University Agricultural Day, where WMA representatives teach 900 children about puncture vine seeds
  • Hosts annual noxious weed awareness field trips with local third grade classes
  • The Agricultural Commissioner offers continuing education classes about weed identification and treatment for adults through Lassen Community College
  • The UC Cooperative Extension office leads field trips for the agricultural community
  • The WMA conducts a week of publicity events to promote the use of 2 insect biocontrol agents for puncturevine. The biocontrol insects will be given out for free at the end of the week

   Media

  • Facebook page “Lassen County Department of Agriculture & Weights and Measures”

   Other

  • Selected Noxious Weeds of Northeastern California, A Field Identification Guide (book).

 

Project Highlights:

   Seasonal work crew project

  • The WMA was awarded a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant that, with the help of additional funding, has supported a two-person crew that works out of the BLM Eagle Lake Field Office. The crew spends the weed control season working with various organizations throughout Lassen County to aid a variety of weed control projects.

   Lassen County tall whitetop removal

  • Throughout Lassen County, 64,000 acres of Tall whitetop (aka perennial pepperweed) exist. In addition to wetlands, the plant occupies drier areas from roadsides to mountain tops. The Lassen County Noxious Weed SWAT Team used hand-pulling and herbicides to control tall whitetop along 7 miles of rivers. Many native plants returned to the control areas naturally, and some reseeding was done as well. Children from 4-H groups were involved as well, and they went to Washington, DC to learn more about tall whitetop and to educate others at a convention.

   Carson Wandering Skipper Protection Project

  • Tall whitetop is being controlled and managed on 200 acres in the Amedee wetlands with the goal of protecting habitat for the Carson wandering skipper, Pseudocopaeodes eunus obscurus, an endangered butterfly. Project partners include the Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lassen County, Honey Lake RCD, Honey Lake Conservation Team, California Department of Fish and Game, and California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Organizations on WMA’s MOU

  • East Lake Resource Conservation District
  • Big Valley Pest Abatement District
  • Bureau of Land Management, Alturas Field Office
  • Bureau of Land Management, Eagle Lake Field Office
  • Bureau of Land Management, Surprise Field Office
  • California Correctional Center
  • California Department of Fish and Game
  • California Department of Food and Agriculture
  • California Department of Forestry
  • California Department of Transportation District 2
  • City of Susanville Parks Department
  • Ducks Unlimited
  • Honey Lake Conservation team
  • Honey Lake Valley Resource Conservation District
  • Lassen Community College
  • Lassen County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office
  • Lassen County Cattlemens and Cattlewomens Associations
  • Lassen County Farm Advisor’s Office
  • Lassen County Farm Bureau
  • Lassen County Office of Education
  • Lassen County Public Works Road Department
  • Lassen County University of California Cooperative Extension Office
  • Lassen Land and Trail Trust
  • National Park Service, Lassen Volcanic National Park
  • Natural Resources Conservation Service/Honey Lake RCD
  • Pheasants Forever
  • Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe
  • Sierra Army Depot
  • Sierra Pacific Industries
  • Surprise Valley Resource Conservation District
  • Susanville Indian Rancheria
  • US Forest Service, Lassen National Forest
  • USDA Farm Services Agency

Other regular participants

  • Janesville Elementary School District
  • Lassen High School
  • Richmond 4-H
  • Richmond School District
  • Susanville FFA