Invasive Exotic Plant Monitoring at Golden Spike National Historical Park: 2024 Field Season
Perkins DW . 2025. Invasive Exotic Plant Monitoring at Golden Spike National Historical Park: 2024 Field Season. Science Report. NPS/SR—2025/352. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2315453
Invasive exotic plant (IEP) species are among the biggest threats to natural ecosystem integrity and biodiversity, and their control is a high priority for the National Park Service. The Northern Colorado Plateau Network (NCPN) selected early detection of IEPs as one of the 11 monitoring protocols implemented as part of its long-term monitoring program. This report summarizes work completed during the 2024 field season at Golden Spike National Historical Park (NHP). On June 20–21, 2024, we recorded six priority IEP species during monitoring at the park. Sixty priority IEP patches were detected along 20.3 km (12.6 miles) of 13 monitoring routes that covered all major roads, trails, and riparian areas. Three additional widespread IEP species were recorded only in transects. The highest densities of IEP patches were recorded along the Last Cut drainage, followed by the Facility Road, Residence Service Road, East Tour Road, and Retired Service Road. Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis) and Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium) were the most prevalent priority species, representing 88% of all recorded patches. Compared to 2021, there was a decrease in the number of IEP patches per kilometer in 2024, driven by a decrease of rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea). More-widespread species monitored in transects were still common, with cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum), and tumble mustard (Sisymbrium altissimum) present in 82%, 36%, and 21% of all transects, respectively. At least one of these species in all of the 39 transects monitored.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Perkins, Dustin
- Date of Issue
- 2025-09
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2315453
- Units
- GOSP , NCPN , NRSS
- Keywords
- Exotic Species, Exotic/Invasive Species - Plants, GOSP, Invasive Species, Monitoring, NCPN Invasive Plants Monitoring, Plant Studies
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Invasive Species | Invasive/Exotic plants