Invasive exotic plant monitoring at Golden Spike National Historic Site, 2008 pilot field season
Perkins DW and Weissinger R. 2009. Invasive exotic plant monitoring at Golden Spike National Historic Site, 2008 pilot field season. Natural Resource Technical Report. NPS/NCPN/NRTR—2009/226. Natural Resource Program Center. Fort Collins, Colorado
Invasive exotic plant (IEP) species are one of the biggest threats to the integrity and biodiversity of natural ecosystems, and controlling them is a high priority for the National Park Service. The Northern Colorado Plateau Network (NCPN) selected the early detection of IEPs as one of 10 monitoringprotocols to be implemented as part of its long-term monitoring program. This report represents work completed during the pilot field season at Golden Spike National Historic Site (GOSP) in 2008, when methods were tested at GOSP and Fossil Butte National Monument (FOBU). These methods included (1) rapid-monitoring routes that focused on locating the highest-priority IEPs and (2) monitoring plots that provided more quantitative information on a wider range of IEPs. On July 12–13, 2008, 25 IEP species were detected on monitoring routes and plots that covered all major roads, trails, and riparian areas at GOSP. IEPs are widespread at GOSP, with at least one IEP present on every monitoring route and monitoring plot. Four taxa, crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum), brome (Bromus spp.), fieldbindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), and redstem storksbill (Erodium cicutarium), are widespread and may be beyond management control. Several other species are present in small, localized invasions that have a greater chance of being successfully controlled through management actions. Based on the results from this season, the NCPN will make two changes to its invasive exotic plant monitoring protocol in order to make quantitative collection of plot data more efficient and enable field crews tocover more area at a given park. In 2009, the NCPN will test the revised protocols in other network parks with different plant communities than GOSP and FOBU. The network will return to GOSP for a second year of monitoring in 2010.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Perkins, Dustin; Weissinger, Rebecca
- Date of Issue
- 2009-07
- Publisher
- Natural Resource Program Center
- Units
- GOSP , NCPN , NRSS
- Keywords
- Exotic Species, Exotic/Invasive Species - Plants, Invasive Species, Monitoring, NCPN Invasive Plants Monitoring, Plant Studies