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WEED STATUS: <br /> 1. General overview of weed status on site: Weeds changed a bit in their species balance and <br /> abundances this year. Much of that is undoubtedly due to a wet spring season. <br /> A. Status of species that have been present in the past: Spurge density appears to have <br /> shifted upwardly in prominence this year due to abundant moisture,but on the whole <br /> the spurge populations do not appear to have significantly changed. Whether a great <br /> growing season will result in an increase in the population next year remains to be <br /> seen. Spurge continues to be rare to uncommon in reclamation areas. But in <br /> bottomland situations it continues to be problematic due to a suitable and rich growth <br /> environment in those habitats. <br /> Tamarix control,begun seven years ago, appears to have reached its goal of <br /> eradication. No new plants have been found,but the critical inspection for this species <br /> is in August. None are expected, but with increased moisture in the lowland sites <br /> longer lived seeds could have germinated. So continued monitoring is necessary until <br /> no more plants are found for a couple of consecutive years. <br /> Cheatgrass or Downy Brome (Bromus tectorum)had another great growth season in <br /> late Spring and early Summer. However, its abundance does not seem to have changed <br /> much. That said, this species is so pervasive throughout this part of the Lowry Range it <br /> is hard to determine whether it has increased or decreased. In general, its appearance in <br /> the vegetation this year has been thoroughly overwhelmed by the rich growth of the <br /> native needlegrasses which have done extremely well this year. The needlegrasses <br /> seem to be a potent competitor with cheatgrass and tends to keep its population a bit <br /> lower than it would be otherwise. Make no mistake though,the cheatgrass is still there <br /> even though not easily seen in the"ocean"of needlegrass which is so much taller. <br /> It is interesting that the burned area near the turn in the access road into the mining pit <br /> has changed dramatically in the last year. In 2013 that area was primarily overgrown <br /> by cheatgrass with other grasses hardly visible. This year the cheatgrass is still there in <br /> abundance but it is has had a hard time achieving the kind of vigor that it can reach <br /> when it dominates. Visually, that area is now dominated by needlegrass. Numerically, <br /> the cheatgrass is still dominant. The pattern seen is somewhat similar to the pattern <br /> seen with tumbleweeds. The first year after disturbance the weed species is incredibly <br /> abundant. The second year it declines and other species tend to take over. With <br /> tumbleweeds, unless there is fresh disturbance or the application of high nitrogen <br /> fertilizer, the weeds decline to a minimal presence in the third year. And in the fourth <br /> year thumbleweeds can be hard to find. Although it is yet to be seen whether <br /> cheatgrass in this fire disturbed area will follow the tumbleweed pattern in the third <br /> year, the first two years have closely paralleled the tumbleweed pattern. In part the <br /> abundance of cheatgrass in 2013 was due to the resistance of cheatgrass seed to fire <br /> and the fact that the burning of the vegetation released a rich explosion of nutrients <br /> that the cheatgrass,being so opportunistic,took advantage of. But now that the nutrient <br /> levels have declined due to utilization by both cheatgrass and the recovering <br /> Status report for 2014 due July 15, 2014 Page 8 of 10 <br />