2009-07-15_REPORT - M1988044 (2)

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C. Special treatments - none. D. Status of new seedings as of report date - The seeding is still far too young to make an assessment. However, five days after seeding, seedlings were already visible, thanks to abundant moisture. E. Status of older revegetation as of report date (describe growth rates, cover, invasive species, native invasion, and difficulties) - Although the 2008 seeding showed moderate to poor success at the end of 2008, this has improved greatly in 2009. There are still some weak areas that appear to be related to differences in. the plant growth medium, but even here between seeded species and invaders these areas are showing marginally sufficient success. Spot seeding may be needed, but no decision will be made on that until the end of the 2009 growing season and a final assessment can be made. F. Description of animal impacts on revegetation: No significant animal impacts were noted. Pronghorn do graze the older revegetation, but the pronghorn population is small relative to the amount of land that produces food for them. Therefore, any impacts are negligible. Rodents, mainly prairie dogs, are not a problem with any of the revegetation areas. WEED STATUS: 1. General overview of weed status on site: Weeds remain a serious problem throughout this site and that is not expected to change anytime soon. The weed populations are deeply entrenched on this land and have become that way simply because of the long life they have had here and the continued presence of suitable habitat to enhance their persistence. A. Status of species that have been present in the past: Spurge density has actually decreased some in the past few years due to robust expansion of grasses and the competition they provide. However, with the abundant moisture in 2009 the spurge has made a comeback. It is robust in areas where it dominates, but overall it appears to still be less than was present when grazing was reducing the competition factor and the weeds could expand fairly freely. Tamarix control begun three years ago has been highly successful and some additional cleanup will be done this year along with monitoring to see that it does not come back or spread downstream. At this point it is estimated there are about 50 plants scattered about the area. Very J.ew, if any, new plants have appeared. These plants seem to be resistant to herbicides and even though they dieback after treatment, they have a high capacity to recover. Because there are not all that many, most will probably be removed in 2009 by physically digging them out. B. New species: No new species have been noted. In a few places this year, the thistles appear to be stronger, but Canada thistle has shown only a small increase. Most of the other thistles are annuals and some are natives. Status report for 2009 due July 15, 2009 Page 9 of 10