Invasive and exotic plant management in Denali National Park and Preserve: 2015 summary report

Bedard, Cecilia; Smith, Andrew; Mahovlic, Wendy

Throughout the 2015 summer season, the Exotic Plant Management Team (EPMT) working in Denali National Park and Preserve (DENA) acted to prevent the encroachment of invasive/exotic/alien species into the natural tundra of the park. The species most focused on were Taraxacum officinale, Hordeum jubatum, Crepis tectorum, Vicia cracca, Melilotus albus and a new species Descurainia sophia. Invasive species typically spread in areas frequently trafficked by people and vehicles and disturbed areas such as construction zones. For this reason the team focused most of their efforts on the front country, visitor center, trails and headquarters areas of the park where there is high human traffic and construction areas. The team also focused on sections of the park road including miles 17 to 42 and miles 70 to 92, and the Kantishna airstrip. In Denali National Park and Preserve, the preferred method of invasive species management is manual treatment (hand pulling). However, herbicide was used on some areas of Crepis tectorum, Vicia cracca, and Descurainia sophia. During this season, the EPMT also worked on a number of revegetation projects. These areas include: both sides of the Rock Creek culvert near the park headquarters (Mile 3); a section of the park road near Eielson rest area (Eagle’s Nest – Mile 68); a man-made stream bed along Moose Creek/Eldorado Creek in the Kantishna area; mile 12.5 on the Park Rd. near the large culvert; Upper Hogan Creek (mile 20); the Wonder Lake Pump House (Mile 85); and the P640 House in the Park Headquarters area. The work was completed by the Exotic Plant Management Team consisting of Wendy Mahovlic, the residing supervisor for EPMT and DENA Revegetation, Cecilia Bedard and Andy Smith, Student Conservation Association (SCA) interns, and a six person volunteer SCA core crew. The results of the 2015 work included 2225 pounds of pulled invasive plants along 47 miles of the Park Road; 65 pounds of uncleaned native seeds collected; 7 revegetation projects completed and 2390 hours of volunteer help. Spatial data was collected on a Trimble GeoXT 2008 and corrected and edited on ArcGIS and Pathfinder Office programs. This data is utilized by the Regional National Park Service (NPS) office and contributes to the database available at the Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC) from the Alaska National Heritage Program (AKNHP).

Invasive and exotic plant management in Denali National Park and Preserve: 2015 summary report

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