YAK Volunteers at Howard Preserve in Bellevue with WRLT interns and County Weed Department Staff
The following is part of a weed column sponsored by the Blaine County Weed Management Area (CWMA).
What’s good for trout is good for kids and pets too!
By Laura Speck, Stewardship Intern
Wood River Land Trust
As weed control in the Wood River Valley seems increasingly daunting and often futile, alternatives to herbicides are becoming a topic of conversation. Not only is our valley talking about alternatives, we are finding and utilizing them! Whether it’s the knapweed-munching goats scattered along our bike path, or the bioengineered, weed-eating bugs that dot Dalmatian Toadflax plants on hillsides all over the valley, people and organizations are making the effort to reduce or eliminate the use of herbicides near our homes, schools, and recreational areas.
Here at the Wood River Land Trust, we deal with weeds on a daily basis at nearly every preserve, easement, and project under our belts. While herbicides are used at times, we are also familiar with “weed puller’s” back ache, as are many of our volunteers. This summer, we were fortunate to have help from St. Luke’s Youth Adult Konnections. YAK members volunteer two mornings a week to hand pull noxious weeds around the valley. On June 19th, ten YAK teenagers pulled an entire truckload of knapweed at the Howard Preserve in Bellevue.
The Wood River Land Trust is also utilizing biocontrol agents such as stem boring weevil used to control Dalmatian Toadflax, Canada Thistle, and Knapweed. Groups like the Southern Idaho Biological Control Program and the Forest Service have been diligent about releasing and tracking these bugs, and local organizations and private landowners are catching on as well.
And don’t forget about giving your weeds some healthy competition! Seeding or re-seeding weed infested areas with native grass is a great way to passively rid your yard of weeds. Even raising your mower blade to 3 inches will help thicken your grass to drive out competing dandelions and clovers. If you are looking for more ways to control the weeds in your yard, the Blaine County Pesticide Action Network (PAN) has released a comprehensive guide to controlling weeds from common dandelions to noxious Canada Thistle using healthy, herbicide-free, practices (link can be found at the bottom of this page).
We do our best to practice what we preach at the Land Trust when it comes to weed control. Our Trout Friendly Lawn Program (TFL) encourages homeowners to reduce, or altogether eliminate, the use of herbicides from lawns, yards, and garden all over our valley. The Trout Friendly Lawn Program also encourages water conservation through proper irrigation practices and through the use of native and drought tolerant plants. Through these practices, we will be able to help protect our valley’s most treasured asset, the Big Wood River. Many homeowners and local businesses have taken steps to become a certified Trout Friendly Lawn member and they proudly display a TFL sign in their yard.
It’s no secret that herbicides are unhealthy for kids, parents, and pets, but let’s not forget our wildlife and natural surroundings. Whether you are an angler or not, it can’t be argued that every Wood River Valley Resident has his or her own reason to love and protect our river.
So whether you wake up in the morning to fish the Big Wood River or to tend to screaming kids and restless Labradors, our goals should be the same: find and utilize any and all alternatives to herbicide use in our valley, because what’s good for trout is good for your kids and pets too.
For more information, contact Dayna Gross at 208-788-7910.
For more information on our Trout Friendly Lawn Program or to become a member, please visit: www.troutfriendly.com
To download an electronic copy of PAN’s Safer Weed & Pest Control: Low Risk Solutions for Parks, Schools, and Homeowners, A Companion Guide for IPM in Blaine County or to view if online, please visit: www.pesticideactionnetwork.net
