Attacking spotted knapweed infestation

Pete Schay of Camp Sherman has a goal: help in any way possible to get local forests back to their natural state. Recognizing the dangers of noxious weed infestation, his mission of late has been pulling weeds.

"Restoring our forests could be done in any number of ways. If you look at the things that have happened in the Metolius Basin and you see a problem, you correct," he said.

Last Saturday, June 21, 31 volunteers from Bend, Redmond, Sisters and Camp Sherman eagerly attacked weeds at Suttle Lake, Camp Caldera and Camp Davidson in a "Let's Pull Together" event.

Schay explained the history:

"We've had in Camp Sherman our own weed pulling thing for a long time. Beth VanCampen started it in about 2000 and she passed it on to me. Maret Pajutee, district ecologist at the Sisters Ranger District, has also been involved."

Pajutee said, "The weed pulls are a great way to raise awareness about noxious weeds aka invasive plants. You can see plants in books, but if you pull the plant for 15 minutes, you will know it for life. You will start noticing the plants as you drive speeding down the highway at 60 miles per hour. We develop a lot of weed warriors."

Weeds pose a serious threat to forest health.

"Spotted knapweed," Pajutee explained, "invades disturbed habitats like roadsides and recently burned areas, and we have a lot of those. Native species like Western yarrow, lupins which bring nitrogen back to the soil, Indian paintbrush, are all wiped out by spotted knapweed.

"Highway 20 by Indian Ford Campground is a great place to see all these plants. These are the first wave of plants that come in after a fire. Lupin is very important because, with all our volcanic rock, we have nitrogen-poor soil. Lupin is also popular among butterflies. Bitterbrush is food for deer. All these plants play an important role in our ecosystem."

Cheryl Howard of Bend found spotted knapweed in her yard about six years ago. Like Schay, she recognized a need and got started. Initially, she asked her neighborhood association, of which she was a chair, to help out.

She enticed them to pull weeds by saying, "Let's make a day of it and have a barbecue afterward. We'll make it a party."

Their first year, Howard's "Let's Pull Together" had nearly 200 weed pullers. Deschutes County Weed Advisory Board, of which Howard is now also a chair, heard about the project and also got involved.

The "Pull Together" events are organized for SOLV (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism).

According to Howard, timing is critical.

"The goal is to pull weeds before they have gone to seed," she said. "This year, due to all the rain, the plants are already huge. They hope to get the roots, but this is an on-going project. Some invasive species put out seeds that lay dormant for eight or ten years, so the sites have to be visited over and over again. Spotted knapweed sends out an enzyme through its roots that poisons the soil for other plants, including trees. It has taken over native wildlife to the extent that elk have nothing to feed on."

Knapweed has taken over Montana and Wyoming. Financial losses to Montana's livestock industry number in the millions. But it's not too late for Oregon.

Last Saturday's weed warriors were committed. Schay called for a lunch break and people still kept pulling. Fully aware of the seriousness of the problem, no one wanted to leave any weeds behind.